By Leann Callaway
The contemporary Christian group Selah desires to reach the far corners of the world with its music and message to lift up the name of Jesus.
The Dove Award-winning trio is made up of Todd Smith, Amy Perry and Allan Hall. While performing signature songs such as “You Raise Me Up,” “Wonderful, Merciful Savior” and “Press On” the group has been inspiring audiences for almost two decades with their soul-stirring lyrics.
By sharing the message behind their music the group hopes to connect audiences with the truth of the gospel.
Their latest album, “You Amaze Us,” features a unique blend of traditional hymns and original songs filled with a compelling message about finding security in Christ.
The group hopes the musical selections on the album will reflect the importance of finding a balance between contemporary songs and traditional hymns in churches today. The hymns selected for the album were some of the group’s favorites growing up, including “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” “Just As I Am,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “In the Garden” and “Victory in Jesus.”
“We love singing hymns and they will always be a bedrock of what we do,” Smith said. “It’s a way of teaching people the truth. In music there are ways you can communicate phrases that allow people to remember the messages for a long time. With spoken words people may not respond the same way.
“Music strikes a chord with your soul. We want to use the gifts that God has given us with music to remind people that we are all in need of a Savior. Our lives need to be transformed and we can be made new because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.”
During concerts Selah also hopes to raise awareness for missions organizations.
The group recently partnered with the International Mission Board (IMB) to create a music video for their original song, “We Must Not,” aimed at bringing awareness and aid for the persecuted church. The song was inspired by IMB missionary Nik Ripken’s book, “The Insanity of God.”
Hall said, “After reading this book I was really impacted because I didn’t know that much about the persecuted church. I felt like I had to respond in some way, which led me to create a whole album containing songs inspired by the book.
“Prayer is the most powerful resource for them and it’s really what they are asking for,” Hall continued. “Many have asked us to pray this way: ‘Pray for our persecutors that they will come to know Jesus through our suffering. Don’t pray we will get out of prison. Don’t pray we will be safe. Pray that we will stay true to the name of Jesus even if it costs our lives.’
“With everything that is happening around the world, hopefully this brings awareness about the persecuted church and puts it on people’s hearts to constantly be lifting up our brothers and sisters around the world.
“We need to stand in the gap for our brothers and sisters who are on the front lines. We are hearing amazing stories that remind us, even in the midst of darkness, God shows up.”
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