Battle Belongs

Album: Hymn of Heaven (2020)
Charted: 113
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The message behind this worship song is that God is bigger than any troubles we face. If we hand over our worries and difficulties to Him, stand firm and hold our position, then we can rest assured that the Lord will fight the battle for us.
  • The powerful proclamation of trust in God originated from a FaceTime call in late 2019 between Phil Wickham and the co-founder of Bethel Music, Brian Johnson. The two started bouncing song ideas back and forth, then Johnson expressed his desire to pen something around a phrase he saw on a tattoo with praying hands: "I fight on my knees."

    Wickham thought it was a great idea and knew where to go with it. "I sat down at the piano," he told New Release Today. "Brian and I came up with the chorus. We knew we had a special song, and that churches would be singing it."

    The two worked on the verses in early 2020 and debuted the song while on tour together.
  • Phil Wickham took inspiration from one of his favorite stories in Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20. It recounts how the people of God and their king, Jehoshaphat, appeared to face disaster when they learned of the impending invasion of the Moabites and Ammonites. They came to God and prayed, and His Spirit came upon a Levite man named Jahaziel. God told them through Jahaziel, "Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the battle is not yours, but it is God's. You will not have to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf."

    The people of God stood firm and sent men singing worship songs at the head of their army. As they gave thanks to the Lord for His enduring love, their enemies began fighting each other and were routed.
  • At the time Phil Wickham wrote the song, he wasn't personally facing any difficult circumstances, so he wondered who the song could be for. Shortly afterwards, the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world, creating fear and uncertainty everywhere and "Battle Belongs" became a light in the darkness for everyone, including the singer. "It was definitely a beacon of hope for me," Wickham said. "When I was in the middle of rabbit holes of news stories trying to figure out what was true, this song brought me so much hope in whatever I was doing."
  • Released as a single on September 4, 2020, the song started climbing the Christian charts and in March 2021 it entered on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. "Battle Belongs" was Wickham's second single to reach the tally, following "This is Amazing Grace ," which peaked at #124.

Comments: 1

  • Graciela Longoria from TexasAbsolutely love all Phil Wickham's songs. The Battle Belongs To The Lord provides great strength and courage when most needed.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.