The writer and singer of all-time classic worship songs "Here I Am to Worship," "Beautiful One," "Consuming Fire," "Jesus Saves" and "At Your Name," I've been singing Tim Hughes' songs for many years. I have always found his albums to be worshipful and uplifting. 

Tim's latest Integrity Music release Pocketful of Faith provides listeners with 12 tracks that seek to give a voice to humanity's acceptance of God's love in any circumstance. In the same way that the Psalms offer expressions of joy, sorrow, repentance, hope and victory, the album gives a voice to the appreciation and adoration of God in every chapter of life. Tim's enthusiastic and reverent style of writing and singing praise and worship songs has always been a draw for me. Tim's prayerful sentiments are consistently filled with his personal adoration of God. This album is no exception. I had the chance to speak with Tim about "Pocketful of Faith."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song came out of a big move I've been involved in. We moved to Birmingham to start a church, and it was a big step of faith, putting ourselves out there on the line. We have needed to trust and lean into God's provision. All of that has been huge. 

As we were discerning this whole process, personally my focus in worship and my prayers was "God we need you." It was uncomfortable and out of my comfort zone, and I needed faith. I started thinking a lot about that theme of faith and the collision of when we bring our insecurities and limitations and present them before God, encountering His limitlessness and His lavish provision and His great power. It is an interesting thing, how the collision of human frailty and God's power happens. That is very much the theme behind everything on this song, and also Luke 17:6, where Jesus says "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed..." 

I wrote this song with Nick Herbert, and he came with the phrase "pocketful of faith," which is a modern day equivalent to Luke 17:6. We may not have mustard seeds in our pocket, but if I reach into my pocket I pull out a receipt, a couple of coins and a guitar pick, and it may not feel like it will change the world or have an impact. It feels so small. The modern day equivalent is that our faith is small and doesn't feel impressive, but if I present it to God, can He take it and do something truly extraordinary.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Luke 17:6 (NIV): He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

Romans 15:13 (NIV): May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV): "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Romans 4:3 (NLT): For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."

James 2:23-24 (NLT): And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God. So you see we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

What is the takeaway message?

The song is really a prayer. "God, I don't want to miss out. I don't want to play it safe. Every day I'll trust You." It's very personal. For many people, they are hungry to see more of God. I think for all of us, faith is a journey. When you look at Abraham and Moses, you see an unfolding journey of taking risks, stepping out, getting it wrong, being disciplined in love by God, and how that is a process. 

I think one of the things I've seen in my journey in the past year, and I hope this song will encourage people to know it too, that it is so easy to keep it safe. We often focus on love and safety, and sometimes the danger becomes that the Gospel I read Jesus talking about and the kind of life I see Him calling His followers to is anything but safe. It's radical and costly, and it takes you to the edges of your comfort zone and leads you to encounters with people that are broken and have baggage and may disrupt the way you view money, possessions and resources. 

Basically, follow Christ, and He bids you to come and die. I've been reconnecting with that message, that following Christ means giving Him everything. In the song, "I'm giving it all" is easy to sing and harder to do. That's where God is leading us to be as His Church and His communities. Churches are declining, and we need to go out and meet people where they are. Jesus hung out with adulterers and tax collectors, and how often are we accused of things like that? Part of worship and encountering God is slightly unsettling as we think about His power and strength, His love, His mercies, and How He is always thinking about people in the margins of society. That should unsettle us and lead us into those places to be among those people. God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called. Let's not miss out on what God has for us.

Lyrics:
I don't want to get there
At the end of it all
Looking behind me
To see there was so much more
Take this pocketful of faith
It is all I have today
I'm giving it all
I'm giving it all

You will always have my heart
Every day I'll trust You more, oh God
Take this pocketful of faith
It is all I have today
I'm giving it all
I'm giving it all

Leaving the safety
Here at the shore
Beyond the horizon
I see there is so much more
Take this pocketful of faith
It is all I have today
I'm giving it all
I'm giving it all

Anywhere You go I'll follow
When You call my name I'll run
Lead me on into tomorrow
Light my way like the rising sun

There is a strong message of faith and hope in the song that can be found from the power of the Holy Spirit. Anytime you are feeling down and need to be lifted up, this is a great worship song to celebrate the gift of life in Christ. Abraham was called a Friend of God. He chose to not choose when he allowed his nephew Lot to choose which way to go, and Lot chose by sight. Abraham chose to walk by faith and not by sight, and God credited that to him as righteousness. Righteousness comes from faith in the unseen, like Abraham displayed in the Bible.

If you think about the type of faith we are called to have as believers, it is described as the faith of a mustard seed. Being a Christian means that we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith requires people to rely on the unseen. We all walk by faith every day. The beauty of walking by faith and not by sight is that we can learn to more fully trust God with our lives. The key as a follower of Jesus is to walk by faith and to be guided in your daily walk by prayer and God's infallible Word, the Bible. Tim has written another great anthem for the Church that reminds us that under our own strength many mountains we face will seem impossible, but with God all things are possible. The same goes for salvation. We can't earn Heaven, it's only through complete surrender to Jesus and putting all of our hope in Him can we be saved. 

This song is all about having a strong faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Sometimes we have a tendency to think we can try to know everything. God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ. One of the lessons I've seen about life from is that we shouldn't wait to fix ourselves before we step out in faith. We need to fully trust God. Look for ways to obey God and to offer your faith to God.

This song reminds me that we need to have that type of faith that Jesus describes in the Bible: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Being a Christian means that you walk by faith, not by sight. Remember the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." This song encourages me to have a pocketful of faith. Step out and exclaim, "You will always have my heart, Everyday I'll trust You more, oh God, Take this pocketful of faith, It is all I have today, I'm giving it all." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.