Awakening Worship builds their ministry around a passion for the local church and its ability to change the world and on a dedication to true worship, fueled by the powerful love of God.

The band's album Adonai proclaims Jesus' Lordship and matchlessness over the earth. The compilation highlights some new songs and powerful performances of Hillsong Young & Free's 
"Alive," Hillsong United's "Scandal of Grace" featuring Aaron Gillespie, Bethel Music and Kari Jobe's "Forever" and the original worship song "Adonai."

Many of the songs on this album are about dwelling on our Eternal One, Jesus, and how one day all things will be made new and there will be no more death, sorrow or crying. I think the Church could benefit from more proclamations of the excitement of everlasting life in Heaven. I had the chance to speak with Josh Foster about the stirring title track, "Adonai."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song is very special to us, and it came out of a prayer meeting we had at our church. One of our band members started singing the chorus spontaneously in a prayer service. It started to resonate with our church, and also it began to strike me and I pulled out my phone and started to record the song one night where I wasn't on stage. At home, I opened up the Bible to the Book of Revelation, and as the lyrics "Hallelujah, holy, holy" were being sung, I felt the connection to where John sees the living creatures and the elders surrounding the throne in Heaven. I read Revelation, Chapter 4 and thought about what the worship in Heaven looks like. 

The verses talk about the sea of glass surrounding the throne and the crystals and jewels, and I pulled out words and imagery from Revelation and put a melody to the words. It happened quickly. For me as a songwriter, it was the quickest I've ever written a song, and I know God breathed it, which was such a gift from Him. 

I brought it to the band the next week, and we sat down and locked ourselves in a room and opened our Bibles. We spent the day reading and praying and worshipping together. Through that we developed the bridge of the song, which talks about Jesus coming again. Our church put out a song about the second coming of Jesus about twenty years ago, and we thought it would be cool if we could tie this song together with that song. We worshipped with the song, and at the end of that day, we finished it. 

We all know it had to have been God. With this song and what it speaks and how simple it was to write, it was God's gift to us. We hardly wrote it. We listened to God and opened our Bibles. We've seen how it has been a blessing to people at our church.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Ezekiel 1:25-28 (MSG): "And then, as they stood with folded wings, there was a voice from above the dome over their heads. Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne, sky-blue like a sapphire, with a humanlike figure towering above the throne. From what I could see, from the waist up he looked like burnished bronze and from the waist down like a blazing fire. Brightness everywhere! The way a rainbow springs out of the sky on a rainy day--that's what it was like. It turned out to be the Glory of God! When I saw all this, I fell to my knees, my face to the ground. Then I heard a voice."

Revelation 4:2-8 (NKJV): "...a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices... Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal... And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures... And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'..."

What is the takeaway message?

With our music our goal, and hopefully the goal of any genuine Christian artist, is that their music would lead people to Christ, like you described with your personal testimony. It was great to work with Aaron Gillespie on this album, and we learned a lot from him in the process. He's a great friend. When he left Underoath and started speaking, our church was the first one he came and spoke at in 2009. He's like family to us. He's incredibly anointed as a worship leader as well.

When we were writing this song, I came to the band with the verses, and we already had the chorus. In coming up with the bridge together, we decided to use the name Adonai for God. Honestly it's a name for God that I haven't heard in worship music for a while. The name Adonai ended up being perfect as the name for God in this song because in Hebrew, Adonai means "my Lord and my Master." What's cool is that using the name Adonai for God demands total submission and total surrender to Him. 

When we talk about how He's coming again and He's crowned in righteousness, and when we call Him Adonai, it's this final closing way of saying "He is greater and we're going to bow before Him and submit." I've read commentaries about the name Adonai, and when you say His name that way, it demands your total submission and surrender. 

What's powerful about that is as we've sung it at our church, and as we've played it at conferences, as it's sung, whether or not you know it in your heart, with that depth behind those words it puts you in a place of surrender and submission where God comes and moves over you. We chose that word to seal the song, to say "He's crowned in righteousness, He's the Lord of glory, He's coming back and we submit and we surrender."

Lyrics:
Now behold the heavenly throne
And the One seated in power
All around glory shines
Like a pearl radiant in beauty

We lift up our eyes to see
The matchless King Almighty
We lift up our voices to praise
We join with the angels and sing

Hallelujah
Holy, Holy

Sea of glass, spread before
As crystals surrounding the throne
His glory revealed
And we long for more
Bowing low we worship the Lord

We lift up our eyes to see
The matchless King Almighty
We lift up our voices to praise
We join with the angels and sing

Hallelujah
Holy, Holy 

He is coming
The triumphant One
Lord of glory
Burning like the sun
Full of power
Crowned in righteousness
He is coming
Adonai

Hallelujah
Holy, Holy 
Hallelujah
Adonai

This song takes me to the Throne Room in Heaven. I love how prayers and songs of praise are a communal experience that we can all share. I think the Lord wants us to long for Heaven. When we've been indwelled by The Holy Spirit, we have a personal relationship with the Comforter and a peace that surpasses understanding to know that this fallen world isn't all that we are living for, ultimately. We are promised an eternity with God that is so much greater than anything we've experienced on earth. The biblical descriptions of Heaven are so glorious, and this song gives listeners a foretaste of Heaven.

I love listening to this album during my commuting time when I want a pick-me-up album that glorifies God and gets me pumped about my faith. Adonai features Aaron Gillespie on a few of the songs, and is loaded with great rock beats, catchy melodies and solid lyrics reflecting unashamed faith in Jesus. When you sing this title track, remember that by declaring "Adonai," you are submitting to Him as your Lord and your Master. This song is a great way to declare God's Lordship over your life, and the chorus transports you to eternity when we'll forever sing, "Hallelujah, holy, holy."

My soul longs for the gathering of the saints, elders, living creatures, and angels in Heaven where we will all sing to Jesus: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (Rev 5:12-NKJV). Until then, you can sing this song as a foretaste of eternity, loudly exclaiming "We lift up our eyes to see, the matchless King Almighty, we lift up our voices to praise, we join with the angels and sing." Amen to that!

(Watch the lyric video here.)