"Soar" is the first single from Deeper, Meredith Andrews' upcoming studio release. Both in her solo music and in her role with Vertical Church Band, Meredith has consistently made it a goal to lead listeners' hearts to a place completely focused on Jesus and on the incredible potential for healing found through Him. That goal and her faithful dedication to giving her voice to God saturate this new release.

Meredith's deep passion for writing and leading songs that keep people's hearts and minds set on Jesus has been clear before in songs such as "Not for a Moment (After All)," "Strong God" and "Spirit of the Living God." Her last album, Worth it All, was my top worship album of the year. I had the chance to speak with Meredith about "Soar."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

I feel like "Soar" is in some ways the backbone of this album. The song establishes a foundation for everything else that I say. It was one of the first songs I wrote for Deeper. When I wrote the song with Mia and Seth, it felt like a gift from the Lord. My husband Jacob and I were walking through a hard season, coming up on seven years of marriage and about to have our third child. We were walking through tough stuff, and the enemy was attacking us and making us question our significance and our calling and our marriage. Our foundation was a little bit rocked. God wasn't rocked, but we were. We felt shaken. 

The Lord gave us this song, and me specifically, I believe to carry me through that season. In the second verse, "You will set the crooked straight, clear my path, make a way," it wasn't a thing of my absolutely knowing, but it was believing because I know who God is, and He has promised to set us apart. 

That phrase "I will set the crooked straight" kept going through my mind, and I knew it had to be in the song. I believe that's what God does. God takes the paths that seem so winding and broken and crooked, and He makes them level ground. Even when they are still crooked and broken, the fact that He is our Rock and Foundation is what makes them straight. That makes everything make sense. I had God to hold on to. 

I believe God takes us to a place in our lives where we may say that God is our foundation but we live differently, putting our hope in other people around us and our relationships, our jobs, whatever. You can insert a lot of things there that are good but can't take the place of Jesus, the Lordship that He has and the love that He has for us, because His love is all-encompassing and never failing. There is no other love like that.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV): "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Isaiah 40:27-31 (MSG): Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, "God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?

God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see  or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch His breath. And He knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.

Isaiah 40:31 (VOICE): But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run--never winded, never weary. They will walk--never tired, never faint.

What is the takeaway message?

"Soar," along with the other songs I recorded for my new album, have each come from an honest place in my heart during this hard season. Now on the other side, I can sing them over people and believe that God will bring that same healing to them, like He did for me. My only hope is that these songs will be lifelines to people and give a glimpse to them of who God is. God is who He says He is, even when we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I'm just holding on to my hope that is in God, and I needed to sing it to myself before I ever presented it to anyone else. I knew God would use this song to minister to other people, but at that moment, I believe He gave it to me to minister to me. I would blare the demo in my car and sing it out, as this is my song of faith and I believe it, even though I can't see it. 

I have to say that in the last year the Lord has done such a work in me, in Jacob and in my family. Walking through such a hard season and feeling the enemy attack from every side, I feel like God took us through a Joseph season. I'm not comparing myself to an amazing guy in the Bible, but I could identify with him a lot. God gave him a dream when he was a teenager, and I'm sure Joseph thought that any day God's promise would be fulfilled and come to pass. He had some maturing and growing to do, and the Lord developed in him maturity and character and sustained him so he could walk in the fullness of God's calling. He had this dream, and then he was taken through training in the low places, if you will. The valley and prison, being sold into slavery and being wrongfully accused. Joseph was in prison 13 years from when God gave him the dream to when it was fulfilled. I believe when Joseph walked out of those prison doors, he wasn't the same as before, and he knew God in a deeper way. He understood the call in his life was not greatness for the sake of greatness, but to glorify God. It was to walk in this abundant life, and walk in who he was created to be. 

I know God gets us to that place where the rubber meets the road. Are you going to trust the Lord with what's ahead, even though nothing you hoped for, intended for or planned for happened? Know that the Lord can take broken situations to build your character and prepare you for the promise. In the midst of that, the Lord showed me that even if the promise didn't come to pass, what was more valuable was discovering the truth and rock-solid nature of God's presence. The fact that we have access to God just as we are blows my mind. God loves us that much and delights over us, and He restores our mistakes and weaknesses and makes them purposeful for His glory. That's who He is and what He does.

Lyrics:
Here I remind myself
What You said over me
Here I remind my soul
Who You are
You said You won't relent
Won't let go, won't forget
Every promise You have whispered to my heart

As I wait, as I wait on You

I'm gonna run and not grow weary
I'm gonna walk and not grow faint
Rise up on wings like eagles to soar
I know in everything You're with me
I know You're working as I wait 
Lift me up on wings like eagles to soar

This desert holds a song I will sing on and on
You're a river when the ground I walk is dry
You will set the crooked straight
Clear my path, make a way
You will lead me from the valley to the heights
As I wait, as I wait on You

Creator, Keeper, life breather
Your name is greater than anything I face
Sustainer, Savior, stronghold breaker
Your name is greater than anything I face

As I wait, as I wait on You
I will wait, I will wait on You

Meredith consistently writes and sings piercing, relevant and moving songs. What's especially cool about this album is how Meredith invites listeners into her life by sharing what's on her heart. She dwells on prayerful yearnings, lays out spiritual truths and worships God all at the same time. Meredith's excellent songwriting, singing and captivating songs have made her my favorite female worship songwriter and singer. 

This is the most spine-tingling female led worship project I've experienced this year, and all of these songs are completely anointed, Spirit-led and emotionally captivating. There are no weak songs, and this album is truly a masterpiece. She sings with an amazing passion, with unashamed praise and gratitude to our Savior that is very inspiring and emotionally moving. All of her songs are poignant and powerful with earnest, worshipful lyrics. Deeper is one of the top worship albums of the year.

This song reminds me that we need to have the 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."

Meredith's mission is all about writing and singing songs that reflect what it means to have freedom in Christ. This great new worship song really sets me in the proper mindset to praise God for loving me so much that He gave His life away for all that was lost. Meredith has once again written a song that touches my heart and meets me where I am spiritually. I love singing out the lyrics: "Creator, Keeper, life breather, Your name is greater than anything I face, Sustainer, Savior, stronghold breaker, Your name is greater than anything I face." Amen to that!

Watch an acoustic performance of the song below.