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"What Could Have Been" Radio Version

“What Could have been”
(radio version)

 

presenting the band table

 
 

A FEW WORDS FROM
CLIFF PRESTON: 

The first lyric of this song speaks so much to me “When I think about what God has done for me.” The older I get, the more I think on those things. There aren’t many songs that I have been a part of that make me as grateful as “What Could Have Been” There is a reality that I believe it is important to face daily: Where would we be without Jesus? The reality is that it is a very dark place. As I reflect, thankfulness wells up inside of me. When I have the opportunity to lead worship, the emotion of understanding where He brought me from often comes out. I owe everything to him! Every good thing I have or have ever been a part of is Him.

As you walk through today, think back on what could’ve been and life today like it matters…because it absolutely does!

A FEW WORDS FROM
JONATHAN LEE MCELHENNY:

It is hard to put into words how much this song means to me.

It’s so easy to get distracted and lose perspective. It is so easy to take things for granted. I enjoy the freedom that my country provides for me, and rarely stop to think about the men and women that laid their lives down for me to have that freedom.

Even more so, God laid down His own life to give me a greater freedom. An eternal freedom. The thought for this song came to me in a moment of reflection: What if there was no cross? What if there was no blood? What if there was no resurrection? Where would I be? What would my life look like? All I could see was darkness.

Yes, it is true that we still face darkness every day, but there is a light and that light’s name is Jesus. Jesus broke through the darkness and rescued all who would believe. He poured out His life so we could that have life eternally. I tremble at the thought of what could have been, but I am so thankful that that’s not what happened. We are redeemed by the blood of the perfect spotless lamb.

My prayer is that whether it is through worship, prayer reading God’s word, or taking communion, that we never forget what God has done for us. We remember what could have been and give God praise for what He actually did. Thank you Jesus!

A FEW WORDS FROM
JORDAN MERRITT:

This song is such a special song to me. So many times we write songs about where we are or where we are going… and these are super important for us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and all that He has for us. But this song reminds us where we could’ve been if Jesus hadn’t stepped into our lives. I know for me and so many of us life was dark and sad and empty before we met Jesus… but the moment he stepped into our lives everything changed! I pray that this song reminds us of all that Jesus has done in our lives and restores the joy of our salvation!

a few words from
jade lundgren

What Could Have Been is a beautiful reminder of all that Jesus has done for us. He has relieved us from darkness and chaos and being left in our sin. I’m so grateful that Jesus did break through the dark and took the cross for us. He set us all free and this song such a great reminder of that!

the study
By Jonathan Lee McElHenny

When we step back and really start to think about what God has done for us, it’s overwhelming! He gave us the free gift of Salvation.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it”- Ephesians 2:8-9

We did nothing to earn it. We can’t afford it. We can’t even boast about it. It was given freely because He loves us. But still it is easy to take a gift for granted, forget the price that was paid, and what we were truly saved from.

As I was reflecting this, the terrifying thought occurred to me. What if there was no cross? No blood? No resurrection? What if Jesus left us in the mistakes that we made. The life we truly deserved. We wrote in the lyrics of this song that saying it would probably be something like this:

“Darkness no source of light
Cages I built through this life
Would capture me
And throw away the prison key

Chaos would wrestle my mind
Helpless I’d give up the fight
Without Him I’d be left here in my sin
That’s what could have been”

The apostle Paul mentions this in the bible in 1 Corinthians 15:12-18 (MSG)

“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ.

And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.”

“If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever.”

But that’s not what happened! “The truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries”- 1 Corinthians 15:20 (MSG)

He did come! He died for all of our sins! He is risen! He is alive! We are free and we too can be resurrected!

“Jesus broke through the Dark
The earth shook
The doors were unlocked
He stormed the gates of Hell
And set the prisoner free

My Savior
Ransomed my life
My Hero
He won the fight
Without Him I’d be left here in my sin
Praise God that that’s
Not how this story ends
That’s what Jesus did!”

“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NLT)

We put ourselves into that darkness, we turned away from God. But! He will not leave us in the darkness. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” -John 3:16 (NLT)

 All we must do it believe and confess:

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” -Romans 10:9 (NLT)

 We then become His people:

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."
- 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

God, I pray that no matter what darkness we are facing today, that you help us open our eyes. To see that you are the one and only light. To see the miracles that happen every day and to thank you for each one. Most of all thank you for the miracle of salvation and saving our souls. I am thankful that you loved us so much that you gave Your life so that we could have life. I pray that this song helps us remember where we came and helps us never forget what Jesus did!

 
 

what could have been lyrics

Verse 1
When I think about
What God has done for me
When I step back
And really start to think
I start trembling
Oh, I can't believe.

Verse 2
Amazing grace
Would save
A wretch like me
I’m nothing that’s
Of value to a King
Oh, I can’t believe
That He’d die for me.

Pre Chorus 1
Yeah, I’m so glad
He saved my soul
Cause if He didn’t
Aall I’d know is

Chorus 1
Darkness, no source of light
Cages I built through my life
Would capture me
And throw away
The prison key
Chaos would wrestle my mind
Helpless, I’d give up the fight
Without Him, I’d be left here in my sin
Yeah, that’s what could have been
That's what could have been

Verse 3
And if Jesus
Never stepped
Down from His throne
Then I’d be left for dead
Lost, and alone
I’d be drenched in shame
I’d be so afraid

Pre Chorus 2
Cause if there’s no blood
If there’s no cross
Then I’d be forced
To pay the cost for

Bridge
That’s not what happened!
That’s not how
The story ends! No, no, no!

Chorus 2
Jesus broke
Through the dark
The earth shook
The doors were unlocked
He stormed the gates of hell
And set this prisoner free
My Savior ransomed my life
My Hero, He won the fight
Without Him
I’d be left here in my sin
Praise God that's
Not how the story ends
Cause that’s what Jesus did!

Tag
Oh, Oh, That’s what Jesus did!
Oh, Oh, That’s what Jesus did!
Oh, Oh, That’s what Jesus did!
Oh, Oh, That’s what Jesus did!

CREDITS:

writers: Jonathan Lee,
Jordan Merritt, cliff preston

Producers: Jordan Merritt, Kaleb Frazier,
Zach Saltmarsh

drums: zach saltmarsh

bass: jordan merritt

guitars: kaleb frazier

mixed by seth talley

keys/programming: jordan merritt

mixed by sean moffitt

mastered by Bob Boyd
at Ambient Digital

COVER ART:

Photographer: William Read

Graphic Designer: William Read

Art Director: Jennie Lee Riddle