You know that feeling when a song finds you right when everything is falling apart? It’s not just about the melody. It’s about that raw, gut-punch realization that you aren't in control. Hillary Scott & The Scott Family released Thy Will Be Done in 2016, and honestly, the Christian music scene hasn't been the same since. It wasn't a calculated "radio hit" designed by a committee of songwriters trying to crack the Billboard charts. It was a cry for help.
People often mistake it for a generic hymn. It's not.
Hillary Scott, known globally as the co-lead singer of Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum), was at the height of her professional career when her personal world shattered. She suffered a devastating miscarriage in the autumn of 2015. While the world saw a country superstar, she was a grieving mother sitting on the floor of her bedroom, trying to figure out how to breathe again. That is where the Thy Will Be Done song was born. It’s a prayer. A messy, tear-stained, honest-to-God prayer that resonates because it doesn't try to wrap grief in a pretty bow.
The Story Behind the Lyrics
The song didn't start in a Nashville studio. It started in a journal. Scott has been very open about the fact that she wrote the lyrics during her darkest hour. She was questioning everything. Why did this happen? Where was the "plan" everyone kept talking about?
Bernie Herms, a legendary producer and songwriter who has worked with everyone from Josh Groban to Barbra Streisand, helped shape the track. Along with Natalie Hemby and Casey Beathard, they crafted something that felt more like a classical piece than a standard CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) track. The orchestration is deliberate. It starts small. Just a piano and a voice.
By the time the strings swell in the second chorus, you aren't just listening to a song; you're experiencing a breakdown and a breakthrough at the same time. The lyrics "I'm so confused, I know I heard You loud and clear" hit a specific nerve for anyone who has ever felt "led" to a situation only to have it blow up in their face. It’s the honesty of the confusion that gives the song its legs.
Why it Broke Records
Most people don't realize how much of a juggernaut this track was on the charts. It spent a staggering number of weeks—over six months—at the top of the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. It even won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song in 2017.
But why?
The industry usually likes songs that are "happy-clappy." Songs that tell you everything is going to be fine if you just believe hard enough. Thy Will Be Done does the opposite. It acknowledges that things are not fine. It sits in the "middle" of the trial. There is no resolution in the bridge where the singer suddenly gets everything she wanted back. There is only surrender. That surrender is the "secret sauce" that made it a staple in hospitals, at funerals, and in the earbuds of people going through messy divorces or job losses.
The Family Dynamic and the Sound
This wasn't a solo project in the traditional sense. It was "Hillary Scott & The Scott Family." This included her mother, Linda Davis (a country legend in her own right, famous for "Does He Love You" with Reba McEntire), her father Lang Scott, and her sister Rylee.
✨ Don't miss: Why the Cradle 2 the Grave Soundtrack Still Hits Harder Than the Movie
The harmonies aren't perfect in a digital, Auto-Tuned way. They are perfect in a "we've been singing together in the living room for twenty years" way. There is a specific frequency that family voices hit when they blend—it's called familial harmony—and you can hear it in the chorus of this song. It adds a layer of safety. It feels like a family huddle.
- Lead Vocals: Hillary Scott (vulnerable, breathy, eventually soaring)
- Backing: The Scott Family (anchoring the sound)
- Production: Bernie Herms (cinematic, orchestral, heavy on the "atmosphere")
The production choice to keep the vocals dry and forward in the mix was genius. You can hear the catch in Hillary’s throat. You can hear her taking a breath. In an era where most music is polished until it's plastic, this felt like wood and stone.
Addressing the Misconceptions
Some critics at the time argued that the song was too "passive." They claimed that saying "Thy will be done" is a cop-out, a way of giving up on your own agency.
I think that's a fundamental misunderstanding of the human psyche under pressure.
Surrender isn't weakness. It’s a survival mechanism. When you are fighting a tide that is stronger than you, swimming harder just makes you drown faster. Floating is the only way to live. The Thy Will Be Done song is about the strength it takes to stop fighting the inevitable and start looking for a way to exist within it. It’s not about "giving up"; it's about "letting go." There is a massive difference.
The song actually mirrors the Gethsemane narrative, which is where the phrase comes from. It’s the moment of maximum tension between what a person wants and what is actually happening. By leaning into that tension, the song becomes a universal anthem for anyone dealing with "unanswered" prayers.
The Cultural Impact and Legacy
Even now, years after its release, the song pops up in the most unexpected places. It’s a favorite on singing competitions like The Voice or American Idol, though most contestants struggle with it. Why? Because you can’t "diva" your way through this song. If you try to over-sing it with too many riffs and runs, the message dies. It requires a level of restraint that most young singers haven't learned yet.
It also bridged the gap between Nashville’s Music Row and the CCM world in a way few songs have. Usually, when a country artist "goes Christian," the industry treats it as a side project or a vanity move. But because this was so clearly born out of genuine trauma, the gatekeepers in both genres stepped aside.
It wasn't just a "crossover" hit. It was a bridge.
📖 Related: Why West Side Story Lyrics Tonight Still Hit Different Decades Later
Understanding the Musical Structure
Musically, the song is actually quite complex. It doesn't follow the standard Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus pop structure exactly. The build-up is incredibly long. The first two minutes are almost meditative. It’s a slow burn.
- The Intro: Very sparse. It forces you to listen to the words.
- The Build: The introduction of the family harmonies is the turning point.
- The Climax: Hillary hits those high notes not as a display of power, but as a release of pain.
- The Fade: It ends as it began. Quiet. Solitary.
Practical Takeaways for the Listener
If you’re coming to this song for the first time, or if you’ve heard it a thousand times on the radio, there’s a way to engage with it that actually helps with the processing of grief.
Don't listen to it as background music. It’s not "laundry folding" music. It’s "sit in your car and stare at the dashboard" music.
One of the most powerful things about the Thy Will Be Done song is how it validates the "Why?" It doesn't tell you to stop asking why. It just gives you something to say when you realize the answer might not come. If you're struggling with a loss or a major life pivot, use the song as a template for your own journaling. Write out the things you are "so confused" about, just like the lyrics suggest.
Next Steps for Engaging with the Music:
🔗 Read more: Silo Season 2 Episodes: What You’re Probably Missing in the New World Order
- Watch the Lyric Video: Sometimes seeing the words written out helps the weight of the message sink in deeper than just hearing the audio.
- Listen to the Love Remains Album: The full album (Love Remains) provides the context for this song. It’s a collection of hymns and original songs that explore faith from a multi-generational perspective.
- Journal Your "Surrender": Identify one thing you are currently trying to control that is actually outside of your hands. Write it down. Say the title of the song out loud.
- Explore the "Familial Harmony" Phenomenon: If you like the sound of the Scott family, look up other groups like The Isaacs or The Highwomen to see how vocal blending changes the emotional impact of a track.
The reality is that we all face moments where the "plan" fails. Whether you are religious or not, the psychological release of admitting you aren't the pilot is profound. That’s why this song isn't going anywhere. It’s a permanent part of the cultural landscape because grief is a permanent part of the human experience.
It’s honest. It’s raw. It’s enough.