South African rock group Tree63 had a significant impact in the first decade of the 2000s. Their music gained momentum on their home soil, eventually crossing the ocean to win a Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year in 2001. The next nine years would see the band's consistent influence, including a standout recording of Matt Redman's "Blessed Be Your Name" which helped push the song to prominence before the group disbanded in 2009. They weren't done yet however, with a few South Africa reunion gigs in 2014 resparking musical chemistry between John Ellis (vocals and guitar), Darryl Swart (drums) and Daniel Ornellas (bass). The result of that rediscovered potential was a kickstarter campaign successfully funded by dedicated listeners and, ultimately, their most recent release, titled Land.

The anthemic first single "The Storm," which released earlier this year to Kickstarter supporters and as a YouTube lyric video, propels the honesty of the project as the intense imagery portrays a man being swept overboard, treading water and crying out to God. I had the chance to speak with lead singer John Ellis about "The Storm."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song started out as another song that had sort of a Christmas message. It was essentially a song about what had been given to the world through the arrival of Jesus. The song was recorded as a demo by Tree63 and sat around for a long time. When it came time to make this album we started looking over songs we had worked on and abandoned for years, and this song came up. 

We decided it needed to be re-interpreted, and we came up with the music that you hear on the album first. A couple of months after I had lived with the music we had created, I started to work on fitting the lyrics around the song. For some reason, I felt inspired generally across the whole album to write about our journey to Christ and our journey to God and with God being like a dangerous sea voyage that ends well, with us seeing land in the distance, but it is not for the faint-hearted. 

So much of Christian music and Christian culture unfortunately has been about over-simplifying our message and over-simplifying the realities of following Jesus in a very messed up and troubled world.  The fact is that it is not straightforward, it is tricky, and it does cost us. Jesus always said it is going to cost our lives. Sometimes we forget that message and go for the message that "I'm a Christian now and everything is going to be awesome!" Personally for me, it's been a storm. It's been a tricky journey with a lot of cost. 

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 69:1-5 (NKJV): Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. Those who hate me without a cause Are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, Being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it. O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You.

Psalm 63:4 (The Voice): "I will bless You with every breath of my life; I will lift up my hands in praise to Your name."

Psalm 42:7-8 (NKJV): Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me--A prayer to the God of my life.

John 21:9-13 (NKJV): Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"--knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

What is the takeaway message?

When you look at these lyrics, you'll see I'm saying that I'm in over my head, falling overboard and adrift from the shore of the safety of God. In that moment of feeling abandoned and crying out to God, there in the storm and the thunder and lightning-- especially in that storm-- God is there. We are never alone in our trials and tribulations. That's key because it is so easy to feel abandoned by God even when we are in our weakest and lowest points. 

For me, it is such good news to find out that it is through the storms that God does good things in our lives that will last forever. It is only through trials that we can get what God wants for us that we think will come easily. God gives us gifts through hard stuff and that's how we can really receive Him.

I hope listeners can take away that sense of "thank God, I'm not alone; somebody else feels this lonely and forgotten and hopeful and bewildered and resolved to carry on the journey." My own recent experience leads me to the realization that even though we believe we will reach our destination across the hazardous sea God asks us to cross, it won't be an easy voyage, and often we arrive shipwrecked and battered. 

The guarantee, however, is that we at least arrive. It's a victorious song because we end up where we are supposed to go, but we just make it. It's a good victory but it's a hard won victory. I love that picture in John 21 where the disciples are invited to breakfast with Jesus on the beach when they reach dry land after they've been out on the sea. It's a great picture of the relief and peace that we'll receive when we are home with Jesus after our long journey.

Lyrics:
In over my head
I was washed overboard 
Adrift, on the high seas 
Far from the nearest shore 

I cried out to You my God 
Even in the storm 
(The thunder and lightning) 
I never was alone 
(No never alone) 

Land, solid dry ground 
Wreckage surrounding me 
Up the beach there at the fire 
Silently waiting 

Home, this is home 
Even in the storm 
(The thunder and lightning) 
I never was alone 
(No never alone) 

I cried out to You my God 
And You have brought me home 

Even in the storm 
The thunder and lightning 
I never was alone 
No never alone 

My hope in the dark 
There You were shining 
You have brought me home 
(You have brought me home)

I can't get enough of John's sincere vocals and catchy, worshipful songs. Right from my first listen I was hooked by the Psalm-like reflective lyrics, especially in "The Storm," which draws from Psalm 69 with the sincere and prayerful lyrics: "In over my head, I was washed overboard, Adrift, on the high seas, Far from the nearest shore, I cried out to You my God." 

The song beautifully captures the emotion of the biblical truth expressed in Psalm 42:7 (NKJV): "Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls, all Your waves and billows have gone over me." That prayerful language instills awe in us about how sovereign our God is. When we feel like we are on shaky ground and we are dealing with the uncertainty of our situations, the economy and our world, this song allows us to dwell on the unshakable nature of God. When all else fades away, He will remain.

This is one of my favorite songs of the year. We should all be living for Heaven, our true home. Everything in this broken world will ultimately disappoint you. I love how this song reminds me to have my priorities in the right place. When it seems like hope is lost, and all that's left is despair, there's still hope in God as he tells us He'll guide us home. Until then we can lift up our voices to Him: "My hope in the dark, there You were shining, You have brought me home." Amen to that!

(Watch the lyric video here.)