Behind Original Gospel Song: A Prodigal Son Returns to God through Music

Chu_Ai (The First Love) Worship and Praise Band
Chu_Ai (The First Love) Worship and Praise Band
By Josiah LiJune 13th, 2018

On May 25, 2018, Chengdu Gospel Light Church launched its original gospel song Light that was made in one day.

On July 3, 2017, Brother Li Daijie had an idea of writing a song for God at the moment he sat at the piano. He accomplished the song in one breath. He uploaded the piece on his WeChat platform to solicit lyrics. Hearing the melody, Sister Wan Shujie wanted to be the lyric writer. After a prayer, she completed the lines within two hours. "Now I feel like that it was written by other people." Said Wan.

At that night, Li received her composition. "The song was amazing whose lyrics expressed what my melody really meant." He decided to use her lyrics. Actually, the song is an epitome of his faith journey.

The song started with "Your eyes are gentle and strong/comforting my panic/You lead me beside streams of water /lie down in green pastures." The first lines described the faith in his early life. Brother Li followed his Christian mother's faith. As a lover of music, he was attracted by hymns sung in the church. In his childhood, he was convinced of the existence of God but felt disappointed because his prayers were always not answered. He thought that he was not valued by God.

However, he was comforted in a dream. When he was in middle school, he had a dream that a gleaming man in white walked up to him and pet him on the head. He couldn't see his face, then the man walked away. He believed that the man was Jesus.

Afterward, he learned to play the guitar by himself and began to write hymns. Unfortunately, his family lost the house where the hymn book was kept during the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

The song continued, "Your wise words/helped me turn off/the absurdity of drifting along". Since high school, he became rebellious. He seldom went to church, read the Bible and prayed. The state lasted until graduation from university. After completing college, Li lived in a rented apartment. His mother and the believers prayed for him. At last, he returned to the church and was baptized on October 10, 2010.

At that time, the church had just a few members and lacked people who led worship and praise and played the piano. Thinking of a good time with God in his childhood, he who couldn't play the piano wanted to have a try. After being given two basic classes, he practiced playing the electric piano in the church.

"When I was playing, I truly felt that the younger son in the Bible returned home to find his father. I devoted my heart and soul to the practice and often played the piano until midnight. During that period, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I began to play in less than a week and served as a worship leader on a Sunday service."

He knew that it was his calling. "I understand why my prayers were not answered when I was a boy. In fact, God provided a way in music and worship for me. So howsoever, I determined to serve God by worship and praise."

It took Li and other believers half a year to make the song into a recording.

Li is one member of Chu_Ai (the First Love) Worship and Praise Band that plans to release an original gospel album that will include this song. 

- Translated by Karen Luo

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