Exclusive: Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall shares personal story behind their single ‘Scars in Heaven’
Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling band Casting Crowns released their new heartfelt single “Scars in Heaven” Friday and frontman Mark Hall shares the emotional story behind the song exclusively with The Christian Post.
Casting Crowns' new single aims to serve as a comfort for those grappling with feelings of emptiness and loneliness that follow the passing of a loved one, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Scars in Heaven” is about receiving comfort and faith from above after suffering a loss.
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“The only scars in Heaven are on the hands that hold you now,” Hall sings in the chorus.
In a behind-the-song video released exclusively at The Christian Post, Hall explains what inspired the heartfelt tune.
"I began to write the song [while] watching my mom care for her mom and dad as they were passing away. They passed away within a year of each other,” he revealed.
"Seeing sickness change the people that raised her, seeing their minds change, and so many things were just taking a turn, and watching her bear the weight of that," Hall continued. "My mom is a believer; she loves Jesus. She's the one I go to first when I need somebody to pray for me. But watching her deal with this as they passed away — that was tough."
Hall is a youth leader at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in south Atlanta and says he frequently witnesses people walking through the grief of losing a beloved friend or family member.
"There's this moment when we are suddenly very aware of their absence,” he said, describing the emotional and mental toll that comes with grief. “The world seems quieter. You realize you're not going to hear their voice again. In those moments, along with that, you feel the last moments of their life here. And there was pain, ... there was suffering, or there was tragedy, or there was weakness, or there were wrong choices, and your mind is cluttered with the last thing you remember. And then your only hope is in something you've never seen.”
Hall explained that, often, Christians have a lot of faith for themselves, but sometimes it's hard to have faith for their loved ones and where they're going after they die. He stressed that God's Word is what informs people of the truth.
"It's in those moments, I've got to make sure that I'm in God's Word for Him to tell me what the truth is,” he declared.
The “Only Jesus” singer then referenced the biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection in Luke. He explained that when Jesus was raised from the dead, His disciples were in shock because He was gone, and now He was back. To comfort them, Hall added that Jesus showed them His scars as a reminder of who He was.
"When we lose someone, our only faith and comfort has got to come from the Father,” Hall maintained. “It's not going to come from here because all we see are reminders that we don't have. So what we've got to do is, we've got to ask God to help us release our ideas of who I knew that loved one was, and I've got to start focusing on who they are now.”
“They are with Jesus. They are being held by the hands that bear the only scars in Heaven,” he added.
“Scars in Heaven” is Casting Crowns' newest release following the success of their 2018 album, Only Jesus. That album garnered RIAA Gold certifications for their No. 1 singles "Only Jesus" and "Nobody."
The seven members of Casting Crowns have remained active in their local churches and tour the country during the week sharing their music.
For more information about the band, visit their website.
Watch the music video for “Scars in Heaven” below:
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
