Every song by Dara Maclean is a testimony to the grace and love of Jesus Christ, and is a creative musical expression. She consistently sings songs with amazing passion and with unashamed praise and gratitude to our Savior that is very inspiring and emotionally moving, including her previous vertical expressions "Yours Forever," "Our Only Hope" and "Blameless."

In this beautiful new song "Ashes," Dara's first single in over two years, she sings with a passion that is engaging and uplifting, and her lyrics point listeners to Jesus. The prayerful message of devotion in this song is my heart's cry for my three daughters to adopt as well. I want them to connect with Jesus in the same way this song expresses praise and adoration of our Lord and Savior. I had the chance to speak with Dara about "Ashes."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

For the past two years I have been intentional to really take my time with songwriting. In the generation we live in, especially with millennials, everything happens so fast. I like to have saturation time. Somebody is coming out with music or a single, and it could take that artist years to create it, and then immediately you need to be creating something new again. I get it, and that's the system, and we want to be blessing people. For me personally, I'm not going to put myself on those timelines without being purposeful. 

So it's been a process for me of pastoring and learning how to be married and doing music and ministry, and I'm so thankful. The focus of this season is on making a worship album. We released "Blameless" with the intention to lay the foundation of taking that experience, our music and message, and providing corporate worship songs. We will be releasing worship songs leading up to my next album, making that bridge to have my husband share a message and provide an experience for change to happen for people. 

"Ashes" needed to be first because of how symbolic it is for me personally. Regarding our dreams, we can get disillusioned and disheartened and disappointed, and that can be a telltale sign of what you are putting your hope in. Regardless, God is brilliant at bringing His dreams for us back to life. I personally can identify with that. 

What's interesting about this song is that whenever I'm in Nashville, I usually co-write several songs, and this was in the last day of writing. I got together with Travis Ryan and his brother Brandon, and they had a concept for a song called "Ashes." When they explained that to me, it was a launching pad, and the Lord dropped a chorus and bridge on us for the song. The song talks about victory over death and resurrection in a way I hadn't heard before. I feel like it can minister to people, and it goes perfectly with Easter. Their friend Jordan heard what we did, and the Lord provided him some lyrics for the verses. I have never done a co-write like that before.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

John 10:10 (ESV): "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (HCSB): "Be strong and courageous; don't be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you."

Revelation 1:18 (NLT): "I am the living one. I died, but look--I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave."

Romans 8:37 (NLT): "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV): "To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV): "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

Ephesians 2:6 (NIV): "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

What is the takeaway message?

Because God is the perfect Father and He's not trying to withhold things from us but He's trying to protect us, I think that He cares so much more about us and the state of our hearts than He does about throwing us out there. I've been reading the book "Rooted" by Banning Liebscher, and it goes back to the idea that "hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life" from Proverbs 13:12. I think what the Lord has been so gracious with for me is helping me understand what my longing is for, and am I getting my identity in being a child of God, or being a product? Fill in the blank, whatever you do, you are either living as an orphan or a child of God, whether you know it or not. The Lord has been teaching me that we are not "gift" focused but "Giver" focused.

I see a world of beauty and brokenness all around us, namely because I've seen myself. However, I've seen something greater. I've seen Jesus, seen the way He works, the way He heals, the way He completely and totally restores what was horrifically and utterly stolen and once dead. You and I were not meant to just be saved from hell, but hell on earth. Trials yes, persecutions yes, things that are unfair yes, but God! Here's the rest of the story: loved without reserve, yes. More than a conqueror, yes. All the promises of God, in Him, are yes and amen. 

God is a Father whose character is more true and pure than the driven snow. A Father that whether you know it or not, has never once left you, nor would He ever forsake you, even on the darkest day that you still don't understand. There is a Father who sent His son for love, to not only die, but to be raised again so that you and I could see every area of our hearts, families and dreams raised back to life for the glory of God.  I pray your heart comes alive as you discover God's heart for you in the face of what Jesus did through His death and resurrection.

Lyrics:
Let's sing of the story
Of sorrow and glory
The author of life became flesh
His purpose was justice
To rescue and free us
But still we demanded His death
Our sin laid upon Him
We cursed and spat on Him
He hung as His mercy was shed
But He cried "it is finished"

The Son was dead
For love He bled
But He rose from the ashes
He rose from the ashes

With burning desire
He stepped in the fire
To take back what hell had once claimed
With untamed affection
The Father's direction
He stormed through the enemy's gates
With grace and with fury, salvation secured
He awoke and the stone rolled away
Now we cry "it is finished"

The Son was dead
For love He bled
But He rose from the ashes
He rose from the ashes
His victory
Now our destiny
Cause He rose from the ashes
He rose from the ashes

All blessing and honor
All glory and power
Be unto the Lamb
Hallelujah
Jesus, our victor
Both now and forever
We worship Your name
Hallelujah

Corrie ten Boom said, "When we are powerless to do anything, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus." This is an infectious song and really reflects the joy we receive when we don't rely on our own understanding, but instead fully trust in the ability of Jesus to lift us up no matter our circumstances. Jesus calls us to rely on Him and the power of His resurrection, to remember that He has overcome death and fear. Some truths that we can rally behind as believers in Christ together is that God is our Father, He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins and He rose again and defeated death. We can all say hallelujah and celebrate those truths together while singing along with this song.

This song is a salvation message and moves me to reflect on just how much Jesus endured for His bride to purchase us from the grave. The song also reminds us that for eternity, followers of Jesus will be singing "all blessing and honor, all glory and power be unto the Lamb" in Heaven. You can make the decision to admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and came to die as a sinless Savior on our behalf and choose to make Him the Lord of your life.

This worship anthem is just the type of infusion that the church needs with its honesty and bold lyrics. This is a wonderful song to sing to celebrate Easter. 700 years before Jesus made the way to Heaven by coming to earth, it was prophesied in Isaiah 61:3 that He would come "to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes." Christ fulfilled that prophecy on the cross, and He promises in His Word that one day He will make "all things new." That's cause to sing at the top of your lungs, "Jesus, our victor, both now and forever, we worship Your name, Hallelujah." He is Risen! Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.