THIS AIN’T A SONG:

VERSE1:

Just a few notes on a page, that sometimes break the rules
with some melody and some harmony, maybe four chords and the truth
but don't make this more than it's meant to be,  there's so much more to life
but i sure do like the way it makes me feel tonight

CHORUS:

this ain't song that's gonna move the mountains,  it's not a song that's gonna set you free
it's not a song that's gonna make the moment or give you what you need
it's not the way the truth the life and it won't save you from your past
don't you know that only Jesus can do that

VERSE 2:

so let's all take a minute,  step back and grab a breath
'cause i'm not saying that these old words, won't help you through your mess
but when that sun rises and mercy shines,  and the good Lord makes me new
i'm gonna put my faith in more than this little tune

CHORUS:

this ain't song that's gonna move the mountains,  it's not a song that's gonna set you free
it's not a song that's gonna make the moment or give you what you need
it's not the way the truth the life and it won't save you from your past
don't you know that only Jesus can do that

BRIDGE:

Only Jesus, he heals the hurting,  Only Jesus, he calms the seas
Only Jesus, brings hope, to the hopeless, Only Jesus, he's all I need

CHORUS:

this ain't song that's gonna move the mountains,  it's not a song that's gonna set you free
it's not a song that's gonna make the moment or give you what you need
it's not the way the truth the life and it won't save you from your past
don't you know that only Jesus can do that

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What’s a song?

The dictionary defines this word as a short poem or other set of words set to music or meant to be sung.

I remember when I first started working on this lyric and this idea, I had been involved in quite a few conversations that revolved around the fact that a song changed someone’s life or a song helped them through a tough time.

Now…I know that I’ve had those same experiences but I wanted to write about how the song is just the vehicle, it’s not the actual thing that changes anything.

Only Jesus does that.

He uses songs to speak to people and share ideas.  He uses songs to minister to folks and bring them closer to Him for sure but….it’s not the song…it’s Jesus.

I got a little tired of hearing that that song changed my life.  It’s not the song that changed your life, it’s the way that Jesus spoke to you through the song.

In the Christian music world, we have these songs that we use to worship God, to lift Him up and bring Him into a clearer perspective in our lives…and yes…those songs are incredible.  I’ve spent many a night singing them over and over again so that folks can hear the message of Jesus.

But at the end of the  night…it’s not the song that changed your life or your perspective.  It’s the message contained in the song.  The song is just the vehicle.  Jesus is the driver.

The chorus of this song really drives that point home:

this ain't song that's gonna move the mountains,  it's not a song that's gonna set you free

it's not a song that's gonna make the moment or give you what you need

it's not the way the truth the life and it won't save you from your past

don't you know that only Jesus can do that

Only Jesus can do that.  

In the line of work that I’m in, there’s a constant temptation to take the talent, the voice, the writing and let it feed my ego.  Other artists are in the same boat.  We sometimes get caught up in the performance, the ability that we have and the way people respond to it and let it go to our heads.

I wrote this song to counteract that temptation.  It’s not the song.  It’s not the voice.  It’s not the songwriter or the production value in the song.  It’s Jesus.  He’s where this should all be pointing.  Let me make that clear.

The second verse addresses some of the concern that I’ve gotten about this idea:

so let's all take a minute,  step back and grab a breath

'cause i'm not saying that these old words, won't help you through your mess

but when that sun rises and mercy shines,  and the good Lord makes me new

i'm gonna put my faith in more than this little tune

It’s kind of saying…calm down, I don’t want to bash your favorite song.  I do want to make it clear that the song isn’t the thing that should be lifted high…

Let’s talk through a few verses that address this fact about Jesus being the only way.  It’s the exclusivity of Jesus that we’re addressing here in this song and this idea.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus didn’t say that He would show us a way; He said that He is the way. He didn’t promise to teach us a truth; He said that He is the truth. Jesus didn’t offer us the secrets to life; He said that He is the life.

• I’m wandering about; I don’t know where I’m going. Jesus is the way.
• I’m confused; I don’t know what to think. Jesus is the truth.
• I’m dead inside and don’t know if I can go on. Jesus is the life.

“Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth in which thou must believe; the life for which thou must hope.” (Kempis)

Jesus made this remarkable statement, claiming that He was the only way to God. In this He set aside the temple and its rituals, as well as other religions. It was a claim to have an exclusive way, truth, and life – the only pathway to God the Father, the true God in heaven.

Understood plainly, this was one of the more controversial things Jesus said and the Gospel writers recorded. Many people don’t mind saying that Jesus is one legitimate way to God, but other religions and even individuals have their own legitimate ways to God. Many think it isn’t fair for God to make only one way.

Nevertheless, this is a consistent theme in the Bible. The Ten Commandments begin, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me - Exodus 20:2-3 

Throughout the Old Testament God denounced and mocked the supposed gods others worshiped.

The Bible consistently presents One True God, and Jesus is consistently presented as the only true way to the One True God.

No one comes to the Father except through Me. Simply put, if Jesus is not the only way to God, then He is not any way to God. If there are many roads to God, then Jesus is not one of them, because He absolutely claimed there was only one road to God, and He Himself was that road. 

If it is all up to personal opinion – if we can determine what Jesus said or didn’t say on our own whims – then we should reject the Gospels completely. It really is an all-or-nothing deal. Either we take the words of Jesus as recorded by these historically reliable and accurate documents, or we reject them completely.

“The Christian faith will receive anyone who comes through Jesus. Jesus said, through Me: “It is not ‘through believing certain propositions regarding me’ nor ‘through some special kind of faith,’ but ‘through me’.” (Dods)

Romans . 3:22 – The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.

This saving righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe.

Through faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God is not ours by faith; it is ours through faith. We do not earn righteousness by our faith. We receive righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

Through faith “points to the fact that faith is not a merit, earning salvation. It is no more than the means through which the gift is given.” (Morris)

“But faith is not ‘trusting’ or ‘expecting’ God to do something, but relying on His testimony concerning the person of Christ as His Son, and the work of Christ for us on the cross… After saving faith, the life of trust begins… trust is always looking forward to what God will do; but faith sees that what God says has been done, and believes God’s Word, having the conviction that it is true, and true for ourselves.” (Newell)

There is no other way to obtain this righteousness. This righteousness is not earned through obedience to the law; it is a received righteousness, gained through faith in Jesus Christ.

Spurgeon says this, “There is a little book entitled, Every man is his own lawyer. Well, nowadays, according to some people, it seems as if every man is to be his own Saviour; but if I had, say; a dozen gospels, and I had to sort them out, and give the right gospel to the right man, what a fix I should be in! I believe that, oftentimes, I should be giving your gospel to someone else, and someone else’s gospel to you; and what a muddle it would all be! But now we have one universal cure… The blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ will save every man who trusts him, for ‘there is no difference.’” 

Acts 4:12 says this, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter didn’t merely proclaim Jesus as a way of salvation, but as the only way of salvation. The idea that there is no salvation in any other, and that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved is hard to accept for many, but is plainly stated.

“Oh, how the world hates such statements! If you want to be laughed at, scorned, hated, even persecuted, testify to the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ.” (Boice)

Instinctively, man responds: “Isn’t there some way that I can save myself? Isn’t Jesus just for the ones who can’t save themselves?” No. If you are going to be rescued; if you are going to be made right with God, Jesus is going to do it.

Nothing else.

And Romans 10:9 says this, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

We do not gain God’s righteousness by works. Instead, we gain it by confessing and believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Confession has the idea of agreeing with. When we confess… the Lord Jesus, we agree with what God said about Jesus, and with what Jesus said about Himself. It means we recognize that Jesus is God, that He is the Messiah, and that His work on the cross is the only way of salvation for mankind.

We must also believe this. Some wonder why Paul didn’t mention the crucifixion in this passage. But when Paul emphasizes the need to believe that God has raised him from the dead, it is not that we believe the resurrection as opposed to the cross, but encompassing the work of Jesus on the cross.

We must believe in our hearts.  Mere intellectual agreement with the facts of the cross and the resurrection is not enough. We must believe in our hearts; and even that belief is not enough without accompanying action: confess with your mouth.

Spurgeon says this, “We believe everything which the Lord Jesus has taught, but we must go a step further, and trust him. It is not even enough to believe in him, as being the Son of God, and the anointed of the Lord; but we must believe on him… The faith that saves is not believing certain truths, nor even believing that Jesus is a Savior; but it is resting on him, depending on him, lying with all your weight on Christ as the foundation of your hope. Believe that he can save you; believe that he will save you; at any rate leave the whole matter of your salvation with him in unquestioning confidence. Depend upon him without fear as to your present and eternal salvation. This is the faith which saves the soul.”

So…it’s not a song.

It’s not a song that saves. 
It’s not a song that gives life. 
It’s not a song that delivers.  

It’s Jesus.  Only Jesus.

Only Jesus, he heals the hurting,  Only Jesus, he calms the seas

Only Jesus, brings hope, to the hopeless, Only Jesus, he's all I need

Let the song entertain.  Let Jesus transform.

SURRENDER

VERSE1:

My white flag is flying my hands are lifted high 
My resolve is resigning I’m giving up the fight
I’ve got one foot going forward the other two steps behind 
I might paint myself in a corner, but right now I’m flying blind 
and in the dark I’m fumbling for the light

CHORUS:

My walls are falling, my hands are tied, I’m on my knees, crying for you tonight
My lips are trembling but I’ll just let go, I’m done pretending I lay down these cards and fold
I surrender                    
I surrender

 VERSE 2:

They say faith is hoping and seeing the unseen.  
Maybe faith is knowing that You’re all I’ll ever need
This is out of my control, like I even had a choice.  
I’m giving up the old and listening to Your voice
And in my ears I hear your promises

CHORUS:

My walls are falling, my hands are tied, I’m on my knees, crying for you tonight
My lips are trembling but I’ll just let go, I’m done pretending I lay down these cards and fold
I surrender                         
I surrender

BRIDGE:

And letting go is still the hardest part, but in the letting go is where you are.

CHORUS:

My walls are falling, my hands are tied, I’m on my knees, crying for you tonight
My lips are trembling but I’ll just let go, I’m done pretending I lay down these cards and fold

I surrender                         
I surrender

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

This word.  

It’s scary.

It means to let go, to give in, to let someone or something else take control.

It means to drop your guard.

It means coming to a sort of reality with yourself. A sort of understanding.

I remember writing this song.  To be honest there wasn’t much of an epiphany.  It wasn’t some bright light, wake up in the middle of the night moment.  It was a desire to write a song that reflected some of the conversations that I’d been having in my life at the time.

I had just come from a lunch with a friend.  We’d been talking about life, about what’s been happening and about where it’s all going.  I’d been listening to an artist named Ryan Adams a lot during that time.  I love his writing and his lyrics.  Very poetic.  They paint good pictures and tell good stories.

So, we had barbecue, a few Cokes and maybe some cornbread.  In between some good conversation I started to hear this word in the background.  Surrender.  The lights were dim in the restaurant and the smell of barbecue sauce wafted through the air.  The music in the background created a soundtrack from an old movie.  A scene where you knew something might happen but then in the end it was just a filler type of scene that moves the story along.

This lunch for me just moved the story along. Brought it to a place where it was ready to emerge into reality.

I drove home after lunch, headed down to my studio and this song literally popped out in about 25 minutes.  Seriously.  This is a rarity for me.  Truly.

But…

I think it was really just a conversation that I’d had going on in my head for a while that finally made its way up to the surface and out onto some paper and into a melody.  Sometimes we just reach a point where we can’t hold it in any longer and we need to give birth to an idea, a concept or a message.  This was one of those moments.

But…

Letting go is the hardest part.

There are moments, seasons, months, years where we hold something in and fall in love with it. 

Follow me for a minute. 

There are times when we get so comfortable with something in our lives.  The good..the bad…the ugly..or the anything in between and we just hold it.  Not because it’s good to hold onto but because we’ve become so accustomed to it, so used to it, that we just can’t bear to part with it.  It’s like having a friend who’s not quite your friend but who you continue to hang out with because you just don’t want to be alone.

Have one of those?

You see, in each and every one of us, there are these things that we hold onto.  Things that we form a bond with.  Almost like a safety blanket.

Surrender is about becoming uncomfortable. 

Years ago, I had a guy that I was in business with.  A business partner.  He was a nice enough dude but he was also a weight around my neck that, had I continued down the path that I was on, would have pulled me down too far.  

I finally got to the point where I had to “break up” with him and end the partnership.   It was a hard choice because he brought in a lot of business.  I knew that it was going to be uncomfortable to a) end the relationship and b) move past the relationship and start something new.

I had been putting this off for months because I knew that it was going to be difficult to be on my own, from a business perspective, but..i also knew that the time had come to move on.  As uncomfortable as it was going to be.

When we realize that we just can’t take it anymore, we may have to cut something off to make that thing better.  Prune the branches as they say.

In John 15:1-4, Jesus says this: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Pruning is hard.  Letting go is hard. For some of us this is very hard.  Being uncomfortable is not the goal that we have in life.  It’s just the opposite. 

For many of us the goal is finding comfort.  Finding comfort in a living situation, a relationship, a friendship, a job.  For some of us, these are the “goals” that we have.  And..there’s nothing wrong with those goals. These are good things.

But…then we come across this word surrender and the walls start to crack.  The goals start to shift and crumble a little.

I’ve been trying to put off the reality of this word for years.  Because it means that I’ll have to come to the end of me and let Jesus take over.

Not.  Easy.

Maybe this is hitting close to home.

Maybe…your walls are falling but you’re working desperately to build them again.  Working desperately to lay one brick on top of the other and get the cement in place before it all tumbles down again.

Maybe you’re afraid.  Maybe you’re trembling and have a hard time letting go.

My walls are falling
My hands are tied
I’m on my knees
Crying for you tonight
My lips are trembling
But I’ll just let go
I’m done pretending
I lay down these cards and fold
I surrender.  I surrender. 

I remember writing this chorus.  The culmination of a lot of conversations. A lot.  Conversations within our Community, within my marriage and within my friend circles.  Conversations with people at shows.  With pastors.  Colleagues.  Other artists.

I was trying to find a way to really talk about what this means.  So let’s take this line by line and see if we can all figure this out together.

WALLS.

We build them everywhere.  At home.  At work.  At church.  Some of us even have walls built that we don’t even know exist.  And…the reality is.  We LOVE our walls.  We love that they are there to protect us from the unknown.  The uncertainty.  The uncomfortable.

I remember years ago I was leading worship at a church in New Jersey.

We had to learn this song by Hillsong called “Tear Down the Walls”. I liked the tune, so much so that I recorded it on an album of mine called “Anchors.”  It came out pretty good.

The one line that I really remember leaning into when we performed it live was at the end of the chorus…”as all creation returns to you”.

The idea was pretty simple but the delivery and the message was strong.   

Walls are built.  Walls around ideas, around relationships, around conversations.  Walls around everything that we do.  We build them to make ourselves less vulnerable to change.  Less vulnerable to who God is trying to make us.

 When we let the walls crumble or actually fall, we find Jesus.  We find Him in the midst of the ashes and the rubble.  We find Him waiting there for us.  He knows that we’ll end up there and in His goodness He waits for us.  Not condemning but loving.

As we sit by the crumbled pieces and try to build them again, we hear His voice saying “Follow Me.”  We see His hands reaching out and urging us to take hold and have Him lead us deeper into it all.

Again, terrifying but necessary.

So. This all begs the question.  How many walls have you built?  How often are you trying to rebuild them?  What do the walls look like between your relationships?  Are there walls in your marriage?  Are there walls in your workplace?

Are you willing to let them fall?  Are you willing to replace them with conversations? With time?  With love?  With forgiveness?  With hope?

Walls are hard to work with because they are so hard to remove.  So hard to get out of the way. 

Take some time today and pray that God would reveal your walls to you and then that you would have the courage to ask Him to help you remove them from your life.  Remove them from the relationships in your life.  God is in the business of making walls fall.

HANDS.

Whenever your hands are tied, you feel trapped.  You feel as though you are not in control of things and ultimately, you need help.   There are many things you can’t do when your hands are tied but….one thing you can do is pray.

Prayer is still something that can be accomplished when your hands are tied, when your feet are tied, when you’re in any situation, prayer can be there.

But…when your hands are tied, you’re usually in a posture of surrender.  You’re in a place where you can’t escape.  A place where you have to give in.

So.  That begs the question, are your hands tied right now?  Do you want your hands to be tied?   If they are tied, are you willing to let them be untied?

Matthew 16:25 says this, ““For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

In this verse, Jesus is speaking about losing our lives metaphorically.  He’s talking about surrender yes, but He’s also talking about a reality that we’re sometimes hesitant to give up.

Losing our life can mean letting go of false identities.  Letting go of who we are and letting Jesus fully in.  It can mean letting go of the assumptions and the expectations that the world has for our lives and letting Jesus into it all.

Losing our lives means that we let our hands be tied and let Jesus be responsible for the freedom.  It means surrendering to His will and surrendering to His plan for our lives.

Ouch.

But I like control.  I like making the decisions and being the one who is responsible for it all.  Yes, I feel the same way….but….our hands are tied and the only one who can truly free us is Jesus. 

His life saving love and sacrifice on the cross changes and has changed our lives.

Today.  Look down at your hands and imagine that they are tied so tightly you can barely move them.  Then close your eyes and remember to surrender all that you have to Him.  In our surrender we find freedom.  Jesus loves us too much to let it be any other way.

KNEES.

I’m on my knees, crying for you tonight.

When we surrender, it means that we are in a state of complete and utter submission.  

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel helpless, lost, hopeless?  We’ve all been there.  It’s not easy. 

Sometimes when we surrender, it means that we have to give in to a decision that we don’t want to make.  It may mean we have to make a decision that is against what we want or hoped for.  A decision that is sometimes made for us.

Those are the hard ones.

But then there’s prayer.

Martin Luther said, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."

Charles Spurgeon said this, “If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith."

When we get on our knees in an act of surrender, oftentimes, that surrender involves prayer.  Prayer that God would change a situation or help in a situation.  That He would intervene. That He would “show up.”

I love when people say that phrase,  “God really showed up today.”  I don’t believe that God shows up.  I believe that He is in every moment, everywhere.  All the time. It’s our job to seek His purpose in it all and be a part of it.

For that we need prayer.  We need to be on our knees in surrender to all that He has planned for us.  

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

There are no surprises here.  God doesn’t just show up somewhere. He’s already there.  He’s already ordained it, He’s prepared it in advance for us to be a part of.  He’s using His surrendered servants to take part in His plan.  The plan that He has already put together.

LIPS:

My lips are trembling.

I remember when I wrote this line, I was really proud of it.  It conveys fear.  It conveys uncertainty.  It lets the listener know that everything is not all right here.

When we’re working on surrender….we have to experience fear.  We have to experience the unknown.   I’ve heard it said that fear is the enemy of progress. It is.  Progress doesn’t exist without fear. They go hand in hand.  

Fear of the unexpected. Fear that we just might not make it.  But…what do we do?  Are we here to just think about surrendering but not actually do it?  No.  Jesus calls us to surrender. Yes, it might be uncertain and uncomfortable.  It may not look the way that we thought it would look or the way that we wanted it to look but, we need to face the fears and surrender. We must if we are truly trying to be closer to Jesus.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. - H. P. Lovecraft

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it. - Salvador Dali 

When we are afraid, maybe..just maybe we’re supposed to use that fear to lean more and more on God and the strength and peace that He gives us. Today as you’re wrestling with fear and wrestling with things that may be out of your control, be sure to let God in on the situation and on the decision making.  

He knows the outcome already.  He knows where it’s going to land.  He knows it all, our job is to trust Him and surrender to His will.

But I’ll just let go
I’m done pretending
I lay down these cards and fold
I surrender.  I surrender.

 Now we get to the core of it all.

Surrender.

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.  Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” - Genesis 22:1-2

The story of Abraham is a good one.  It’s a great example of the process of surrender.  You see, surrender doesn’t just happen when we start following Christ.  It’s a process.  We have to walk through the doors of surrender with Jesus and then take His hand and have Him lead us.

Abraham, before the command to sacrifice his son, had gone through quite a few trials with God.  His life was a process of God stripping away all that he clung to until ultimately he held on to God alone.  First God commanded him to leave his country, then his relatives, then his father’s house.  Over the years God continued to take away the many ways that Abraham tried to bring God’s promises to fruition.

But when Isaac was born, now Abraham had a son…at 100 years old!.  He lived his days with his son and Sarah.  He loved his son but when God asked Him to sacrifice Isaac, there was no hesitation.  At this point Abraham was completely surrendered to God.  Even though he loved his boy, he loved the Father more and was completely ready for what God was asking him to do next.

Surrender.  It’s a process.  It’s a lifelong process. Something that we have to continually work at.  Something that we have to continually keep in prayer and keep talking with God about.

So are you ready for surrender?  Are you ready for God to work in the midst of your surrender?  In the midst of your letting go?

JESUS

VERSE1:

Where should I begin, You hold back the wind
Savior from my sin, Jesus
You guide me on this road, through the highs and lows
The greatest story told, Jesus

 CHORUS;

All that I ever want all that I ever need
All that I ever see Jesus
Every breath I breathe, every in between
When I am on my knees Jesus….
Jesus, Jesus

VERSE 2:

I’m at a loss for words but tell me have you heard 
That when you’re at your worst…Jesus

CHORUS:
All that I ever want all that I ever need
All that I ever see Jesus
Every breath I breathe, every in between
When I am on my knees Jesus….
Jesus, Jesus

BRIDGE:
My shield my strength my hope my help my everything my Jesus
The way the truth the light of the world redeeming love my Jesus
The bread of life the cornerstone Emmanuel my Jesus
The Lamb of God the sacrifice the prince of peace my Jesus

CHORUS:

All that I ever want all that I ever need
All that I ever see Jesus
Every breath I breathe, every in between
When I am on my knees Jesus….
Jesus, Jesus

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where should I begin?

It seems like a fitting way to start a song and start a conversation.

I remember when I first had the idea for this song.  I was on tour with a guy named John Waller and we were at a church in North Stonington, Connecticut.  We were done with our soundchecks and had an hour or so before the night began.  I had had the melody of the song in my head for a few weeks and just needed the lyrics.

The idea of letting Jesus be the focal point of the song and the message in the song was appealing to me because I had never written a song like that before.

So the first lyric that came was this opening line…”Where do I begin?”  Once I had that it was just a matter of filling in the stories and the promises of Jesus.

You hold back the wind. Savior from my sin….Jesus

There are plenty of Scripture references that we’ll pull from the lyric but I wanted to start with this overall idea of Jesus being all that we need.

You see…we get sidetracked so often by the world, by the promises of the world and the temptations and aspirations that the world throws our way….but Jesus says one thing and one thing only…you just need Me.

Everything else is second.

I can’t help but come back to what I see over and over again at my shows and in my conversations with people.  Worry, stress, fear, anxiety.  These words have taken a very front seat in society…

I went to my thesaurus and pulled out more ways to express this.

Anxiety, uneasiness, disquiet, disquietude, cark, fretfulness, trouble, concern, care, solicitude; nervousness, ants in the pants, butterflies in one's stomach, the heebie-jeebies, misgivings, foreboding; apprehension, fear, fear and trembling, dread, angst; anguish, pain, suffering, torment, torture; plague, hornet's nest, sore subject, thorn in the flesh.

You get the idea….

And the idea that I wanted to express in this song is this.  In our lives, when we rest and lean on Jesus, when we put ourselves in His presence and not in the presence of anything else, will bring hope.

Let’s dive into the lyric a little bit to back this all up with Scripture.

You hold back the wind

Mark 4:35-41 says this:

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus made a promise to His disciples. He didn’t say, “Let us perish in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.” He promised His disciples that they would cross over to the other side.

Think about that for a minute.  He didn’t say..”we’re not going to make it.”  He promised the disciples that they would make it to the other side.

Do you believe Him?

These disciples were in this storm because they were following the orders of Jesus.  Jesus led them to the storm.  Then He came to rescue them from the storm.  

The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden, violent storms. The severity of this storm is shown by the reaction of the disciples. Several of the disciples were experienced fishermen on this very lake, and they were frightened and feared perishing in this storm.

Think of all the worries that might have kept Jesus awake. He could worry about the religious and political leaders who plotted against Him. He could worry about His family who thought He was crazy. He could worry about the overwhelming crowds with their overwhelming needs. He could worry about the disciples He chose. He could worry about the future, because He knew what His destiny was. 

With all these things to worry about, Jesus wasn’t worried. He slept in a rocking boat.

“The Lord’s sleep was not only the sleep of weariness: it was also the rest of faith, for there is a rest of faith as well as a watch of faith.” (Cole)

“There may be both a sleeping Christ and a sleeping church, but neither Christ nor his church can perish. If our Lord is asleep, he is asleep near the helm – he has only to put his hand out and steer the vessel at once. He is asleep, but he only sleeps until we cry more loudly to him. When we get into such trouble that we cannot help ourselves and feel our entire dependence on him, then he will reveal his power.” (Spurgeon)

Interesting point here.  Mark tells us other little boats were also with Him. When Jesus calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee, He did not only rescue Himself and the disciples, but all the others in the little boats.

So the other boats nearby were rescued as well.  Jesus brought peace to the entire sea….not just where He was with the disciples.  

Jesus brings peace to all.  Not just a select few.

Let’s talk about the chorus:

All that I ever want all that I ever need 

all that I ever see Jesus

Every breath I breathe, every in between

When I am on my knees Jesus….

This chorus is a prayer.  It almost reminds me of a Psalm.  The Psalmist pleads to the Father saying all that I ever need is You, all that I ever want is You, all that I see is You.  You are the breath that I breathe and everything in between, I fall to my knees in Your presence.

The line “every in between” is important.

We are so focused on trying to see the miracles and trying to make the miracles happen that we sometimes don’t see Jesus working behind the scenes and in between the waiting and the holding on.

You see,  He holds it ALL together.  

When we see a miracle or a healing happen we have the temptation to say, “Wow, God really moved this morning or really moved in that service or that moment.”  And maybe He did...

But, He’s moving in every moment.  There’s not a moment where He’s not moving.

He moves when we don’t see Him moving.

He brings healing when we don’t see the healing.

He brings hope where we can’t see the light.

He brings peace when peace can’t be found.

Always.

That’s the beauty of who He is.

When you’re at your worst.  Jesus.

I love that line.  It says so much and says it so simply.  When you’re at your worst.  Jesus.  If we’re honest with ourselves, and we should be, we have bad days and then we have even worse days.  There are good days for sure but the worst days are the ones where we just don’t even feel like God is anywhere near us.  But those are the days when we should lean into Him even more.

When you’re at your worst.  Jesus.

Then we get to the bridge.  I wanted to list the names of Jesus and make this a real worshipful moment….

My shield my strength my hope my help my everything my Jesus

The way the truth the light of the world redeeming love my Jesus

The bread of life the cornerstone Emmanuel my Jesus

The Lamb of God the sacrifice the prince of peace my Jesus

Sometimes it’s good in your prayer time to stop and think of the names of Jesus.   As you go through that list, they are all truly amazing….but….

What happens when you need hope?  That first line will resonate with you more.

What happens when you need to feel loved….the second line.

What happens when you need peace?  When you just can’t find the resolution or the answer.  The fourth line will resonate more with you.

The names of Jesus are meant to meet us where we are.  Jesus meets us where we are. He’s not playing games or trying to trick us.  He knows us.  He holds us.  He loves us.  Just as we are.

We have to accept the fact that we are accepted.

We have to accept the fact that Jesus loves us.  No matter what.

I love this quote from Spurgeon:

Equally precious is it to know the doctrine that this love is without end. When all we see around us shall have passed away, as the foam dissolves into the waves that bear it, the love of Christ to his people shall be the same still. And on, and on, and on throughout eternity he shall never cast them from his heart. Sweet, too, is it, passing sweet, to know that he loves them without change, and without limit; that he loves them because he will love them; that he loves them not for anything in them, but simply because he has so much love in his heart that he must let it out, and that he ordains to let it flow forth to them.

He loves you.

He loves me.

Unconditionally.

He’s the answer to the question.
He’s the peace you’ve been looking for.
He’s the love that we need in our lives.

All that I ever want 
All that I ever need
All that I ever see Jesus
Every breath I breathe
Every in between
When I am on my knees Jesus….
Jesus, Jesus