I think it's such a powerful thing to declare Jesus as king - we join with all of heaven when we do so. This song is about turning from our sin and idols, and placing the crown on Jesus' head. It works well as a response song, and fits particularly well during communion.
This song is both a declaration and retelling of some of Jesus's miracles and healings, and also a prayer for Him to come and do the same today. It was written as part of 2024's 12 Song Challenge.
We sang the song Oceans in church, a few months after our daughter was stillborn. I used to love that song. I always longed to walk in faith wherever God would lead me. But now I found myself not being able to sing it. What if going wherever He leads would mean I lose another child? I suddenly realized I didn’t trust God anymore. I was shocked.
Some months later I went to a songwriters retreat. In a workshop the leader invited us to write down what bothers us and to give it over to God. After that we asked God what He wanted to show us. I ‘see’ a man on the water. The sea is calm and the sun breaks through, right above the man. We told each other what we received. Then we prayed again and I ‘heared’ a song line from the band Live: ‘Run to the water. I find you there’. I thought it was funny. I’ve always loved Live and God knows that of course. I didn’t know what to do with it, though. ‘Isn’t that man Jesus?’ someone said. I was startled and immediately thought of the song Oceans again. I realised Jesus was inviting me to walk on the water, in the light. I wrestled with what this means exactly. I listened to Oceans again and then the last line hits me: ‘in the presence of my Saviour’. That’s what someone said as well: ‘But Ineke, you don’t walk alone on that water. God is always there.’ It is true. If I honestly look back, I can’t recall a moment I was completely left alone. I was always in the presence of my Saviour. I kneeled down and told God that I don’t dare, but somewhere deep-down want to trust Him. I just didn’t know how. Then I described what I saw in this song. In the months following, I sang it again and again.
This song started with a challenge: 'write a song about rest'. I was just reading Psalm 34 that week: Taste. See. Pondering on what that might mean, I realised that to really taste or see, I needed to pause, to rest, so I could focus on what my senses noticed. I decided to write about this Psalm and working on it, I found out it ministered to me. The song kept coming back when facing a small surgery I was really afraid of. I listened to the song over and over again and also sang it to others. It is the opening song of my first album as I hope my songs will help others to taste and see that the Lord is good.
This is a reminder of why we come together to worship, bringing all of ourselves and offering whatever we can, but remembering that we're also sustained and supported when we're scattered within our communities. It has worked well to bring congregations to a more receptive place of encounter, particularly after a spell of high praise.
Emily Scobee, Jonathan Jackson, Leslie McKee, Audrie Mouzakis
In the desolate places (or wilderness seasons) of life, God shows that He is still at work, and that may be the very place He wants us in order to satisfy our longings for Him. This song encourages us to find our rest in Jesus.
This song is about the prodigal son and how the fathers arms is our home. I wrote this when wrestling with the idea of home as I left London where I felt so at home and been wrestling with the idea of what home looks like for me. Reading the passage in Luke 15:11-32, I realised my home isn't in a building, an area or a person, it's in the Fathers arms.