Chinenye Obienyem on Faith, Calling and “Call Upon the Lord”
When was the last time you prayed a whole prayer in one breath? In Psalm 116, a man who fears for his life has just enough words to ask for help. That’s the passage I think of when I hear the title of Chinenye Obienyem’s gospel song, “Call Upon the Lord.”
Chinenye is a songwriter, a wife, and a mother of three. Her music video takes us inside a sanctuary, but the invitation in the title reaches well beyond a church service. You can call on the Lord from the front seat of a parked car. You can do it at the kitchen sink after the kids have gone to bed. If you’ve been waiting to get somewhere quiet or find the right words, listen to how little the psalmist needed.
“Then I called on the name of the LORD: ‘O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!’” (Psalm 116:4, ESV)
Read the opening lines of that psalm. What the writer remembers is that the Lord heard him. By the end of the chapter, he wants to give thanks in front of God’s people. I love that both prayers belong in the same song: the cry he barely got out and the thanksgiving he wants everybody to hear.
Chinenye joined me on Faith and Family Fellowship to talk about the story behind “Call Upon the Lord.” We talked about stepping into gospel music as a wife and mother, trusting God’s timing, and looking to Scripture when you’re trying to discern His leading.
Watch the official “Call Upon the Lord” music video. Then open Psalm 116 and read it for yourself. If there’s one thing you’ve been carrying all week, start your prayer there.
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