Raise a Hallelujah -- Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser, Molly Skaggs, Jake Stevens

 

Could another symbol trigger more anxiety for parents than this rather innocuous blue square with an ‘H’ in it? Sickness is devastating for parents of young children, and it’s probably safe to assume that if it happens at Christmastime, the ache is magnified. Who wants to be in a hospital at a time of the year when children are supposed to be joyfully anticipating presents, making Christmas cookies, playing in the snow, and hearing about the Christ-birth miracle? But, that’s where friends and cohorts of the Helsers (Jonathan David and Melissa), Molly Skaggs, and Jake Stevens were, late in 2018. A little boy (Jaxon Taylor, son of Joel and Janie Taylor) had a potentially deadly illness, and so they did what Christians do: they prayed, I “Raise a Hallelujah”, despite an overwhelming sense that they would be at a funeral service in the coming days. They called it a miracle when Jaxon recovered. Tragedy was transmuted to joy and further affirmed the trust they had already expressed to the Great Physician. Wanna be moved emotionally, and rediscover that He cares when we’re in trouble? Check out the links to the story of the song below the next paragraph. They speak for themselves…

 

It was a Job-like moment (Job 1:13-22). He too must have felt that the enemy was nearby, observing and gloating that he and his family were under assault. In Job’s case, the assault actually succeeded in killing his sons, daughters, and servants, so from this episode, we might have expected a righteous indignation to erupt from his soul. And yet, he worshipped (v.21). How? Why? Perhaps it is just another phase in the response of a genuine believer -- that one does not run or complain, but confronts the enemy by calling upon Him who sees all. Realize you don’t have all the ammunition to win the fight, and instead call headquarters and ask for the strategic strike. That’s kinda what Jonathan Helser describes in that instant in which he and Melissa were facing a ‘giant of unbelief’, and something spontaneous happened in that unforgettable moment. He sang the song’s title words ‘in the presence of the enemies’; indeed, this was his only ‘weapon…the melody’ he was singing. In this defining moment, the song was recorded and subsequently given to the Taylors, who played it over their stricken little boy. ‘Victory’…that is the name of the album that contains this song, an appropriate designation for the reversal of this deathbed-like incident and the recovery of Jaxon! God is still the God who cares, and listens to those like Joseph, Daniel and his three friends, Job, and so many others who remained upright despite staggering circumstances. Just re-read Hebrews 11, flash the ‘V’ with two fingers, and sing your own hallelujah the next time you feel afflicted.          

 

See the song’s story in the following links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raise_a_Hallelujah

 

https://www.thechristianbeat.org/miraculous-global-unifying-story-three-year-old-jaxon-taylor-inspired-new-bethel-music-favorite/

 

https://www.foxnews.com/health/two-year-old-jaxons-miracle-healing-sparked-worship-anthem-we-believe-in-the-power-of-praise

 

https://www.faithwire.com/2019/02/18/interview-bethels-joel-taylor-reveals-tragedy-turned-victory-that-birthed-new-worship-album/

 

This is the link for the hospital symbol: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hospital.svg (Public domain statement from copyright holder: “I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.”)

Lord, I Need You -- Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves

Perhaps they were in or near Atlanta, since they were gathered to write some music for a conference scheduled to take place there. A clock (perhaps not unlike the one shown here) was probably nearby, even if it did not necessarily inspire what Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, and Jesse Reeves were discussing. But, part way through their joint effort, one of them suggested that “Lord, I Need You” was rather similar to an old hymn (I Need Thee Every Hour, by Annie Hawks – see Nov. 12, 2017 Song Scoop entry). And so, they drew upon its lyrics for some extra stimulation. How many times during a clock’s 24-hour rotation does someone need God? It’s really a rhetorical question, but if you asked one of the contemporary artists this question, he might just point you to something C.S. Lewis wrote. It was something that was pivotal in this song’s genesis, so much so that they put one word in the song title and within the lyrics that underscored this. And, then one of the authors put a different spin on that concept in one of the interviews, giving a nod to the older hymn. See if you can guess what that was before reading on…if not, enjoy the rest of this entry!

 

Matt Maher talked in two separate interviews about ‘Lord, I Need You’, and how it emerged as he and his collaborators prepared for the Passion Conference in 2011, and he and Kristian shared about the song in a third interview. It was written for college students at the conference, as Jesse Reeves pitched the idea of using the old hymn by Annie Hawks as a springboard for the new song. They all tried to imagine students sitting in their dorm rooms and struggling with the various temptations and other issues that come their way. Matt says the song has an even broader audience, and that C.S. Lewis said something that he thought was key for everyone in life: ‘…there’s a love a believer never outgrows, and that love is need love.’ Many people, not just young college students, find it uncomfortable to admit this, including when they walk into a church and hear a message that says they are not ‘self-sufficient, self-reliant, nor self-determining’. But everyone has to admit this at some point, he says, and it’s a confession that can provide reassurance and hope in knowing that God is there to help. He’s not leaving. The most moving line for Matt was ‘where You are, Lord I am free, Holiness is Christ in me’, and that every time he and-or others lead the song, it is like a reaffirmation of what they experienced when they first wrote it. Matt further says that he hopes people will go to God not just with their needs, but also with their joys, too. Lots of people want God in their brokenness, and there are lots of division and strife issues at work in people’s walks (in 2011), but they should realize that He’s someone they need in their joys too. We witness to others when we lean on Him in our joyful moments, and not just when we feel broken. We can celebrate that, and this is as much a powerful witness to others as when we say we need him when we’re desperate.

 

It is interesting that this part about needing God in our joy is not written into this 21^st Century song, but is in the 19^th Century hymn. Hawks’ refrain for one verse is ‘I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain‘, an echo of what Matt was saying about needing Him in our times of pleasure and fulfillment, too. Needing Him in all of life really just raises one to another plane, so that ups and downs of mortality don’t make one feel the roller-coaster so much – something that Matt and his cohorts seemed intent upon emphasizing in their own lyrics. A person finds ‘rest’ with Him ‘guid(ing) the heart ‘(v.1); and has ‘grace’ that overwhelms sin’s condemnation (v.2), and even more than that, it makes someone ‘free’ and full of His ‘holiness’ (v.2). Rest, grace, freedom, and holiness…that’s quite a package God gives you and me, when we are willing to say we need Him.   

 

Hear the comments about the song by one of its authors here (Interview # 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjJ9WaYCmVk

 

See here also (Inteview #2): Matt Maher - Story Behind "Lord I Need You" - NRT Insider - YouTube

 

See a 3^rd interview of two of the authors here: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/lord-i-need-you-matt-maher/

 

See a review of the song here: https://www.thebereantest.com/matt-maher-lord-i-need-you

 

Public Domain status of the clockface picture: The copyright holder of this work released it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.

 

The Blessing – God and Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and Steven Furtick

 

This one involved a lot of teamwork, across many centuries, and was refreshed by another team of musicians several millennia later. The scene was the Desert of Sinai (see satellite image here), and the one who initiated “The Blessing” was God, of course. He is the source of all blessings, is He not? He wanted to lift His people into a trust relationship with Himself, as they were preparing to enter a land some 3,500 years ago, underscoring His deliverance of this people from bondage and into a covenant that He had already extended to them. Blessing, His presence, His favor, and a peace that He was set to guarantee them. And so, Moses was directed to convey the message to his brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons, who had the blessed task of reporting this happy news to the masses. Corollaries to this covenant would be narrated orally unto generation-upon-generation in the succeeding 1,500 years, with one overarching message: God and the blessings of His presence are still with you. What four 21^st Century musical artists did in 2020 was to repeat this, with a musical style that emphasizes this message’s recurring nature.

 

Yes, that’s right. If you notice, when you hear or sing ‘The Blessing’, that there is an awful lot of repetition in its words, you’re right. It’s just a phenomenon that speaks of the history of the words that Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, and Steven Furtick drew upon during the song’s development session. It was during a Thursday when the four were trying to hear what God was saying to them, and from what you and I can see in the lyrics, they heard Him over and over again through their bibles. God communicated something unique in the initial Sinai Desert blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). This benediction’s promise for the people of a thousand generations (Exodus 20:6 [God] and Deuteronomy 7:9 [Moses]) – that’s at least 20,000 years, approximately, wow! – and its transmission to this people’s descendants via so many other testifiers (like David, Solomon, Paul, and other anonymous writers in numerous books of the bible), really makes credible another emphasized point in the lyrics: the omnipresence of the great I AM and His indwelling Spirit (indicated in various scriptures – see link below to discussion of the song’s lyrics), in people and therefore in the writings they’ve contributed to the holy scriptures. From what Chris, Cody, Kari, and Steven have said, the Thursday writing session and the premier of the song a mere three days later in a church in Ballantyne, North Carolina just showed how much people in our world are thirsting for encouragement, direct from God Himself through their own bibles. Chris calls the song ‘relentless’ in its delivery of the message. It’s as if the four writers captured a vision of something in their North Carolina studio, and tried to imagine God’s voice carrying the tune throughout the 175 generations (3,500 years) since it was first hummed in His great heart. Do you think He’ll ever tire of telling us ‘I love you’?

 

God’s pledge was for ‘1,000 generations’, so it’s fair to say that you and I will be gone a pretty long time when that pledge is fully matured, assuming He meant literally 20,000 years when He first spoke those words. Will He allow you and me to someday appreciate His love nature completely, as He continues to draw people to Himself across the years yet to come? Only He can answer that, though He’s promised us we will see Him in all His glory. How many believers will His forbearance in all that projected time allow Him to receive unto Himself? Another unknown, at least to us here and now. No covenant ever made has come close to the one He’s pledged. I’m not a math major, but it would be eye-popping to discover what the final numbers are at the end of all this. Ready to meet the One who’s counting up the data?! Make sure you are in His Excel sheet.   

 

Song story is here: https://www.thechristianbeat.org/kari-jobe-cody-carnes-and-elevation-worship-release-the-blessing-live/

 

See here for discussion of the song’s lyrics: https://www.thebereantest.com/elevation-worship-feat-cody-carnes-kari-jobe-the-blessing

 

See here for information on the Sinai Desert-Peninsula: Sinai Peninsula - Wikipedia

 

See here for information on Mount Sinai: Mount Sinai (Bible) - Wikipedia

 

Public Domain status of the satellite view of Sinai Peninsula: The image is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)