Phil Wickham’s Heaven Song
By Alexandra Fromm
Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend Bethel Music’s Victory Tour with special guest Phil Wickham. It was an appointment with memory and destiny.
Six years ago, my Uncle Chuck left Earth for Heaven. Some of you may know him as Pastor Chuck Smith, who was at ground zero of the Jesus Movement, part of recent Church History. But to me he was a kind and ordinary man, part of our family, simply following the extraordinary things God put on his heart to do and encouraging me and others to do the same. It was hard, because just one year before, my Grandma, Virginia Fromm, who happened to be Chuck’s older sister had preceded him to heaven. To me she meant so much in so many ways. She taught me to love others, how to make friends with strangers, and to have steadfast faith because “Jesus Never Fails.” Losing both of these people who had profoundly impacted my life felt like too much at once— it was all too quick. When I heard “Heaven Song” at my Uncle Chuck’s memorial years ago, it was a beautiful reminder that the best is yet to come. Hearing it again last night stirred up gratitude for those who give us the words to sing and words that heal and transform. Thank you, Phil for a song that helped me turn sorrow into a joyful reminder that Jesus declared victory over death.
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ince his self-titled debut in 2006, Phil Wickham has emerged as a leader in the modern worship movement, penning countless songs sung in churches around the world. His RIAA Gold®-certified single, “This Is Amazing Grace,” was his first career No. 1, holding the top spot for 13 consecutive weeks and named Billboard’s No. 1 “Christian Airplay Song of the Year” in 2014 and BMI’s “Christian Song of the Year” in 2015. His anthemic “Living Hope,” also RIAA Gold-certified, earned him a GMA Dove Award for “Worship Recorded Song of the Year” in 2019. His latest project, Hymn of Heaven (June 25, 2021, Fair Trade Services), was written during a year when the family of God couldn’t physically gather in houses of worship around the world. “Hymn of Heaven is full of praise and thankfulness, just lifting up the name of Jesus and speaking what we really know the reality is even though we don’t see it,” he says. “All I want to do is facilitate moments where people can encounter the presence of God.” The album’s first single, “Battle Belongs,” had already topped five different radio charts for multiple weeks. Wickham’s music has received hundreds of millions of streams across his catalog and platforms, with his discography including eight full-length projects, multiple Christmas releases, and a series of popular Singalong records that capture Wickham’s songs doing what they were always meant to do—giving people language to sing to God.