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.”)

No Longer Slaves -- Brian Johnson, Joel Case, Jonathan David Helser

Call it a collaboration, one that developed across centuries. No less than five people were originators of the words that came together in “No Longer Slaves” around 2014. Its inception is a familiar one for those people like the Helsers (Jonathan David and Melissa) and their friends Brian Johnson and Joel Case, musicians who delve into the bible’s pages for inspiration. These four wanted to share a message of confidence, and their musical genesis was an apostle-writer’s letter they must have been reading or remembering as they thought about how to make this process fruitful. How they decided to proceed is a story of synergy, between themselves and undoubtedly directed toward those whom they wanted to communicate, in a generation some two millennia removed from the original thoughts that captured their own imaginations. Slavery is an old institution (see picture here of some Christian slaves in 19^th Century Algeria), one that we humans have been fighting for a long time.

‘We Will Not Be Shaken’ is the title of the album that Brian, Joel, and the Helsers were bouncing off of each other in 2014. They’re part of Bethel Music in California, where they spent an evening in a live recording of the album, sharing with the audience what they felt about their conviction. The words of “No Longer Slaves” speak about their own certain feelings, as well as recall a history of belief in the Red Sea episode (Exodus 14). You can tell from a video story (see link below) by the Helsers how the song’s ideas helped spur them to creativity. Brian’s immediate positive reaction to the Helsers’ suggested inclusion of “No Longer Slaves” was a sign that its words had struck a chord between the group’s members. From Brian to Jonathan, and then from Jonathan to Melissa, with Joel included also, the four of them teamed up to bring to life the song about freedom from slavery. Jonathan says he had a powerful mental image of the Red Sea story that stirred him, and the great apostle’s words to Roman people (chapters 6-8) from the first century likewise resonated with these composers, too. They concluded that what worked for themselves, as 21^st Century musicians pondering ancient words, would be an effective transmitter to a larger audience. But, one cannot merely mouth thoughts without first personally engaging in their meaning, Melissa says. ‘This is my testimony’ she declares, regarding the song’s title words. Evidently, she herself spent some time prostrate considering what freedom meant, before she took a stab at singing ‘You rescued me’ and ‘I am a child of God’, the song’s finishing cries. Was this a reenactment of what that 1^st Century writer might have done, as he considered his own liberation?

Perhaps boring into, and identifying with the 1^st Century writer’s story would be an effective strategy for all of us. An educated Jew like Paul would have known the story of Israel fleeing the Egyptians via the Red Sea, and how that motivated a nation to devotion. But, in his time, Paul must have been puzzled at times that a nation freed from slavery in one era (during Exodus) could still be in physical bondage (to Rome) centuries later. He really didn’t get it either, until a Damascus Road light opened his eyes to another plane. Get beyond the physical, he discovered. Find the spiritual. The Red Sea was just a prelude to something greater. We could say that Paul, like the Helsers and friends have written, was ‘unravel(ed) with a melody…surround(ed) with a song…’ when he met God for the first time. Had an encounter like that, yet?          

The following link tells the story of the song by the Helsers:  https://bethelmusic.com/videos/no-longer-slaves-song-story-jonathan-and-melissa-helser/#

Video of the composers performing the song:  https://bethelmusic.com/videos/no-longer-slaves/