Author: Jason Henry

HONEY IN THE ROCK – Brooke Ligertwood, Brandon Lake

/ Jason Henry / 1 Comment

Image by Tim Mossholder from Unsplash

I’m not gonna lie; this song weirded me out at first. I thought to myself, “God made water come from the rock, not honey.” It turns out I was mistaken! This rich image does come from Scripture and it’s been used in church music for a long time. (Watch this video for another artist’s musical take on this idea. You’ll thank me later. Or hate me. šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø) The more I listen to “Honey in the Rock,” the more it grows on me, so before I go ahead and add it to Planning Center, let’s slow down a minute and ask ourselves, “Is it biblical? Will it worship?”

Focus

This song focuses on the sufficiency and provision of God. He is all that we need. A secondary and related theme is the singer’s need for him. “Honey in the Rock” is personal and vertical, using “I” language and addressing God as “You.” We also address Jesus by name and mention the Spirit.

Lyric Analysis

CHORUS 1
We come right out of the gate with the unusual title: “There’s Honey in the Rock.” What in the world does that mean? I find the idea in 2 places in Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:13 and Psalm 81:16. Let’s get a little context from Deuteronomy 32. Here’s an excerpt:

“The Lord alone guided him,
    no foreign god was with him.
He suckled him with honey out of the rock,
    and oil out of the flinty rock.
Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
    with fat of lambs,
But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked;
    you grew fat, stout, and sleek;
then he forsook God who made him
    and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.
They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
    with abominations they provoked him to anger.
You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,
    and you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

So the honey, water (Ex. 17:1-7), and manna (Exodus 16) in the chorus represent God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness. By extension, they represent God’s provision for us, and in declaring that there is honey in the rock, we are saying that we trust God to provide for us even when it seems impossible. This applies to our physical needs, but more importantly to our spiritual needs. The passage from Deuteronomy also uses the image of the rock to describe God. He is the steady, unshakable source of our life and salvation.

It’s also worth noting that in both places where the Bible mentions honey coming from the rock, it is in the context of Israel’s unfaithfulness. This is especially so in Psalm 81 where God longs to satisfy his people with honey and wheat, but they won’t turn to him. This song combats the natural tendency of our hearts to seek satisfaction and sustenance from sources other than our Maker.

VERSE 1
This verse describes a state of longing and need. The line “praying for a miracle” can be easily applied to any situation any singer of the song is facing. I appreciate that the song doesn’t promise that we’ll get the exact miracle we ask for, it just acknowledges our need for God’s intervention in the situation.

We also acknowledge our thirst for the Living Well. This comes from John 4:7-26, where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and describes himself as the Living Water. He tells her, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” It’s interesting that this passage immediately turns to a discussion of worship, as if John wants us to understand that worshiping God in spirit and truth is how we enjoy the living water Jesus offers, but that’s just speculation on my part! Only God can satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst (Isa. 55:2).

VERSE 2
The mercy seat is also called the atonement cover, and it’s the portion of the Ark of the Covenant where the high priest would sprinkle a bull’s blood, symbolically coming between God and the law tablets that represented the people’s sins (Lev. 16:11-14). In the context of the song, it can represent both forgiveness and God’s presence. Tasting and seeing that the Lord is good comes from Psalm 34:8.

VAMP
We repeat “there’s honey in the rock” a few more times. Hopefully the congregation will take this opportunity to meditate on what the words mean.

VERSE 3
Paul tells us that there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is (2 Cor. 3:17). As we discussed in the first chorus, the heart of this song is God’s ability to provide bounty for us in the wilderness. This is both literal in referring to Israel and metaphorical in describing God’s provision for us spiritually.

CHORUS 2
We repeat the words from chorus 1 and add a few more. This is the part of the song where we really identify God’s provision of honey in the rock for the Israelites with Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. The purpose in God’s plan is to unite all things in heaven and on earth forever in Jesus through his death and resurrection (Eph. 1:9-10). “Power in the Blood” is the title of a classic hymn by Lewis E. Jones. For more on the power in Jesus’ blood, see my review of “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” by Charity Gayle. Jesus healed with the literal laying on of his hands (Luke 4:40), and the power to heal still belongs to God today. I love the line “everything you did’s enough,” because it declares the truth that we are saved by Jesus’ grace, not our own works (Eph. 2:8-9, Heb. 10:10).

The only line that gives me pause is “started flowing when You said it is done.” I take “it is done” to refer to Jesus’ statement “it is finished” on the cross (John 19:30). And the honey was made to flow in the wilderness roughly 1,200 years earlier, so that seems chronologically confused to me. If we take the honey as a metaphor for the sweetness of knowing and trusting God, this line still doesn’t make sense, because that sweetness has always been available to God’s people. As we mentioned earlier, Psalm 34 talks about tasting that the Lord is good. For this line to make sense, we have to see that the authors are drawing a specific parallel between the honey from the rock and the salvation we have through Jesus’ death. Jesus specifically calls himself the bread from heaven (John 6:51) and the source of living water (John 4:10), so it’s not much of a stretch to also see him as the honey from the rock. So, specifically, the sweetness of our saving relationship with him is what started flowing at the cross when he said “it is finished.”

BRIDGE
This looking and finding sounds like the wholehearted seeking that God celebrates in Jeremiah 29:13-14. (…and you thought 29:11 was the only good verse in Jeremiah!) We’ve already talked about God’s provision, which includes him giving, providing, and proving that he is all we need. God often moves in response to prayer (Exodus 32:10-14, James 5:16). I love that the bridge really clearly states what the rest of the song has alluded to. We sing to God “You are all that I need.”

ENDING
The ending sums up and encapsulates the whole song. It is so sweet to be able to trust in Jesus! I don’t think we need a chapter and verse for this one.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a big concern for this song. I’m a pastor and I didn’t even know that the Bible talked about honey coming from a rock. How embarrassing! Further, it took a great deal of analysis to discover that the whole point of this song is that Jesus is the rock and trusting him for provision and salvation is the honey. I am very skeptical that most members of the congregation will be able to make the connections needed to understand this song’s meaning without help. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leading this song on Sunday morning without some serious exposition beforehand.

Having said that, I don’t see much potential for any harmful misunderstandings of the lyrics. I suppose we could misapply the ideas of healing and provision, but I don’t see a big concern here.

Regarding congregational singing, the verse rhythms are a little tricky, but the chorus is eminently singable. The bridge is easy to pick up after a repetition or two.

Music

“Honey in the Rock” is a medium-length, country-gospel song. We start with a stripped-down piano-organ-acoustic chorus at the beginning. I think I might detect a hint of steel guitar in there too, maybe? I love the way this song starts because it gives the congregation an opportunity to learn the chorus before really diving into the song. I also love the breathy choir in the background. We build as we go, adding bass and drums. When we come back to the chorus throughout the song, it finds an infectious groove that you can’t not bob your head to. We do a quiet bridge that builds into another big chorus, and then we end with a quiet ending consisting of new lyrics. All in all, this song follows pretty standard worship song form, but that form is standard for a reason, and the dynamic arc works well here to create a peaceful atmosphere of joyful trust.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Yes, but…

“Honey in the Rock” is catchy and very congregational. Its lyrics forge a beautiful link between Old Testament imagery of God’s provision and salvation and the work Jesus did on the cross and the relationship of trust that we have with him as a result. I’m just worried that that link will go over many people’s heads. I almost feel like I would have to read and explain the section of Deuteronomy 32 that I quoted above every time we sing the song in church, and that’s a lot of explaining. This song would be easier to employ on a worship night or during a week of camp, when Sunday morning time constraints aren’t an issue and time could be devoted to teaching what it means.

Will we sing it at church? It’s still very possible, I just need to see if I can trim this 1,700-word blog post down into a 60 second song intro!

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

RESURRENDER – Hillsong Worship, Brooke Ligertwood

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Image by Milada Vigerova from Unsplash

“Resurrender,” written by Brooke Ligertwood and Chris Davenport, is from Hillsong Worship’s 2021 release These Same Skies. This song caught my attention by emphasizing that we belong to God as his children, his temple, his church. It feels very much like a Hillsong Worship song, but there’s also something about the lyrics that feels like a fresh, corporate expression of repentance and dedication. Let’s take a look!

Focus

The main theme of “Resurrender” is belonging to God, and the song explores several biblical images of the Church as God’s people and his dwelling place. As a consequence of this identity and relationship, the singer asks God to help the Church “resurrender” to him.

There is no “I” or “me” in this song, only “we” (the Church) and “You” (God).

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
There is some complex temple symbolism here in verse 1, and I love it! First, we see Jesus turning over tables and clearing out the temple in Jerusalem (John 2:13-16, Luke 19:45-48, Mark. 11:15-19, Matt. 21:12-17). In the story, he tells the money-changers and merchants selling things in the temple, “It is written, ā€˜My house shall be called a house of prayer,ā€™ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Matt. 21:13) So instead of honoring the temple as a space for people to meet with God, they were using it for personal gain. By referencing this event in the present tense, the authors of “Resurrender” are saying that this event is still going on. We are the temple now, and Jesus continues to clean out the dirt of our selfishness to make room for prayer, turning us into the kind of temple where people can encounter his love and holiness.

Calling us God’s territory is an extension of this idea; we are his possession, the place where he dwells and has authority. (Of course, the whole universe is God’s territory, but the Church is especially so.)

Returning to our “lives upon the altar” refers to Romans 12:1-2, where Paul instructs us to offer our bodies (read: our whole lives) as living sacrifices to God. The Spirit renews and transforms us, making that sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. The “things we did at first” come from Revelation 2:4-5, where Jesus is rebuking the church in Ephesus for abandoning the love they had for him and his people when they first believed. They have lost their passion, enduring suffering patiently, but not living lives of joyful service to God and others. The authors of “Resurrender” are seeking a return to that passionate love and service that filled them when they first believed.

CHORUS
“We are Your people // You are our God // We are your temple // Make us holy like You are”

The chorus sums up the heart of this song in three statements and a request. The first two echo God’s words in Jeremiah 32:38, a promise to Israel that is fulfilled in the Church:

“And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”

Belonging to God, being his people, means honoring and obeying him, trusting his good intentions towards us and his power to provide for us. There is so much security and peace to be found in the fact that God has made an everlasting covenant of goodness and love with us, his people.

Asking God to make us holy like him is in line with Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:15-16, where we are commanded to be holy because the God who called us is holy. If we are the covenant people of God, his representatives and his dwelling place, it is right and fitting to ask him to make us holy, or in other words to make us better representatives of his character and his will. (For a fuller exploration of what it means to be holy, check out 1 Peter 1:13-25.)

When we return to the chorus later in “Resurrender,” it gets a couple extra lines. Now we identify as God’s children (Heb. 12:7, Rom. 8:17), not just his people. The familial language adds an extra dimension of closeness. God sets us apartā€”the most literal meaning of the word “holy”ā€”for his glory (Eph. 1:11-12, 1 Pet. 2:9).

VERSE 2

The Church is called holy and chosen in 1 Peter 2:9 and the sheep of God’s pasture in Psalm 100:3. Consecrate means to make something holy, or set it apart for God’s use. God’s people are commanded to pray throughout Scripture, notably in Matthew 6:9-13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

When we ask God to help us to please him “where only You can see,” we’re echoing Galatians 1:10. Part of holiness is making choices in faith (Heb. 11:6) to worship God and serve others (Heb. 13:15-16) because it pleases God, not to win the approval of other people.

I’m not sure if the line “every moment matters in eternity” comes from a specific place in Scripture, but I think it’s an extension of two biblical ideas. The first is that even in seemingly small things, we have an opportunity to bring glory to God (1 Cor. 10:31). The second is that God knows and cares about even the smallest details of our lives (Luke 12:6-7).

BRIDGE 1

The first bridge is full of expressions of trust and prayers of devotion. First, we ask that God would mark us with his presence. A mark is something visible to the outside, so this lyric is asking that those outside the Church would know us as God’s people because they can see his presence in us. Jesus says the world will know us as his disciples by the way we love one another (John 13:34-35), and God is love (1 John 4:16), so this doesn’t seem like much of a stretch.

Again, we are God’s temple, or dwelling place. God delights in his people in Zephaniah 3:17 (my favorite Bible verse in case you were wondering).

The next three lines focus on trusting God’s discipline. We praise his love for being firm (Heb. 12:6) and tender (Eph. 4:32). We express our desire to heed his correction, a major theme of the book of Proverbs (10:17, 12:1, and many others). I also like the placement of God’s title as our Shepherd in between these two mentions of discipline. The Psalmist expresses comfort at God’s use of his rod and staff, not terror (Ps. 23:4). Even when God uses his staff on us, we know it’s to pull us back from a cliff edge or a venomous snake, not to cause us misery.

God does all things well (Mk. 7:37), and his laws and judgments are always perfect and true (Ps. 119:66, 142).

And now, without further ado, we arrive at the song title: “Resurrender!” I was surprised to learn that “resurrender” is a real word! (Albeit an obscure one that my browser keeps underlining in red as I write this.) Merriam-Webster says it means “to yield anew.” I think the authors must made this same discovery, since “yield anew” are the last two words of the bridge. This part of the song entrusts everything that we have, all that we are to God, believing that he will respond to our sacrifice by renewing and restoring us, not leaving us empty. In the New Song Cafe session of “Resurrender”, Brooke Ligertwood explains this line a little more, saying, “It’s very hard for the Lord to restore what we’re holding onto and trying to fix ourselves.” I think she’s right, not that it’s hard on the Lord to restore us when we’re being stubborn, but that it’s hard on us.

This section of the song reminds me of Joel 2. In this passage, God’s people have persisted in disobedience, and he is promising a very painful season of discipline and even destruction. In verse 13, the prophet says, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” And then in verse 25, God promises “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…my great army which I sent among you.” So when we endure hard discipline under the Lord’s hand, we can trust that when we return our hearts to Him, he will restore us, and even replace that which he has taken from us with something better. In Joel, this means a restoration of Israel’s food supply, but more importantly, the clear and evident presence of God in their midst. We just need to be careful of a simplistic understanding of this sort of promise. (e.g. I surrendered my car to God, so now he has to give me a new, better car.)

BRIDGE 2

“If You’re calling, we’re coming // We’re not walking, we’re running”

And now we arrive at the super-repetitive modern worship bridge! Not a lot of new content here, just a succinct statement of the song’s theme in prayer form. We are eagerly pursuing God’s call, dedicating and surrendering ourselves to him yet again. And again. And again. (x6)

I poke fun, but I don’t think this kind of repetition is necessarily a bad thing. These words are simple, and out of context they might not mean a whole lot, but the rest of the song has fully explained what it means to belong to God and surrender to him, so the bridge provides ample opportunity for the congregation to own and internalize this prayer. I also think that the

Accessibility

In my opinion, this song has a higher barrier to entry than most contemporary worship songs. The scriptural language is rich with meaning, but that meaning will not be immediately apparent to unchurched guests, or even many of the worshipers. The chorus is fairly straightforward, if you know what it means to be God’s temple and to be made holy. Bridge 1 is detailed and self-explanatory, except for the easily misunderstood line “You will restore what we return to You.” Bridge 2 is simple and repetitive. So this song does have some accessibility concerns, but they are mostly caused by the depth of the lyrics, and the song is so unified in its theme that it kind of explains itself as it goes.

Music

Simple piano chords at the beginning and unison vocals. Gradual introduction of strings starting in the first chorus. Percussion and guitars come in subtly in verse 2, followed by some harmony. In the second chorus, we settle into a chill tom groove, though it quickly vanishes as we return to piano and unison for the bridge. Dramatic step up in dynamics for repeat bridge that builds into a standard chorus groove with the full kit, followed by a big instrumental. We drop down again for the heartfelt bridge 2, which builds back up into another big chorus. Then it ends on a nearly a capella bridge 2. You could cut all the bridge 2s if you wanted to shorten it by a couple minutes, but you would lose the meditative/transformative nature of the second part of the song.

There are several different melodies, since there are several different sections. There are some tricky skips in the verses and bridge 1, but each melody is repetitive enough that it can be (mostly) learned on the first hearing. The vocal range stays within an octave 98% of the time, which is helpful for congregational singing. The most distinctive feature of the chord pattern is the C/E in the verses and bridge, which gently pushes the song forward and keeps it from getting stale.

TLDR: it’s in standard worship song form except that it has two different bridges and each gets its own subito piano and sustained crescendo, which works well but makes for a long song. It’s also fairly easy to play and sing.

Conclusions

In the same interview I referenced earlier, author Chris Davenport describes this song as “a returning, but not a retreating,” in the face of adversity, particularly the Covid-19 Pandemic. It is a reminder that we belong to God, and we need to daily surrender to his purpose, discipline, and provision. I’ve seen many worship songs that speak to the individual’s identity in Christ, but this is the first song I’ve seen in a long time that speaks so clearly to the whole Church’s identity.

Will it worship? Definitely. Looking forward to singing it in church, with the Church.

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

FIRM FOUNDATION (HE WON’T) – Cody Carnes, Chandler Moore, Maverick City Music

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Image by Stephane Yaich from Unsplash

“Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” is the work of songwriters Austin Davis, Chandler Moore, and Cody Carnes. Carnes released it first as a solo single in 2021 and then in collaboration with Moore and Maverick City Music in 2022. I heard this song first in the fall when a friend shared it with me while I was going through a difficult time, having recently lost a couple of close family members. It was precisely the song I needed to hear and sing to God in my personal worship times. It felt like so many things in my life were shaking, and this song was a reminder of the solid foundation that I have in Jesus, who never fails. Here’s a look at the theology and music of “Firm Foundation (He Won’t).”

Focus

The clear focus of this song is Christ’s unfailing faithfulness. The choruses say over and over “he won’t fail” while the verses and bridge dwell on the peace the singer experiences in relying on Jesus.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
“Christ is my firm foundation // the rock on which I stand”

Scriptural basis for calling Jesus our foundation is found in 1 Corinthians 3:11, where Paul tells the believers they are “God’s building” and says no matter who their teachers are, the only foundation worth building on is Jesus Christ. (This harks back to Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6:46-49 about building one’s house upon the rock, which we’ll discuss more in the bridge.) Paul says something similar in Ephesians 2:20, but here the teaching of the apostles and prophets is called the foundation, and Jesus is called the cornerstone, or the foundation of the foundation. Everything in the Bible, everything in our faith, everything in the Church, everything in our understanding of God, it all has to be built on Jesus.

God’s steadfast love is truly “faithful through generations” (Ex. 34:6, 1 Chron. 16:34, Ps. 36:5). Faithfulness is an unchanging, eternal aspect of God’s character (Rom. 3:2-4, Heb. 13:8, 1 Cor. 1:9). One of the central ideas throughout Scripture is the covenant, a solemn relationship between God and his people where both sides (usually) have promises and expectations to fulfill. God makes several covenants with his people in the Bible, and the short summary is this: we are never able to follow through and live up to our end of the deal, but God always upholds his end of the covenant (2 Tim 2:13, Deut. 7:9).

The line “he’s never let me down” is a little trickier to support, and I think it’s the line with the most potential for misunderstanding. It’s a central line to the meaning of the song, and I think it is a true, scriptural statement, even though it’s phrased in contemporary language rather than quoting a specific Bible verse. “He’s never let me down” is another way of saying he’s always kept his promises, always upheld his covenants.

But what about the times when we feel like God has let us down? First, we need to remember that just because we feel like God has let us down, it doesn’t mean that he has. God allowed horrible tragedies to befall Job and make him miserable. Job complained to God about it and challenged his fairness. God responds in Job 38-41 with a jaw-dropping list of things that God did in creation, or that he does now on a daily basis that are far beyond human ability or comprehension. At the end of it, Job is humbled and says in Job 42:2-3, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted . . . Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” So the first step in confronting our disappointment or anger with God at how things have gone is to recognize his greatness and wisdom. We can’t see the whole picture, and we need to trust that our God can, and that he cares for us. Even the worst things that happen to us in this life will ultimately be for our good, because God is in control and he cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7, Rom. 8:28).

CHORUS
This song is in the running for fewest lyrics in a chorus, and there’s a lot of competition for that title in the worship genre! The entire text is “he won’t fail.”

Scripture is clear that God never fails. I’ll quote Job 42:2 again because it’s so powerful and all-encompassing: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s word always succeeds in accomplishing his purpose for it. Hebrews 7:16 says that in Jesus is the “power of an indestructible life.” 2 Chron. 20:6 says that no one can stand against the Lord.

So what is this unfailing purpose of God? Ephesians 1:3-14 tells us. His purpose is to unite all things in heaven and on earth in Jesus, redeeming us by his blood and lavishing his grace on us, adopting us into his family and giving us an eternal inheritance with him, all sealed and guaranteed by the presence of his Holy Spirit in us. That’s great news!

VERSE 2

James and Peter agree that even in suffering, believers in Jesus have a source of joy (Jam. 1:2, 1 Pet. 1:8). Paul tells us that peace surpassing all understanding will guard us when we bring our concerns to God with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6-7). “Going under” is an idiom for drowning, being utterly defeated, and those who trust in Jesus will not ultimately be defeated or put to shame (Ps. 25:2-3). We are upheld by God’s strength and his hand, not our own (Isa. 41:10). The rest of this verse repeats themes we’ve already discussed.

BRIDGE

“Rain came and wind blew // But my house was built on You“

All of “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” draws thematically on Luke 6:46-49 and Matthew 7:24-27, but the bridge makes this connection even clearer. In this parable, Jesus says that those who hear and follow his teachings are like a wise man who lays the foundation of his house on solid rock instead of lazily building it on unstable surface dirt or sand. When storms and floods come, the house on the rock stands firm but the house on sand is destroyed.

The line “I’m safe with you” calls to mind Proverbs 18:10, which uses another biblical building metaphor: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

So the bridge recognizes that we will be safe, not in the sense that we won’t experience storms and floods, but in the sense that we won’t be drowned or destroyed by them. Our guaranteed inheritance is with God in the coming new creation, not here and now on Earth (1 Pet 1:4).

Accessibility

I think this song is very accessible. It’s clear, emotional, and faithful to Scripture. The metaphor of our lives being built on Jesus is simple, but also deep and rich, something that speaks to the new believer and the seasoned saint alike.

Singing this song in spirit and in truth does require some understanding that God’s faithfulness is not a guarantee that we will not suffer in this life. God is often faithful to us by providing peace, joy, faith, and hope through our suffering rather than just giving us an easy way out of it. I think this song embraces that truth by talking about rain, wind , and chaos, and describing a response of faith during those trials.

“Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” also carries an unspoken caveat common to many songs about God’s goodness and his faithfulness: these wonderful promises are not guaranteed for everybody, only those who know and follow God. Who does Jesus say builds a house on the rock? Everyone “who hears these words of mine and does them” (Matt. 7:24). In fact, God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel also meant faithfulness to the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28 when they repeatedly chose disobedience. For the believer in Jesus, we can trust that even God’s discipline is an expression of his love, “for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6).

Music

This song always fools me into thinking it’s “Graves into Gardens” during the intro. We start off with a standard guitar strum and the piano just plays the chord changes. The first musical moment that stands out is at the brief buildup/dropout at the end of verse 1 to emphasize the words “He won’t.” This is repeated in several places through the song. I also really love the swift chord changes on “go-ing un-der” in verse 2. It’s a really cool way to bring the bass into the song. This time, we get to sing a complete chorus and we’ve got some toms underneath to build energy. The following repeat of verse 1 is a nonstop snare build that really drives the faithfulness of God home and launches us back into a big “He won’t” chorus. From there (in typical worship song fashion) we drop down for a very chill, heartfelt bridge. The anthemic skips set this portion of the melody apart. The bridge builds into an instrumental channel that launches us into an even bigger chorus that abruptly dies down into an intimate acoustic-and-voices finale.

In my opinion, this song fuses familiar elements of current worship music with just enough innovation to make it unique while still blending well into the church library. This familiarity makes it easy to pick up and the innovations make it fun to sing. It’s repetitive and melodically simple enough that congregations should be able to learn it easily, and none of the instrumental parts are especially challenging. Just make sure you and your band drop out together in the right places and that your drummer is patient enough for a really long snare build or two!

(Having now done this song a couple times in worship, I will add that those walk-downs on “going under” and “around me is shaken” are pretty tricky. They’re tuplets, so they present a significant challenge for the band in getting the timing just right.)

Conclusions

Will it worship? For sure.

“Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” is really a meditation on Jesus’ parable about the wise builder. It explores the theme of suffering and trusting God’s faithfulness in the midst of trials. I think it will be easy for congregations to learn and meaningful for people at all levels of faith. This song is both a reflection on God’s faithfulness in the past and a breastplate of faith against future hardship. I am confident that it will be a blessing in churches that choose to sing it.

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

REST ON US – Maverick City Music, Brandon Lake, Eniola Abioye

/ Jason Henry / 1 Comment

Maverick City Music has taken the worship world by storm over the last few years, and “Rest on Us” is one of a string of worship hits that have charted on CCLI. The song is a corporate cry for the experience of God’s Spirit and its easy melody and repetitive lyrics carry the listener along on a tide of prayer and longing. But is it the kind of prayer that we want to sing with our congregations? Is it the right kind of longing? Is “Rest on Us” biblical? Let’s see.

Focus

This song is a plea for the presence of God’s Spirit. It asks the Spirit to move, to fill the worshipers, to let Heaven in, and (as indicated by the title) to rest on the worshipers. It declares that the Spirit is all the singer wants.

Lyric Analysis

SONG TITLE

What does it mean for the Holy Spirt to rest on us (or fill us)? This is the central line of the song, so let’s make sure we understand it well before we look at the rest of the lyrics.

The Old Testament doesn’t use this language often, but it tells us that the Spirit rested on the elders of Israel and that they temporarily prophesied as a result (Num. 11:25-26). Isaiah also prophesies about the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2, saying, “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

The OT says that the Spirit rushed upon David (1 Sam. 16:13), Saul (10:10), and Samson (Jud. 14:6). In each of these cases, the individual engaged in one or more miracles of prophesy or divinely empowered violence. In Exodus, a man named Bezalel is filled with the Spirit in order to craft the tabernacle and its furnishings (Ex. 31:2-3). Micah is also filled with the Spirit in order to declare Israel’s sin (Mic. 3:8), a typical task for OT prophets. I think these three words are interchangeable in the Old Testament, describing the Spirit acting with and through a human being to accomplish a miraculous purpose and usually to prophesy.

The New Testament uses all three words in Acts 2:2-4, when a sound like rushing wind fills the room, tongues of fire rest on the believers’ heads, and the Spirit fills them. It also says that the Spirit rests on Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism (Matt. 3:16) and that those who are mistreated for the name of Jesus have the Spirit resting on them (1 Pet. 4:14). The NT more often refers to the Spirit filling a believer. This happens to John the Baptist and both his parents (Luke 1:15, 41, 67), the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:4), Saul/Paul (9:17), Paul and Barnabas (13:50-14:1), and is commanded of believers in Ephesians 5:18. In every one of these cases, those who are filled with the Spirit speak the words of God afterward, whether through prophesy, tongues, proclaiming the Gospel, or singing.

To sum up! When we ask God’s Spirit to rest on us or fill us, we are not just asking for a feeling or experience. We are offering ourselves up as vessels so that God can speak and act through us. Being filled with God’s Spirit means I am committed to speaking God’s words.

VERSE 1
“As the Spirit was moving over the waters // Spirit, come move over us”
When did the Spirit move over the waters, and do we want Him to move over us in a similar fashion? This is a reference to Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God is hovering over the face of the waters. These waters are the unformed chaos of the pre-creation world, and God is about to fill them with light and then create the whole world out of this inhospitable blank slate. This is actually my favorite line in the song, though I suspect many listeners miss it. I think this line is a way of submitting to the transformative and creative power of God’s Spirit, offering our chaos and our unformed lives up to God as a canvas for Him to create something beautiful that suits his purpose and his pleasure.

CHORUS
“You’re here and I know You are moving // I’m here and I know You will fill me”
Asking the Holy Spirit to come down is perhaps unnecessary, but not harmful. Yes, the Spirit is already here; God is omnipresent (Jer. 23:24, Col. 1:17). In asking for the Spirit to come down, we are asking for his presence to be made evident in some way, not saying that he isn’t already present. This also applies to the later line “when you fill the room.” It’s referring to the visible or felt activity of the Spirit, not his actual presence versus his absence.

The next line, which says the Spirit will “make my heart pound” when he moves, is not my favorite. It could mean that the singer gets excited (heart pounding) when he or she sees evidence of the Spirit’s activity. That’s fine and good. I’m concerned that most people will take a simpler and less helpful approach to this line. Either A) If the Spirit is moving in your life, he will cause a palpable physical response. If your heart isn’t pounding, the Spirit isn’t moving. or B) “You make my heart pound” sounds like very romantic language, so we think our relationship with the Spirit is like a romantic relationship. “Jesus is my boyfriend songs” are problematic not just because they make worshipers uncomfortable, but because the individual Christian is not the Bride of Christ; the Church is (Eph. 5:31-32, Rev. 19:7-8).

This song refers continually to the Spirit moving. This isn’t a phrase that I can find in Scripture anywhere, but I don’t think it’s inherently problematic. Movement is activity. So if you believe the Spirit does anything todayā€”from raising the dead to quietly prompting the heart of the believerā€”then you believe the Spirit moves. However, it’s very nonspecific. So each individual who hears or sings this song will import their understanding of what constitutes a movement of the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean for the Holy Spirit to fill us? See the above note on the song title.

VERSE 2:

This verse specifically references Pentecost, when there was a rushing sound of wind and tongues of fire rested on the believers (Acts 2:1-4). What’s not clear is which aspect of Pentecost the singer is asking the Holy Spirit to duplicate. If it’s the literal fire, wind, and tongues-speaking, I think this line is misguided. If it’s the manifest presence and activity of God that lead to proclamation of the Gospel and a turning of many hearts toward Jesus because of the Spirit’s ministry through the church, then yes, let’s pray for that! (I recently reviewed “The Dove,” another Holy Spirit song, which references Pentecost differently, and I think more helpfully!)

The gates come from Psalm 24:7, where they are opened to welcome in the King of Glory. This song refers to letting heaven in instead of God, but I think it’s clear from the context that this is a way of welcoming God’s presence so that he can make our world more and more like heaven, establishing his Kingdom in and through us.

BRIDGE:

“You’re all we want,” is a frequent refrain in worship songs. It’s not a statement of fact (we all want lots of things besides God). It’s an aspirational prayer. In singing “You’re all we want,” we are training our hearts to long for God like the deer longs for water in Psalm 42:1.

Accessibility

Clarity and context are big problems for this song. The Spirit’s activity is described through different biblical word-pictures, and an emotional response is articulated in modern language. What’s missing is any concrete explanation of what the Spirit is doing or what exactly we are asking him to do. This deprives the song of meaning for those who don’t know what the Spirit is doing in the referenced passages. And it leaves open a big hole into which anyone could insert their own poor understanding of what the Spirit’s ministry looks like.

As indicated above, I am concerned that the repeated line “when you move you make my heart pound” is likely to be interpreted in harmful ways. I have the same concern for the line “fire and wind, come and do it again.”

Music

This song has a powerful, slow-build, dynamic arc. I love the drums and the chord progression. The lyrics and melody are so catchy that it would be hard not to learn this song after hearing it once. I honestly enjoy the song, which makes it difficult to be so critical of the lyrics.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Not for me. This song is supposed to be a powerful emotional response to and plea for the moving of God’s Spirit, but those emotions need to be grounded in scriptural truth, not left adrift to anchor themselves to each singer’s vague idea of what the Spirit does.

Image by Maxim Medvedev from Unsplash

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

GRATITUDE – Brandon Lake

/ Jason Henry / 2 Comments

Image by Ilnur Kalimullin from Unsplash

This song comes highly requested by members of my team, and I see why! Brandon Lake, Dante Bowe, and Benjamin Hastings have crafted a beautiful expression of humble, grateful worship. “Gratitude” is simple, honest, and moving, but is it biblical, and will it worship?

Focus

The theme of this song is worshiping God (usually “you,” occasionally “king” or Lord”). The words paint a picture of a humble, worshipful spirit that longs to honor God and express the thanks he deserves, but lacks adequate words and must offer a simple “hallelujah” instead.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
The singer explains the insufficiency of his own words in expressing his gratitude. It’s not clear yet who he’s singing to (though in a church context most reasonable people would assume it’s to God, and that will be made clearer later) or what he’s grateful for. I suspect the cause of his gratitude is left open-ended on purpose so that each worshiper can fill in the song with his or her own reasons to be grateful.

VERSE 2

Lake expresses again the inadequacy of singing, in particular because every song ends. He contrasts this with God, who is eternal (Isa. 40:28, Heb. 13:8, Rev. 22:13, and many other places). I’m not aware of anywhere in Scripture that discusses the inadequacy of song specifically, though David calls God indescribable (Ps. 145:3), and Paul says that God’s gift is inexpressible (2 Cor. 9:15) implying that our words will always fall short of fully explaining God, his character, or his grace toward us. It’s also clear from the Bible that song alone does not constitute worship. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” It seems to me that “Gratitude” is very focused on expressing this worshipful spirit.

CHORUS
“I know it’s not much // But I’ve nothing else fit for a king // Except for a heart singing hallelujah”

The raising of hands is all over the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. It’s most often an expression of supplication (Ps. 28:1) or blessing (Ps. 134:2). The raising of hands in worship is commanded throughout the Psalms and engages our whole bodies in worship rather than just our mouths. Sam Storms has written an excellent article on the lifting of hands in worship if you’d like to learn a little more.

The Hebrew word hallelujah is literally a command to praise the Lord. Hallel means to praise and jah is an abbreviation for the divine name Yahweh. Over time, it came to be an expression of praise in itself, rather than an exhortation to praise. So the singer is saying that the only appropriate expression of his gratitude is praise. He can’t come up with adequate words, so he just says “praise God” over and over (in Hebrew).

VERSE 3

The “just one move” here is not the raising of arms, but the act of worship. That’s the only response the singer can conceive of to…whatever he’s responding to. It’s fairly clear that he’s responding to God, but it’s not apparent if he’s responding to an aspect of God’s character, the Gospel, or a particular blessing in his own life. Like the gratitude in verse 1, it’s probably intended to be open-ended.

BRIDGE

Singing to one’s own soul is something the Psalmists do regularly, especially to stir oneself up to praise God. I think this bridge is a poetic reinterpretation of Psalm 42:11, which says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

I don’t love the line “you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs.” It feels self-aggrandizing, which I know isn’t the author’s intent, since the words throughout the rest of the song are so self-effacing. It just feels out-of-place to me. My soul’s strength to praise the Lord doesn’t come from my own inner lion, but from God’s Spirit.

Accessibility

Some songs expect the worshiper to do a fair bit of work in order to engage meaningfully with the lyrics. Often, this means one needs a good working knowledge of some relevant Scriptures. In the case of “Gratitude,” the worshiper needs to bring his or her own reasons for thanksgiving and awe. Without a real cause for gratitude, this song doesn’t mean much.

I think the lion in the bridge is confusing, but not dangerous. (As opposed to a lion on a bridge, which would be dangerous and confusing.)

Music

This song starts with finger picking on an acoustic guitar and the humble, quiet words of the singer (mostly mixed voice and falsetto here). Some subtle cello comes in to accompany the chorus, and we get some warm pads on verse 2. The piano comes in on the second chorus with sparse chords and the playing of the strings increases. The singer also increases in volume here, but is still holding back. We don’t get Brandon’s full voice until the second repetition of the bridge, where he is exhorting his own soul to give its full-voiced praise to the Lord. This is a powerful musical turning point, and the song reaches its crescendo in some wordless vocalizing and repetitions of “praise the Lord.” We come back down for a very intimate final chorus. The instrumentation fits perfectly and Lake’s masterful vocal performance paints every word with humility, gratitude, longing, and love.

The key to doing this song well is restraint. Each instrument must be held back until just the right moment, since compromising the song’s tender emotional arc could easily make the whole thing fall flat.

I’m not convinced that this song is very singable for a congregation. The melody has a range of an octave plus a sixth, and transposing it down leeches some of the energy from the vocals. I also don’t love that the song hits its musical peak on an instrumental break where the congregation doesn’t even sing.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Maybe.

This song is a soul-stirring expression of gratitude, but I wish it anchored that feeling to some concrete reasons. It is clearly directed to God, it’s just not clear why. I was recently hard on “Rest On Us,” another Brandon Lake song, for similar reasons, but “Gratitude” gets a maybe instead of a no because it’s a whole lot easier for the average congregant to come up with reasons for gratitude than it is to come up with a solid theology of the Holy Spirit. If we do sing this song for church, I will probably precede it with a few moments of introspection for the congregation to find reasons to give thanks, or maybe even have them share with their neighbor. Better yet, I might give a brief explanation of the Gospel so that we can focus all our gratitude on that one, indescribable gift of grace.

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

CHILD OF LOVE – We the Kingdom, Bear Rinehart

/ Jason Henry / Leave a comment

Image by Austin Schmid from Unsplash

“Child of Love” is a bop! From the first time I heard it, I loved the song’s buoyant, retro-pop/country energy. More importantly, I love the joy and gratitude it expresses at our redemption and adoption as loved children of God. But is “Child of Love” biblical? Who and what does it worship? Should you sing it on Sunday? Let us explore.

Focus

The main theme of this song is our adoption as dearly loved children. We describe various joyful responses to it, we explore some of its effects, and we rest in the unchanging nature of God’s love toward us. The fact that this adoption is by God has to be inferred from the context, since he is mostly referred to as “love” or “you.” When Jesus is mentioned in the chorus, it is as a friend, not specifically as our brother or father.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
The first two verses are a generalized testimony in which We The Kingdom describes their pre-adoption state. They are alone and lost, wandering on a road, an appropriate metaphor, since Jesus is the true Way and any other road leads to destruction (John 14:6, Matt. 7:13). The singer is trying to find satisfaction in chasing worldly pleasure, which is an ultimately doomed pursuit (Isa. 55:2).

VERSE 2

More lostness. The singer is left in sorrow when the things they believed in turned out to be lies. Their tears are compared to rain, which pairs nicely with the lightning in the next line. This lightning serves as the pivot point in the singer’s life that brings us from the bleak verses to the joyful chorus.

Lightning in the Bible is a symbol of God’s vast power. He produces and controls it (Ps. 135:7), using it as a weapon (Ps. 144:6) or a sign of his presence (Ex. 19:16). In our cultural context, lightning sometimes represents a sudden realization or inspiration, so I wonder if the author is using this double meaning intentionally. In any case, this lightning strike marks the end of the singer’s lostness and the beginning of their identity as a child of love.

CHORUS
Singing “I am a child of love” is a way of declaring and celebrating our adoption by God as his children. One might even consider capitalizing “Love” in this line since God is love (1 John 4:16). Romans 8:15 tells us, “you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” The following verses explain that having the Holy Spirit is the present evidence of our adoption, but we won’t experience the fullness of what it means to be God’s children until our future resurrection (Rom. 8:23).

Climbing mountains and shouting about being a child of love sounds a lot like evangelism to me! The mountain here isn’t symbolic of an encounter with God like it is in several places throughout other songs and Scripture. It’s just a very visible place from which to proclaim the Gospel. I also think climbing and shouting are meant as simple expressions of the energetic joy that the singer has at being God’s child.

Freedom in Christ is one of the central elements of our salvation, but it’s easily misunderstood. The “world of freedom” mentioned in this song is connected to our adoption as God’s children directly in Romans 8:21, and indirectly because his Spirit is the mark of that adoption, and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,” (2 Cor. 3:17). But what kind of freedom are we talking about? This isn’t referring to physical or legal freedom; the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians not to worry about whether they are bondservants or free (1 Cor. 7:20-22). The freedom we have in Christ is freedom from sin, death, and the ceremonial aspects of the Old Testament Law, not the freedom to do whatever makes us happy (Rom. 8:2, 21). This freedom is the result of the Spirit’s work in our lives, and he leads us to use it in service to others (Gal. 5:13, 1 Pet. 2:16).

Jesus calls us friends if we obey him. He also laid his life down for us, which is something that he says is the utmost expression of love for one’s friends. (John 15:13-15)

VERSE 3

The first couple lines here are a reference to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were cast into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol. The flames did not harm them, and God (or an angel as his representative) was visibly present with them in the furnace (Daniel 3). This is a most apt example of God being with us when we suffer for doing good (1 Pet. 3:17), since the three Hebrews in this story were sentenced to death for obeying God. But it could also be applied generally as a metaphor for God’s nearness to us when we experience any suffering.

The next two lines restate the same idea but in more general terms. The singer thought he was a goner, but Jesus broke him free.

BRIDGE

The bridge draws heavily on Romans 8:38-39 and its firm assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We belong to God in the sense that we are his children, his people, his sheep (Ps. 100:3).

Accessibility

This song rates highly on the accessibility scale. While it teaches solid scriptural ideas, it relies on contemporary imagery rather than difficult allusions to Bible stories to communicate its meaning and feeling. Verse 3, for instance, makes just as much sense if you’ve never read the book Daniel or heard of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

One small barrier to understanding I notice is that most people have a worldly understanding of freedom, not a biblical idea of freedom in Christ, as addressed in the section on the chorus. Additionally, as described in the Focus section, it is never explicitly stated that we’re talking about being children of God, but I think most reasonable people will make that leap without much help.

Music

“Child of Love” is a lot of fun to play! I love the flat-major-VII in the chord progression. The basics of the song are easy for instrumentalists to grasp, but there’s also plenty of room for skilled players to add complexity to their parts. The retro country-pop vibe is greatly enhanced by using a multi-track, especially if you don’t have several guitars, an organ, a couple keyboards, and a choir.

The dynamics follow a pretty standard worship song arc. Start off mf, increase to f after first chorus, drop down for a mp bridge, and then build back up. The breakdown after the bridge is a nice change of pace and makes the following chorus more exciting.

I doubt the congregation will sing along to the verses much, since the melody there is a little trickier to follow, but the chorus and bridge are eminently singable, and this is a great song to clap along to, especially if you can get them to start clapping at the breakdown.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Full disclosure: we’ve already started singing “Child of Love.” The congregation and band love it. It’s a great way to start off a worship service by anchoring us in gratitude for the love of God and our adoption as his children. It’s not the deepest theological hymn I’ve ever read, but it’s a wonderful expression of joy and delight in God our Father and Jesus our savior-friend, so I’m gonna give it a solid “yes.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

IT CAME UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR – Edmund H. Sears

/ Jason Henry / Leave a comment

Image by Joe Ciciarelli from Unsplash

Since it’s Christmas this week, we had our weekly rehearsal on Monday night instead of Thursday, so the words of this song have been bouncing around in my head since then. And boy are there a lot of them! “It Came Upon the (or “a”) Midnight Clear” is over 170 years old, and the poetry is pretty opaque. It . It’s easy to let classic hymn texts, and especially Christmas carols, fly under the radar unexamined, and it occurred to me that I wasn’t 100% sure what this one was saying, so I wanted to figure it out! There are also a bunch of different versions and covers of this carol, so instead of reviewing one of them, I’m just going to focus on unpacking the lyrics and let you pick whichever version suits you best. (…though we’re singing the MercyMe version this week and it’s a banger!)

Focus

The theme of this song is the “song” of the angels who announced Jesus’ birth: “peace on earth, goodwill to men.” It traces this song of peace from his birth through our present age, to the future new creation.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
Here, the author sets the scene from Luke 2, when the angel announces Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. The only details we have from Scripture regarding the setting is that it was night and they were in a field. So the author is taking some poetic license in adding details like that it was midnight, or that the skies were clear, or that the angels were carrying golden harps (angels are never portrayed with harps in Scripture, though the elders in Revelation 5:8 carry them, so heavenly harpists are not entirely alien to the Bible). We also have no reason to believe that the world was literally waiting in solemn stillness to hear the angels’ message, but I think this line points to what Paul says in Romans 8:20-22, that all of creation is desperately longing for its redemption from sin and corruption.

The actual words of the angels’s song are the pivotal line of this carol, so I want to take extra care in examining them. They are mostly taken from the KJV translation of Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” But modern translations agree that this is based on a transcription error. ESV has, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” and most other translations carry this same sense. The peace belongs to those who have God’s goodwill; they aren’t two unconditional gifts, but a gift and a condition. So how do you please God and qualify for the peace the angels are declaring? Faith in Jesus (Hebrews 11:6). God is eminently pleased with his son Jesus, and through the work of Christ, he takes on our sin, and we take on his righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). And of course God is the gracious (Ps. 116:5) King of Heaven (Dan. 4:37), though this title is not present (that we know of) in the angels’ message to the shepherds.

To sum up, the message of the angels, around which the rest of the song revolves, “Peace on the earth, good will to men // From heavenā€™s all-gracious King,” is not exactly what the angels said to the shepherds in Luke 2, but it is a reasonable paraphrase, as long as one understands the caveat that the peace is available to all, but will not necessarily be received by all.

VERSE 2
Now we jump forward to present day. Or 1849 if you like. The author envisions the heavens as still open (“cloven” means split apart), and the angels as still proclaiming their message of peace over a sad and weary world. The word “angel” means messenger, and Hebrews 1:14 describes them as “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” So while we don’t know much about the mechanics of how angels function in our world, they are certainly serving the spread of the Gospel of peace, the substance of their song as envisioned by this carol’s author.

I am very impressed by the line “ever o’er its Babel sounds.” The building of the Tower of Babel represents the peak of man’s pride and arrogance, and the result was a confusion of language that prevented mutual understanding and divided and scattered the people. This is such a rich and concise image of the strife and disunity in our present world, and a reminder that it is a result of our own sin and pride.

VERSE 3

This verse restates ideas from verse 2. Mankind has continued to engage in sin and strife, even though angels are singing love and peace over them. Clearly Mr. Sears was bad at math, because at the time of this song’s writing, it had only been 1,845ish years since the angels announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds, not 2,000. Fortunately, enough years have elapsed since then that we may now sing this line truthfully.

VERSE 4

In the final two verses, Mr. Sears urges us to look towards Christ’s second coming. He addresses the listener, toiling under the painful strain of living and working in our present world, and urges them to find peace in the promised rest of God. This rest is to be found now by looking forward to its total fulfillment in the age to come (Heb. 4:0-11).

VERSE 5

Now we focus fully on the future age when all believers will be united with Christ in the recreated and restored earth. The author calls this time the “age of gold,” and is correct in saying it is predicted by prophets, many of whom wrote in poetic forms. This is the time when peace will truly cover the earth (Isa. 65:25, Rev. 21:4, 22:22-27). Peace is ancient because it is the state in which creation existed before the fall (Gen. 1:31), and the specific message of peace through Christ is nearly as old, having been first hinted at all the way back in Genesis 3:15. In the new creation, the redeemed creation will finally perfectly reflect the divine vision of God and Man at peace.

Accessibility

I think most people who hear this song (and listen) will understand that it’s about Jesus’ birth, and the song of peace that the angels sang that night, and continue to sing over our struggles today, and that will be perfected in heaven. Many of the other theological gems in this song are hiding behind archaic language and require some heavy thinking to tease out. When singing this in church, I would stress that the peace the angels are singing about is the peace with God and Man that can only be found through Christ, not just a generic feeling of peace and goodwill untethered to the Gospel.

Conclusions

Will it worship? I hope so! But I have to give it a maybe. The message of peace on earth, now in part, fully in the age to come, all through the work of Jesus and his Spirit, is timeless and an essential part of the story of God. But this song is a little heavy on the peace and the angels singing about it, and a little light on mentions of the God who provides that peace. I pray that we present this and other classic Christmas carols in a way that points people toward the meaningful Gospel truths they teach, rather than letting people hear only nostalgia and holiday spirit.

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

HOMECOMING – Bethel Music, Cory Asbury, Gable Price

/ Jason Henry / 2 Comments

Image by Kevin Delvecchio from Unsplash

“Homecoming” is the title track from Bethel’s 2021 worship release. I’ve already reviewed “Send Me” from the same album, and you can find that review here. “Homecoming” is the work of Cory Asbury, Brian Johnson, Gable Price, and Christian Ostrom, and covers a broad arc of the Gospel and its implications for our lives, past, present, and future. Where this song really stands out is the bridge, where it paints a beautiful picture of our arrival and celebration in heaven. Is this picture of heaven biblical, and will this song serve your congregation well in worship? Let’s check it out!

Focus

The verses and chorus of “Homecoming” focus on our responsibility for our sin and the great work of Jesus that exchanged our death for life through his crucifixion and resurrection. The bridge dwells on joy-filled imagery of the our future reunion with God, our families, and the global Church. There’s a lot of “I” language, but it’s mostly related to the admission of guilt. It’s clear that the glory in this song belongs only to God, as he’s the one doing away with sin and welcoming us into our homecoming.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
“Homecoming” comes right out of the gate with a confession of sin. In fact, both verses start with the line, “Lord, I confess.”

Here at the beginning, we confess being criminals, particularly in stealing breath from God and singing our own songs. What in the world does that mean? I think we’re referring here to the breath of life that God gave Adam at creation, and which God provides to all living people as a continual gift (Gen. 2:7, Isa. 42:5). In this verse, singing my own song is a metaphor for using the breath and life God has given me for my own purposes and glory instead of his.

Next, we confess our lack of innocence, which is appropriate since all of us have sinned (Rom. 3:23). Further, we admit that our shackles are something we purchased ourselves. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, so being shackled to the dead weight of our sin is indeed the reality that we buy when we choose to use the gift of life to sin rather than to sing God’s glory.

VERSE 2

In this verse, we identify with the Prodigal Son from Jesus’ parable in Luke 15:11-32. Though he was born into a family with a loving father and an inheritance, he spurned his family and squandered his inheritance. This is what we do when we choose to wander from God rather than dwell with him in his house and under his provision and protection as in Psalm 23.

But then Jesus came! In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul is addressing Gentile believers and how before Jesus, they were separated, walled off, from God and his family Israel. So the walls that imprison us are really the walls that separate us from God and his family. Verse 14 says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” This is how we pass from death to life and into intimate familial fellowship with Jesus and the Father (John 5:24, Eph 2:18-19).

CHORUS
Our sins are described as scarlet, red, and crimson in Isaiah 1:18, where God also promises to wash them white like snow or wool. These blood colors represent sin because when we turn from God, we have guilt on our hands like the blood of a murder victim, or perhaps a wasted animal sacrifice that only serves to keep up our outward image of religiosity (Isa. 1:15). The crimson cost of our sin, then, is the one sacrifice that can permanently remove it: the blood of Jesus (Heb. 9:12). For more on this, see my review of “Thank You Jesus for the Blood.” The next line makes this explicit, saying he nailed our debts to that “old rugged cross.” This is a reference both to the classic hymn by George Bennard, and the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2:24.

An empty slate is a fresh start. The original idiom comes from a slate tracking a ship’s navigation being wiped clean to start a new voyage. This is a refreshing and appropriate image for becoming a new creation, being born again in Jesus (John 3:3, 2 Cor. 5:17). And that empty slate is only made possible because of the empty grave, i.e., Jesus’ resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4).

So, of course, we express thanks to God for rolling away the stone that sealed Jesus in the tomb, and by extension, the stones that seal us in our own tombs of sin, and by further extension, the stones that will seal us in our tombs of literal death, as the bridge of this song will celebrate by exploring imagery of our future resurrection.

SPONTANEOUS

He’s singing to Jesus, I think. Either way, I imagine anyone in heaven is going to be smiling a lot, so I have no problem with this ad lib.

BRIDGE

So we started with confessing responsibility for our sin, then moved into the glory of Jesus paying the price for that sin and giving us new life through his resurrection. Now, we look at the future consequence of that salvation: our eternity reunited with God and his family, the Church. Like much of the Bible’s imagery describing our future resurrection, we have a mixture of concrete and abstract, metaphorical and literal. All of these, as N. T. Wright likes to say, are “signposts pointing into a fog,” images that suggest the glory and joy of our eternal state united with Jesus and one another without ever giving us a precise picture of what exactly it will be like.

I have to admit, I don’t fully understand the first line of the bridge. I think the crimson robes in question must be Jesus’ robes stained with his blood, and the ashes they are covering represent death and all the old things of earth that have passed away. Roses pushing up from embers is a connected line in the next stanza, representing something beautiful and alive being reborn from death, destruction, and pain.

The empty tomb in place of a casket represents both Jesus’ resurrection, and ours. I like how the image of the casket is used here to ground the truth of our future resurrection in our contemporary experience to make it feel more real and immediate. Not many of us have been to an ancient Jewish tomb, and it’s easy to feel a disconnect. But most of us have been to a funeral and seen a loved one lying in a casket. It is this stark, cold reality that will be undone forever at the final resurrection, and we will see our loved ones again, and be resurrected ourselves.

I’m not aware of any specific passages about children or families singing, dancing, or laughing in heaven, but these are all classic Old Testament expressions of joy or worship (Ps. 150:4, 126:2, 96:1). The Lord himself sings over us joyfully in Zephaniah 3:17. So these are all appropriate activities that I would expect all heaven’s residents to enjoy. “Rivers of tears” coming from happy memories of life is a little tougher to justify. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” I think the kind of tears referred to in this verse are clearly sad tears, not happy tears, so we don’t need to take it as a blanket prohibition on crying in heaven, merely a signpost that all reasons for mourning and sadness will be gone.

As mentioned above, it is not surprising that all heaven should sing together both in worship to God, and in celebration at the homecoming of lost sheep (Luke 15:7). The “great cloud of witnesses” comes from Hebrews 12:1, where it refers to the people of faith listed throughout Hebrews 11. The idea in this passage is that all the heroes of the Old Testament who lived and died in faith, trusting in God’s promise of the future Messiah, are gathered around as we continue the race they began, this time with Christ in full view. I think it makes sense to carry this picture forward to the finish line of the final resurrection, when our race will finally be won.

Regarding the word “homecoming,” I think this is a perfectly apt description of our future resurrection when we will be perfectly united with God and his family forever. God’s presence is our true home, regardless of other circumstances (2 Cor. 5:8), and our citizenship is in heaven, where we will receive glorious, resurrected bodies (Phil. 3:20-21). When I hear “the Father is welcoming,” I picture the father of the Prodigal Son again. In Luke 15:20, the prodigal is returning home, expecting to become a mere servant in his father’s house, but instead, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” This is the kind of love with which we can expect to be welcomed home by our Father.

SPONTANEOUS

No major issues here. We will be with our families, or at least those of them who are believers. Wizard of Oz reference. Yes, Jesus is beautiful and we will see him face to face.

Accessibility

I am a little concerned about the accessibility of this worship song. It is jam-packed with Bible references and symbols that I expect to go over many people’s heads, and they come so fast that nobody’s going to catch all of them on a first hearing. This is both a strength and a weakness; a song that is hard to understand at first is often more meaningful once you mull it over and figure it out. Additionally, while individual lines are often tricky, the main emotional thrust of each part of the song is clear. The verses are sorrow over our sin, the chorus is gratitude for forgiveness, and the bridge is the joy and longing for our heavenly homecoming.

I don’t find much danger of misinterpretation in this song.

Music

“Homecoming” follows a pretty standard worship song format. We have a quiet first verse and chorus, then a dynamic leap in verse 2 and a pair of louder choruses followed by a bridge that builds to a crescendo, a climactic final chorus, and an “oh-oh” tag for an outro. In church, I would probably end the song here, though the recording goes through a spontaneous portion followed by another repetition of the bridge and chorus. The form of the song is effective at providing a vehicle for the message, and for communicating the emotional arc of sorrow-gratitude-joyful longing.

I think the most challenging musical aspect of this song will be nailing the drum groove. The drums on the verses are syncopated and clicky, and then the bridge is one long drum roll. Vocally, the melodies of the verses and chorus are easy but not boring, and the bridge is repetitive as one would expect. The challenging part here will be the “oh-oh-oh-OH” on the outro. I’ll probably transpose it down to fit my range better, but I do that with most songs.

Conclusions

“Homecoming” is a wonderful song that has been meaningful for me in my personal worship times over the past couple months. That time for me has included the loss of a grandparent and a strained relationship with another close family member, so the hopeful tone of the bridge regarding families being brought back together at the resurrection has been comforting for me. Upon first hearing the song, that emphasis on family gave me pause, and I wondered if it might be a reason not to use it for church. Any time we sing or talk about heaven, I am always wary of losing focus on its most important feature: Jesus. The point of heaven is that we are with the Lord, and he is with his people, his Church, his family. The presence of our own family members and friends who are in Christ is an ancillary benefit, not the main point. But it is a benefit. Part of being in Christ is being a part of his family, so it is right and good to celebrate the reunion of that global family for eternity with him. Part of that global family, and the best picture we have of that joy in this life, is our relationships with our own loved ones. So I think this feature of the song is effective and faithful to Scripture, as long as we do not let it overshadow the more essential point of being at home with the Lord.

Will it worship? Yes! I anticipate introducing this song and its glorious celebration of the Gospel to my church in January. I hope it blesses them like it has blessed me.

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

SEND ME – Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson, Chris Quilala

/ Jason Henry / 1 Comment

Image by Se Nuno from Unsplash

I heard this song for the first time this week, and I’m not sure how I missed it up to this point! “Send Me” is from the 2021 Bethel release Homecoming, and is the product of songwriters Jenn Johnson, Brandon Lake, and Kari Jobe Carnes. The recording features the voices of Jenn Johnson and Chris Quilala, which is fine with me; I could listen to Chris sing all day. At its heart, “Send Me” is a simple song of longing to serve and follow the Lord. Let’s dive in together and see how the song applies Scripture and whether it will serve your congregation well in worship.

Focus

The focus of this song is a commitment to serve God. The singer asks to be sent wherever the Lord wants, no matter the cost. This surrender is fueled by the singer’s love for Lord. This song doesn’t name Jesus or God as such, but the whole song addresses him by the title “Lord” over and over again (one of the New Testament’s favorite ways to refer to Jesus), and the clear biblical references leave no room for misunderstanding who we’re singing to.

Lyric Analysis

The tag we will hear throughout this song is a simple prayer, “here I am Lord, send me” These words find their origin in Isaiah 6, when God calls Isaiah to be a messenger for him. Before the call, God gives Isaiah a vision in which he cleanses him from his sin and guilt. God says he wants to send someone, and Isaiah’s immediate response is “Here I am! Send me.” (Isa. 6:8) The Lord goes on to describe the task he has for Isaiah, and it’s not a pleasant one. The people will refuse to listen, and indeed, Isaiah’s words will harden their hearts further. They will suffer greatly, and in the midst of it, God’s words through Isaiah will provide a glimmer of hope.

VERSE 1
Bandaging the broken is part of the example set for us in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34). It’s also something God expects of those who would shepherd his people (Ezek. 34:4). I think this idea applies not just to physical injuries, but also mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational wounds. When we seek to help heal people, we are serving God and showing his love.

Jesus washes his disciples’ feet in John 13. Washing feet was a necessary task in first century Middle-Eastern culture, and it also symbolized hospitality, service, and humility. The striking image of God washing the feet of mere men, who should have been serving him, and his accompanying words “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet,” have made foot washing an enduring symbol within Christianity of humble, self-sacrificing service.

In John 13:34, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This command surely extends to times when we disagree with one another. That addition feels appropriate and timely, after a particularly fractious couple of years in the U.S. with regard to politics, Covid, and race relations.

VERSE 2
Contented service to God in poverty or in wealth is what Paul is actually talking about in the oft-quoted Philippians 4:13, not winning a sports game. Similarly, mountains often represent the experience of God’s presence (Ex. 15:17) while valleys represent feeling like he’s far away (Ps. 23:4). In either circumstance, we can and should choose to praise and serve him.

CHORUS
“If I’m known by how I love // let my life reflect how much I love You”

We already referenced Jesus’ command to love one another in John 13:34, and now we sing about the natural result of that love. Jesus says in verse 35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” At first glance, it seems like the chorus of “Send Me” is misapplying this Scripture. It’s how we love one another that shows that we are his disciples, not how much we love God, right? In my opinion, part of the brilliance of this song is in how it blurs the distinction between the two, much like Jesus does. Look at how he gives the same command in a different way in Matthew 22:27-40:

Jesus replied: ā€œā€˜Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.ā€™ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ā€˜Love your neighbor as yourself.ā€™ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.ā€

So loving our neighbor is like loving God. He goes even further in describing the final judgment and the separation of sheep and goats, where he says “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” So loving one another isn’t just like loving God; it’s a big piece of how we love God (Matthew 25:40).

How else does Jesus say we can express love for him? “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) That’s why I love the second half of the chorus. We’re expressing a willingness to say yes to Jesus’ instructions, even before we know what they are, just like Isaiah did when he experienced his call. He said “Here I am! Send me,” and then God told him what he wanted him to do. When I sing these words, I’m praying that god will give me that same level of trust and obedience to him.

VERSE 3
“If the truth cuts like an arrow // I will say it anyway”

Now we come to the only line in this song that gives me cause for concern. There’s nothing wrong in it; it just seems like it could be easily misapplied. The Bible says that God’s word does indeed cut like a sword (Heb. 4:12), and I’m not at all concerned with the poetic license of changing a sword to an arrow. And if we read the book of Isaiah, we see that this was a theme of his ministry. God gave him a hard message of judgment to deliver to a stubborn people who ignored and persecuted him. Sometimes the truth is sharp. But we must be kind in how we present the truth. John 1:14 says that Jesus was full of grace and truth. 1 Peter 3:15 says that when we present the Gospel, we must do it with gentleness and respect. Ephesians 4:29 says that our words should be helpful for building others up according to their needs. So yes, sometimes we must speak truth that cuts deep, but we shouldn’t swing that sword around willy-nilly, careless of who we hurt with it. There are helpful and harmful ways to present truth.

Jesus says that when we carry his name, we will face rejection (Luke 6:22). It’s also what Isaiah and many of the prophets faced, as well as the persecuted New Testament Church. For someone who stood firm and declared God’s truth despite the danger to his life, see the story of Stephen in Acts 6-7.

VERSE 4
Those who use the gifts and resources God has given them to serve him will one day hear him say the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masterā€™s happiness!” (Matthew 25:14-30) In the same chapter, Jesus makes it clear that the visible difference between those who will inherit the Kingdom with him and those who are banished from his presence forever is whether or not they chose to serve him by caring for people in need (Matt. 25:31-46).

Accessibility

This song has a lot to say, and many of the lines have at least a couple layers of meaning. I think the top layer is very accessible, even to people who aren’t churched or trained in Scripture. For more seasoned saints, I think the scriptural context of some of these words will be apparent, giving deeper meaning.

Like I said earlier, there’s not really any room for confusion about who we’re singing to. This song somehow manages to say “oh I love you” several times while staying firmly out of “Jesus-is-my-boyfriend” territory. That’s hard to do!

Music

“Send Me” is a simple song designed for congregational singing. Some minimalist finger picking on an electric guitar is the main accompaniment to the first half of the song, which completely lacks drums. Instead, we let the prayerful lyrics and the singing of the people carry the song forward. Synths and bass layer in gradually, and in the second chorus we get some cymbal swells. We drop back down for a reverent, longing fourth verse that builds through the tag, “here I am Lord, send me!” This leads into the final two choruses, where we finally get some toms to undergird the declarative lyrics. The recording continues for another 1:45 of ad libs and repeating the tag, but I typically stop it at about 4:45.

The chord rhythm of this song is a little trickier than most praise and worship songs, so be very sure that you have the chord sheet exactly how you want it before handing it out to your players. Watch out for the atypical length of the instrumental between verses one and two. The Ab/C pickup chords at the beginning of each line of the chorus are easy to miss. But with a little practice, the chords are still fairly intuitive and it’s not a difficult song to play. The electric guitar picking that plays under nearly the whole thing also sounds like it wouldn’t be too difficult to pick up. I think the hardest part of this song is going to be restraint. Building volume or adding instruments too early is going to kill the dynamic arc of the song and suck the life out of the final choruses.

One of the real strengths of this song is its singability. The tag line is easy to learn and repeated frequently. The chorus rhythm is straightforward and the melody is mostly stepwise and easy to sing along with, even on a first or second hearing. The song is even pitched for maximum congregational involvement, a relative rarity in worship recordings. its medium-low range should be comfortably within the tessitura of nearly everyone in your church.

Conclusions

Will it worship? 100%

This is a very direct “sending” song designed to prayerfully mobilize congregations for a life of service to Jesus and the Gospel. The lyrics are grounded in Scripture, especially Isaiah’s call to ministry and Jesus’ commands to love God by loving one another. I’m introducing it to my congregation this week, so I’ll have to let you know how it goes!

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

STAND IN YOUR LOVE – Bethel Music, Josh Baldwin, Rita Springer

/ Jason Henry / Leave a comment

Image by Joshua Earle from Unsplash

“Stand in Your Love,” would be at home anywhere. You could play it in an arena, in a church big or small, or gathered around a campfire at night. It’s simple, easy to learn, uplifting, and catchy. It was released in mid-2018 and subsequently featured on Bethel Music’s Victory album in 2019. Since then, it has become a staple in Christian worship, and as I write this, it’s smack in the middle of CCLI’s top 100 list. What does “Stand in Your Love” mean, is it Biblical, and should you be singing it in church? Let’s investigate.

Focus

The focus of this song is the singer’s steadfastness and ability to overcome fear because of the love and power of Jesus.

This song never specifically mentions God or Jesus, and could be sung about a romantic partner except for the reference to an empty grave in the bridge. This isn’t necessarily a problem in a church service where it’s obvious that we’re singing to God, but it’s worth noting.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
This verse personifies the forces of evil, sadness, and pain, and the singer refuses to be shaken even when in the midst of them.

In the New Testament, Jesus is the light (Jn. 1:5, 8:12). His enemies are symbolized by darkness (Ac. 26:18, Col. 1:13). Darkness trying to “roll over my bones” is a poetic description of the spiritual forces of evil that try to oppress believers.

Sorrow here represents sorrowful circumstances that attempt to rob us of the joy that we have in Jesus through his Spirit (Gal. 5:22, John 15:11). Saying that brokenness and pain are “all I know” is a common hyperbole to evoke an emotional state, not a literal statement that the singer doesn’t know anything else. That would be silly.

We echo the Psalmist in saying that we won’t be shaken. This is only a true statement if we are keeping our eyes on God, following him, and counting on his strength rather than our own. This is not a statement of personal empowerment, but of God’s power. (Ps. 16:8, 62:6, Isa. 41:10)

CHORUS
“My fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand in Your love”

We sing directly to God in the chorus, repeating the same line over and over as a declaration of God’s power over our fears and of our trust and confidence in him because of his love.

God tells us not to fear too many times to count in the Bible. The clearest and easiest passage of Scripture to link to this chorus is 1 John 4:18, which says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” God’s love is stronger than all the things we fear, and the more we love him, the less room there is for fear of man, devil, or circumstance in our hearts.

Standing in God’s love sounds a lot like abiding in God’s love, so let’s look at Jesus’ words in John 15:9-12.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Fatherā€™s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

So what does it mean to stand or abide in God’s love? A big part of it is obedience to his commands. And a big part of that is loving one another. So standing in God’s love doesn’t just mean remembering that God loves you, it also means remembering that he loves the people around you and being a conduit of that love, lavishing it on them like God lavishes it on you.

VERSE 2

Shame, lies, and the past are our enemies in the second verse.

I think our normal understanding of shame is more private and personal than the kind of shame normally described in the Bible. The Bible speaks often of being put to shame, which feels more like public disgrace than the internal experience I associate with the word shame, and seems to be tied to being defeated or disproven. Trusting God means that we will not ultimately be put to shame or disgraced, but vindicated (Rom. 10:11, Ps. 25:1-2). With regard to the internal kind of shame, God is the one who purifies our consciences (Heb. 9:14), takes away our regret through repentance (2 Cor. 7:10), and lifts up our heads (Ps. 3:3).

Jesus is the truth, so he is the antidote to the lies the enemy breathes in our ears (John 14:6).

We can leave our past sins and regrets behind because anyone in Christ is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and he has removed those sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12)

BRIDGE

Breaking chains is a metaphor for the freedom from sin that we have in Jesus (John 8:34-36), and God also breaks literal chains several times in Scripture (Ps. 107:10-16, Acts 16:26, Lev. 26:13).

Jesus’ power empties out several graves by resurrecting their occupants from death (John 11:43-44, Matt. 27:52), most notably his own (Matt. 28:6). We eagerly await his second coming when he will raise all of those who belong to him from our graves (1 Thess. 4:16). There’s a second meaning here as well, a sense in which we have already been resurrected from our spiritually dead state and raised to new life in Christ (Eph. 2:1-7). That is the powerful grace that saves us (Ephesians 2:8).

Jesus’ name contains the power that will cause every knee to bow (Phil. 2:10). It is the name into which we are baptized, symbolizing our death and resurrection with him (Rom. 6:3). It is the name through which God hears and answers our prayers (John 14:13).

Accessibility

This song uses everyday language and common figures of speech rather than specific Bible allusions that you have to understand in order to grasp the meaning. The only Bible reference you really need to understand is the line “power that can empty out a grave.” I think this song actually makes an easy stepping-on point for an unchurched person to begin to learn how to sing to God, since much of the language of the verses is similar to what you might hear in a counseling session or self-empowerment talk, but the chorus and bridge redirect those feelings of encouragement by telling us that the power we need comes from God, not ourselves.

If someone hears this song outside of church and they’re not paying attention to the bridge, it could be mistaken for a secular song about a romantic partner who has helped the singer overcome self-doubt and regret. In a worship service, I don’t think that’s really an issue.

Music

I’ll be describing the standard Bethel/Josh Baldwin version of the song here, but if you’re looking for a female-led version that’s less country/more pop, check out the less well-known recording by co-author Rita Springer.

A simple guitar accompaniment with a light swing rhythm guides us into this song, followed by a classic “b-boom clap” drum part on the first chorus, and then the rest of the band comes in with the full groove of the song on the following instrumental. Nothing super challenging for the band here, and the chords are pretty much the same pattern for the whole song except the bridge.

The bridge provides much-needed contrast, and the following chorus sees the band drop out and just play single hits on the chord changes while the congregation’s voice comes to the fore. We end with another big chorus and a little ad-libbable outro.

The melody and rhythm are super easy for congregants to learn, especially the chorus, which is just the same line over and over. My only musical concern is that the same simplicity that makes “Stand in Your Love” so congregational might also cause the band to tire of playing it.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Yep.

What “Stand in Your Love” lacks in specificity, it more than makes up for in accessibility. It might not explicitly reference a lot of Scripture, but the ideas presented are eminently biblical. It’s an anthem of trust in God and a commitment to the kind of boldness that Paul demonstrated in his Kingdom work. May it propel us to serve God and our neighbor with confidence by standing in and pouring out the great love that he has toward us.

Scripture quotations are from the ESVĀ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionĀ®), Copyright Ā© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.