Worship Leader Lauren Holmes and the worship team including Misty Edwards and Laura Hackett Park at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri have breathed several new worship anthems into the Church from their annual Onething Live conferences. "You Won't Relent," "You Satisfy My Soul," "Arms Wide Open," "Lift Up Your Head," "I Feel His Love," "The Love Inside," "The Gift," "So Come" and "Pour My Love on You" consistently bless me as a worshiper.

I was excited to hear Onething Live: Love Makes Us Strong, recorded at Onething 2015. The project features Forerunner Music artists and IHOP-KC worship leaders Misty Edwards, Jaye Thomas, Laura Hackett Park, Jonas Park, Jon Thurlow, new worship leaders Brenton Dowdy, Lauren Holmes, Christina Reynolds and Chris Tofilon, with guest worship leader Audrey Assad. The collection includes gorgeous renditions of Audrey's Assad's "I Shall Not Want" by Misty Edwards and Passion's "Even So Come" by Laura Hackett Park. I had the chance to speak with Lauren Holmes about "Victorious in Love."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song is based on Song of Solomon 2:8, which says "the voice of my beloved, behold he comes leaping over the mountains and bounding over the hills." The mountains are really the hard things in life that we face, and the things that we look at and say "Lord, how in the world am I supposed to climb that?" Whether it is emotionally or circumstantially. It's a picture of Jesus conquering the mountains. He's already conquered them for us. 

It goes on to say, "arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away with me." In that verse, he calls for the woman to come and run up the mountain. It's as if all she has to do is say yes, and he carries her up the mountain. She doesn't have to do it on her own. The helper comes and strengthens her. When I was writing the song, there were some hard things I felt that the Lord was asking me to do. In that moment and in that season, really I couldn't do it. It felt impossible to me even though His heart was for me to conquer those places. 

I was sitting at a piano and I was singing worship songs to the Lord when I had a picture of Jesus. He was standing on a mountain, and it was like a picture of when a father encourages his little toddler when he first starts walking. I pictured Him wildly rejoicing and proclaiming, "You're going to make it!" For me, that was so encouraging. At the same time, I had this picture of Him standing right by me and holding my hand because He doesn't leave us. This twofold picture was in my mind and I wrote this song in about 15 minutes. It came to me and it really is the song of my heart in that season.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Song of Songs 2:8 (NIV): "Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills."

Matthew 19:26 (NIV): Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 17:20 (NIV): He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

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."
 
Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV): "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

1 John 4:18 (NKJV): "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

What is the takeaway message?

I had so much courage to run to Him and leave the fear behind. It's kind of like the New Testament reality where we run the race set before us with endurance and looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher, and when we look at Him all of the worry dissipates. When we look at Him we can say, "okay, I can do this Lord." That's where this song came from.

My own testimony in itself is one of those mountains I have had to climb. I think even with songwriting and worship leading, it has been a sweet journey that the Lord has taken me on. This is my first song going on an album and the first time I was able to sing and share it at the conference. In that moment, that mountain was conquering the fear of sharing my story and allowing the Lord to use me in that way. 

I've always been a songwriter, and I've always loved worship. I've had a constant battle with the fear of man and how they will think and how they will respond. Being vulnerable in that place and even the testimony of this song of allowing Him to take a circumstance in my life and write it and conquer the fear of sharing it and being victorious in that place. In my whole life, it has been about conquering the fear of being vulnerable and allowing the Lord to use me.

Lyrics:
The Mountain seems so high
God, I feel so small
Just help me fight this fear
And in my weakness be made strong

I see You on the hills
God, I want to be there too
Help me
Say yes to You

Can we just go back to
What felt comfortable
But You said arise
God it seems impossible

I'm clinging to the Truth
Of what's impossible with man
Is possible
With You
 
I see You standing
On the mountain
Your arms are open
Your eyes filled with hope

You're gonna make it
You shout in victory
And I come running
Like I never have before

I'm dreaming again
I'm running to win
With You by my side, I'll throw my fears behind
I can conquer the mountain

I will be victorious in love
Fearless I'll keep running
I know that I will come up leaning
I will come up leaning on You

The worship leaders at IHOP-KC all write and sing songs with an amazing passion and with unashamed praise and gratitude to our Savior that is very inspiring and emotionally moving. The eternal love of Jesus is beautifully expressed in these compelling songs. These are great songs to pray along with and express your own yearnings for holiness and God's presence.

My personal devotional prayer this year has been to have more faith, and this song is my heart's cry and anthem to sing daily in praise to the Lord, regardless of my circumstances, doubts or worry. This is an amazing song and really reflects the joy we receive when we don't rely on our own understanding, but instead fully submit ourselves to faithfulness and trust in the ability of Jesus to lift us up no matter our circumstances. 

This a great song which I would love to sing with fellow believers and profess the Truth that without Jesus, we are nothing. As the Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:2: "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Lauren has written a 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. By stepping into the Lord's ability instead of relying on ourselves, we are empowered by the supernatural ability of God. This song has become my personal anthem, and I sing along at the top of my lungs the sincere and emotive lyrics of submission in the refrain: "I'm dreaming again, I'm running to win, with You by my side, I'll throw my fears behind. I can conquer the mountain." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.