I don’t remember who said it first, but it’s true. God raises up songwriters to write songs so we will sing words we would never pray.
And I think one recent example is “Oceans” by the Hillsong folks. I wrote about this at the beginning of this year, that this was a prophetic theme for us.
So, we sing lyrics like,
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine.”
(From “Oceans” by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and Salomon Ligthelm)
And, since 2014 started, that’s just where God has had many of us!
For our local church family, I don’t think we’ve had a normal Sunday service this year (in a good way!) Service agendas are out the window. Some weeks I preach part of a message, a different message than I prepared, or no message at all. But every week, God speaks to us about this theme. I also wrote about some of those experiences and prophetic exhortations, like here.
Many of us are finding ourselves in a place where we have no choice but to trust God in areas we’ve never even imagined before.
Some are being called to places they never thought they would go, to minister way outside outside of their comfort zone.
Others are walking through very deep pain and having to make hard decisions that will profoundly affect their lives.
God, you mean you were actually serious when You said these things to us?
So, this is what You meant by walking on the water and trusting You?
Ahhh!!! Help!!! 🙂
Nothing in our current experience seems anything like a “soul at rest” in His embrace!
Nonetheless, through it all, we are actually learning how to trust God like never before, and I’m sure that’s His point. Because, after all, He has not given us a life that doesn’t require faith.
Beloved, have you been innocently singing these prophetic songs from God and now find yourself feeling tossed about by the wind and waves of circumstances, out on the uncertain, even frightening waters of faith and you can’t seem to find the shore?
Does it seem like everything is crashing in around you, yet you sense Jesus is out there somewhere in the dark of the night?
Be at peace. This is God! He is with you and will not let you sink, if you will but call out and reach for Him and let Him lift you up.
Another prophetic song given to us is one sung and co-authored by Kristene DiMarco. called “It Is Well.” (Yes, it includes the chorus to the famous version of this theme.)
I believe it’s from God for those who have left the “boat” of their comfort zone and are now, perhaps unexpectantly, finding themselves walking on this water with God. If this is you, take some time to listen to the song and receive the lyrics into your soul like a healing balm. Remember, you are loved and He won’t let go of you.
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name
It is Well
by Horatio Gates Spafford, Kristene DiMarco, Philip Paul Bliss
© 2013 Bethel Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)
Grander earth has quaked before
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard
Through it all through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all through it all
It is well
Through it all through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can’t see
And this mountain that’s in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
CCLI Song # 7021972
In My Father's House 
Okay this can’t be chance or coincidence. Last week I could feel God’s presence, for the first time I felt His profound love for me and understood much of which I received. I felt cacooned in warmth and love of my Father. I grasped My Lord and Saviour and ambrassed Him in a way I hadn’t before. Then this week I felt like there was distance between me and God and my strength just seems to fail. Currently God has me waiting on Him and not in a manner that engenders a lot of support from those around me. Today here I was thinking”God I’m being tossed around” and I started questioning if I am indeed in God’s will. See when I play this song Oceans I mean it from the debt of my soul and today I felt like I’m really getting my butt kicked. Moments ago I was sitting outside and just thinking ” God where are you” and confessing every sin I could think of that might have caused the rift and a moment later your blog came through. Coincidence? No I don’t think so. It comforts me that I am not alone waiting and in a place where what I have is faith in God alone. Wow Mel thank you, for the words that for me are directly from My Father. God Bless.
Ayanda, thank you for your confirming comments. No, it’s not a coincidence at all. And you are not believing a lie about feeling God’s presence and love at all. From what you’re saying here, you are finally finding out what it’s like to live a life of faith in the Father’s embrace. This is AFFIRMING you, that you are following Him, that you are His beloved child. The only lies here are the whispers of the enemy who tries to dislodge us from this place in Christ.
Jesus told us that in this world we would feel tossed and torn but we are not to fear because HE has overcome the world (John 16:33). And we overcome, in spite of our circumstances, in spite of what we feel, IN Him by faith. It’s abiding in Him that changes us, brings peace and rest, and His grace empowers us to overcome every situation. I will talk more about that in my next post.
One more thing here. As His beloved child, sin will never separate you from Him ever again. Sin damages us and wounds our conscience but it never affects our relationship with our Father. He dealt with it forever on the Cross of Christ 2,000 years ago. It’s all a gift of His grace now, nothing else. So receive His love for you today and rest in His embrace. You are more dearly loved than you could possibly know. He is for you and will never leave you. Blessings.
Sin damages us and wounds our conscience but it never affects our relationship with our Father.
Thank you for explaining this to me, I won’t lie to you this part hasn’t been revealed fully in me, I understand it mentally, but when I do something I consider sinful it just hangs in the air. Its just a matter of time till God fully reveals this in me. 🙂 This is growing pains! 🙂
Thank you Mel
You are not alone on this one! What you’re talking about here is huge, Ayanda. It’s THIS LIE that keeps a LOT of Christians in needless bondage. The tragedy is that so many blood-bought children of God are in the same condemnation treadmill when they sin, eating off the wrong tree and sewing figs leaves on themselves and hiding from God. But this separation is between our ears!
It’s in our human nature to want to fix ourselves, put ourselves on probation, give God our probation speeches like the Prodigal in Luke 15. We indiscriminately find Old Testament verses to justify our guilt and condemnation. And we call it humility.
But God will have none of that! It’s grace or nothing. We either receive everything as a free gift by faith or we receive nothing at all. Unfortunately, we’ve had so many mixed-grace and Law messages fed to us, we think they are true. This absurd notion of grace becomes dogma. While it works well for preachers to manipulate and guilt us into responding to them, it’s not going to truly free us or change us. We only find freedom in the Father’s embrace, nowhere else. The enemy knows this and he will do anything, even use religion, to keep us from understanding this wonderful reality.
Amen. 🙂 I’m taking in everything you are saying and I believe I am about to be set free in a big way, this is God’s way of preparing the ground. I love you Mel and really appreciate you brother.
You are always such a blessing, Mel. Your joy in the Lord is apparent and your faith shines in every word.
Thanks. I really appreciate that. And you are a blessing to me too. 🙂
Reblogged this on iwanttobelieveingod.
Great post Mel! Thanks for sharing. I reblogged since it really spoke to me and I believe is a message for many others in this season. 🙂
Thanks Justin, and thanks for the re-blog. Blessings.
Reblogged this on and commented:
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name…
Thanks for the re-blog, too. 🙂
Hi Mel! I haven’t been in ‘blog world’ for awhile…. missed your writing! Thank you for this wonderful post 😉
Hi Lauralee. Glad to hear from you again. And I appreciate your comments. Blessings. 🙂
Reblogged this on U.S. Constitutional Free Press.
Thanks for the re-blog. Blessings.
At the moment I am learning that It is in the valley’s where I most need to learn to walk with Jesus beside me. Mountain top experiences are awesome-those moments when I feel like I’m being held, when I can feel it deep down that there has been some breaking down of lies, when I’ve felt yes! this is how it’s supposed to be!……….but those mountain top experiences are not the nitty gritty of life, they’re not the daily grind. The moments I live through every day-these are the ones Jesus wants to share with me-He is interested in being in relationship with me every second of the day!!! I believe this is what the Lord wants to reveal in all His church now: Life lived in Him and through Him, everyday!!
Ayanda, I loved reading your words from your heart today……..you have such hope inside of you!!! Jesus is doing a good thing in you!
Mel, I love what you have shared about your church-your boats are being rocked and Jesus is holding out His hand and saying: Come, walk on the waters with me-I will show you how!!! Awesome!!! Thank you for sharing where you are at, it is an encouragement to me!
“The moments I live through every day-these are the ones Jesus wants to share with me-He is interested in being in relationship with me every second of the day!!! I believe this is what the Lord wants to reveal in all His church now: Life lived in Him and through Him, everyday!!”
Amen! You are spot-on. This is the point. As God draws us out, He is drawing us in closer to Him. He wants an ongoing, daily relationship with us. The valleys teach us to trust in Him so that we can learn to trust Him the same on the mountaintops. If we had all mountaintops, we would never know what it’s like to live a life of faith. I don’t think we would do with it without the push. 🙂
Thanks again for your encouraging comments. Blessings.
Reblogged this on Dead Citizen's Rights Society.
Thanks for the re-blog. Blessings.
And to you!
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Thanks Mel, good to know where on the same team, hearing from the same God.
Thanks for your confirmation. Much appreciated. And it’s good to hear from you again. 🙂 Yes, God is bringing us through some pretty amazing and sometimes scary things these days as we learn to go where we must trust Him. Blessings.
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