“I Was Loved,” the highly anticipated debut single from Dallas-based singer/songwriter and worship leader Davy Flowers, is available now. A poignant and deeply personal piano-driven ballad penned by Flowers and produced by Shane Barnard (Shane & Shane), the song is the title-cut of Flowers’ June 3 full-length debut from The Worship Initiative. Produced by Barnard and Bryan Fowler and featuring 12 tracks—11 of which were co-penned by Flowers—I Was Loved includes songwriting contributions from such names as Mia Fieldes, Sarah Reeves and Lindy Conant, among others. Also this summer, Flowers is slated to join Housefires for the 37-city Kingdom Tour headlined by Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin. In this TCB Exclusive, Flowers reflects on what inspired the title of the collection, how the meaning of one of the most personal tracks on the record has changed with time, and what she looks forward to heading out on tour.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of I Was Loved! When did you first have the vision for this project?
I have been writing consistently for the past few years, and back in January, Shane Barnard and I sat down and listened through several songs that I had written or co-written. It was pretty clear that it was time for me to make a full-length record. It has been so amazing watching this whole thing unfold in the Lord’s timing. I’ve had a desire to do a record for several years now, but either the timing hasn’t been right, or the songs haven’t been right. I’m so grateful and humbled that I’m living in the moment where it all came together.
You’ve previewed the upcoming project with the title track. What has stood out to you from the listener responses you’ve received so far?
“I Was Loved” is basically my testimony in a song—it’s all the things I would want to say at the end of my life about who Jesus has been to me and what He’s done for me in the years that I have walked with Him. This song has seemed to inspire listeners to reflect on their own history with Jesus and His faithfulness in their lives. I have loved having people reach out to me to share their stories.
I think there is so much power in remembrance and so much power in telling and retelling personal stories of God’s faithfulness. Specifically, there is power in the Truth of His unyielding affection for His children, no matter what comes or goes. I pray that Truth encourages and strengthens every heart that hears this song.
How do you feel the title track helps to preview the full project (aside from the name)?
The title track is the most authentic representation of who I am and how my heart relates to the Lord. It’s raw. It’s authentic. It’s childlike. It’s passionate. There are tender moments and there are powerful and dynamic moments. The lyrics are both prayerful and personal. And I believe all these same things can be said about every song on the record. I hope each song takes the heart on a journey.
You co-wrote 11 of the 12 tracks on this record. Was that something you set out to accomplish at the start of this project?
I don’t know if that’s something I specifically set out to accomplish, but it happened very naturally. Songwriting is a real and consistent part of my daily walk with the Lord, and it has been for many years now. I love expressing my heart and writing music that connects human hearts to the heart of a holy God.
Is there a track that means something different to you now than when you first wrote it?
I wrote the song “Be Near to Me” during a season when I really struggled to believe that God was with me. I was wrestling with loneliness, isolation and self-pity, and it was difficult to sense God’s presence. I so desperately wanted to believe God’s companionship and nearness to me was a reality, but He felt so far away. Ultimately, this song was written as a desperate prayer.
By the grace of God, in the season that I am in now, I’ve never felt closer to Him. He has brought me to a place where I am fully convinced that experiencing and abiding in the presence of God is not a feeling, but a knowing. His nearness to me doesn’t rise and fall with the circumstances of this life—He is always there! He never leaves or forsakes, not even for a moment. When I sing “Be Near To Me” now, I’m still desperate because I know How deep my need for Him is, but it’s not the kind of desperation that wonders if an answer is ever going to come. It is a confident desperation.
How are you looking to define success for this collection?
Defining success is a very interesting thing when you look at it from a Kingdom perspective. I could say that a certain number of streams or level of engagement will define success, but ultimately, we know that in the Kingdom of God—where Christ reigns as King—all the metrics are different. While I will praise God for any kind of “commercial” success this record has, my genuine hope and prayer is that these songs would find their way into the ears and hearts of every single person that needs to hear them. I pray listeners would find hope in Christ, strength to keep pursuing Him, and that they would be empowered by the reminder of His relentless pursuit of them. If that’s 10 people or 10,000, my hallelujah will be the same…truly!
You will be busy this summer out on tour with Housefires on the Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin ‘Kingdom’ tour. With what has been planned so far, is there a moment you are most anticipating?
I am excited to worship with and meet so many of God’s people, pretty much in every corner of the country—including several places I’ve never been before. I’m excited to see the ways in which God is at work and moving among His people all across this nation, especially in the troubled times that we are all experiencing. Jesus is alive; the Body of Christ is alive; and I’m excited to see it!
What are you most expectant for in 2022?
I’m expecting God to push me out of the comfortable and complacent box that I have built around myself for the past few years. I’m just ready for God to shake it all up. I feel like I am at the beginning of a new adventure with Jesus and I’m all kinds of giddy to journey with Him! I’m expectant to see Him at work in new ways, in new places, with all kinds of people. I’m expectant and desperate to see Jesus get a whole lot of glory out of my weak but wholehearted offering to Him in this record.
