Do You Not Know?

As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, one of my pastors is doing a sermon series on hope, and for the past few weeks he has focused on the necessary aspect of hope that includes waiting. Isaiah 40 is one of the most beautiful passages in scripture about what reasons we have to wait on God in hope.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40: 30-31)

(The word above translated "hope" can equally be translated "wait": but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength.)

This is preceded by a whole chapter of reasons why we can wait on God with confidence.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. (Isaiah 40:28).

Juxtaposed to our circumstances is a God who is creator, re-creator, redeemer, and sustainer. He will not grow tired or weary. This portrayal of God brought my attention to the end of the book of Job, where we also have a description of God's might and strength, which remain true and constant despite the tragic condition of Job's life at the time. In the midst of his circumstances, knowing what he knows of God, Job is still able to say at one point "I know that my redeemer lives" (Job 19:25).

This song took a while to write. I had the chorus early on, but it took a bit of finagling for me to get a verse rhythm and melody that I liked. I also had the words for the first verse fairly quickly, mainly because they come out of the primary passage of the song, Isaiah 40. It wasn't until a few weeks later that my mind was drawn to Job's story, which provided the content for the second verse.

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Verse 1: Em Bm7 C G - G/F#
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
He sits enthroned o'er the earth
Nations are dust, men are as grass
Em Bm7 C
But He is of infinite worth
D C D C (Am7sus)
Who can compare to my God
Sovereign and mighty to save

Chorus: Em C G D/F#
Those who wait for Him
Will renew their strength
And those who wait for Him
Will rise up on wings
And those who hope in Him
They will run and not...
Am7
grow faint
Dsus
On You, O God, we wait

Verse 2:
Who told the seas, "Thus far and no more"?
Who drew the lines of the shore?
Who made Orion shine in the night?
Who but the Lord of all lords
Here in His shadow I wait
I know my redeemer lives, and...

More Than Watchmen (Psalm 130)

I wrote this song a few weeks ago, also in response to one of my pastors' request for "hope songs" for us to sing in worship on Sunday mornings (He's doing a sermon series on hope). Most songs take at least a week or a few days of coming back to it a number of times for me to finish them, but this was one of the rare ones that came rather quickly, probably because the theme of hope resonates so strongly with me, and because Psalm 130 has been one of my favorite Psalms for years. I have been especially moved by its description of waiting on the Lord:

I wait for the Lord

More than watchmen wait for morning,

More than watchmen wait for morning.

I heard a story yesterday about a navy chaplain who was visiting soldiers who were standing guard through the night on the frontlines of a battlefield. He described the incredible tension, as a moving camel in the distance seemed so certainly to look like an enemy soldier, and a twinkle of light would set the whole camp on alarm. In the final hours of night, everyone was desperate to see the morning light, longing for the clarity of vision it would bring. These words from Psalm 130 became all the more real to the chaplain after this experience.

I have written below about how the Christian is always, in this life, waiting. For every answered prayer, there are many unanswered ones. And the ultimate fulfillment for what we can best desire will always remain unfulfilled until Christ returns. But we can still wait with confidence, believing that the morning will come and that the God who is in the business of making things new, will finally, one day, make all things new in Christ.

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Verse 1: Bm7 G D A

Out of the depths I call to You

Listen to my plea

Out of the depths I cry the name of Jesus

Battered by my circumstance

Broken at Your feet

But voice enough to sigh the name of Jesus

Pre-Chorus: Em7 D/F# G A

Where else would I go

You're my only hope

Chorus: Bm7 G D A

More than watchmen wait for morning

I will wait for You, my God

In Your promise I will glory

All my hope is in Your love

Verse 2:

If you kept a record of

All our sinful ways

Who, O Lord, could stand to face Your glory

But full of mercy, rich in love

You have come to save

So in my weary bones I whisper, "worthy"

Bridge: Bm7 A/C# G Bm7 A

My soul waits for the break of day

You will surely come as the rising sun

Bm7 A/C# G A

My soul longs for the coming dawn

You will surely come to us

Faithful One

I wrote this song a few weeks ago in response to a request from my pastor. He sent me a list of scriptures, revolving around the them of hope, which he'll be preaching on for the next few months, and he asked me to start writing songs! This one came originally from Psalm 147:11. As I thought about the verse, I wanted to write a song that was full of praise for the riches of God's love, his faithful, unfailing love. We can have such confidence in his love, knowing that He who was, who is and who is to come, is love, and will always look on us with love.

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(the recording is in E, but I frequently play it in D when leading this song at church)

Chorus: D G D A (x2) Bm7 G D A Em7 G A

Faithful One

We will hope in Your unfailing love

From the rising to the setting sun

We will hope in Jesus' name

You have never failed us

Verse: D Em7 G A

Rich in Compassion, lavish in love

Hope of the nations, beautiful God

Full of new mercy day after day

You come to save me, Lamb who was slain

Bridge: Bm7 A/C# G

And for eternity we'll sing this song

Our God is love, Our God is love

The One who was and is and is to come

Our God is love, Our God is love

Em7 A

Our God is love Our God is love

Ending: Em7 G (x3) Em7 G A D...

You have never failed us

You have never failed us

You will never fail us

You will never fail us

Hope of Glory

The first song I've posted here (see the playlist to the side) is titled "Hope of Glory," and I actually wrote it a year and a few months ago. I was walking through a very difficult season of life, and wanted to write something that communicated my honest feelings to the Lord as well as encourage me (and others) to find hope in Him. The chorus is pretty directly taken from Philippians 3:12-14...

"...I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Coincidentally, this scripture was the theme for my church's men's ministry for the next year, so I have ended up playing it frequently to close our monthly breakfast meetings.

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I can't see more than a foot in front of my face
I can't stand but for the hope of your mercy
I can't run 'cause the devil's gettin' in my way
O for feet fitted with the gospel of your peace

I will press on to take hold
Of that for which You, You won my soul
I'm not looking back behind me
I've got my eyes fixed on my Hope of Glory

I can't feel more than a heartbeat of love
I can't speak much louder than this weak whisper
How many times have I said I've had enough
O for the day I am gonna see my savior

I will press on...