I credit the biblical messages behind the songs in Christian music for leading me to Christ, starting with the debut album by Jars of Clay, for which I'm eternally grateful. I was led to seek Jesus as my personal Savior after hearing biblical messages in music, and that's why I write these devotionals. My hope is to share the love and hope of the Gospel with readers and listeners and allow the words and messages of these songs to provide comfort "in Spirit and in Truth."

 

It's always great for me to hear an album like For All of Us by Hearts of Saints. There isn't a lot of allegory or ambiguity in the lyrics, and the songs all point to the truth of the saving love, grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Hearts of Saints is Craig Felker (frontman), Jason Killebrew (drums), Jesse Grisham (guitar) and Joel Purdy (bass). The band's desire is to be at the center of God's will in their music ministry. This new album is half Christian rock and half vertical worship, and it's all edifying music that will lift you up, and give you plenty of reasons to worship. I had the chance to speak with Craig Felker about "Merciful God."

 

 

As we were getting ready to release our album, this song wasn't going to be on the album. We weren't even aware of the song. We had a plan to release another song, and God revealed other plans for us which included us recording this song instead. As a band last year we had the chance to go to Haiti. Some of these lyrics about "the orphan child" and "He'll find you there" are based on that experience. 

 

In Haiti, we saw a collision of just extreme poverty meet with a joy that I can only settle in my mind was the Presence of the Lord. You can be distracted anywhere. You can't be distracted in Haiti because you don't have things. We just saw this joy and it was incredible. No matter what we face, God is just constant. He is good, and He is with us. That's the story.

 

 

Psalm 3:3 (The Voice): "But You, Eternal One, wrap around me like an impenetrable shield. You give me glory and lift my eyes up to the heavens."

 

Matthew 28:18-19 (The Voice): "Jesus came forward and addressed His beloved disciples. The disciples don't know what to think or how to act. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Jesus: I am here speaking with all the authority of God, who has commanded Me to give you this commission: Go out and make disciples in all the nations. Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

 

Romans 8:38-39 (The Voice): "For I have every confidence that nothing—not death, life, heavenly messengers, dark spirits, the present, the future, spiritual powers, height, depth, nor any created thing—can come between us and the love of God revealed in the Anointed, Jesus our Lord."

 

 

God's been working so much on my heart the past couple of years. He's been teaching me that His ways are better than my ways. Most importantly, that the Great Commission where He sends out His disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew and said, "Go and make disciples" wasn't just for a few people to do. It wasn't just for missionaries and a bunch of other people. 

 

The beautiful thing about that passage is that Jesus said, "I'm with you always, to the end of the age." The Lord is just radically changing my perspective. My wife and I sold our house, and moved into a neighborhood that we felt the Lord was telling us to move into. We are leading a house church. The point is about being mission-minded in everything we do and understanding that we're not alone. 

 

My friends in this community don't have hope or peace. They just don't know Jesus. They haven't been restored, yet. Christ tells us to go. Go and love people with a fervent love. That's what radically challenged us to move to this neighborhood. We were in this coffee shop, and we found that we always wanted to be there. One day God revealed to me that desire was His love placed in my heart. 

 

When God revealed that I wasn't manufacturing anything, and that His supernatural love overwhelmed us, we put our house on the market and moved. God is about restoring people. His Word doesn't promise that we won't go through tough times. It doesn't promise there won't be ups and downs. If anything, the opposite is promised. 

 

The beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus is coming with us. We are never alone. In the middle of tragedy, tribulation, loss of job, death of family members, He is I AM, He is with us. "Merciful God" is about that. 

 

 

This song is loaded with the Truth of the Gospel. At a time when looking for security in possessions and "The American Dream" is shaky at best, this song reminds me that I can lay down my worry and plans and put my hope in God. In light of believers being surrounded by darkness all around us, and an unstable economy, it's so good to know that we can trust in our Rock, Jesus. 

 

I really enjoyed reading David Platt's best-selling book, Radical. In the last chapter of his book, Platt challenges readers to a radical one year experiment starting on page 183. Quoting Platt: "Throughout this book we have explored a variety of bold claims about our purpose in life that are contradicted by the American dream. Claims such as these: Real success is found in radical sacrifice. Ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God. The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live. Meaning is found in community, not individualism; joy in found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism. Ultimately Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience and enjoy." Amen to that! 

 

As I sing along with this great song, I am challenged to commit to pray more fervently, study God's Word more diligently and give more sacrificially. "Merciful God" is a great song that stirs my heart and increases my convictions to grow closer to God during my worship and devotional time. We all love our comforts, and this song challenges me to think more of others and to share Christ more than to focus on myself. The cost of discipleship is to make Him the Lord of our lives. Amen.

 

(You can watch the music video here.)