Lexi Elisha's music is marked with melodic and worshipful songs speaking the truth of the Word of God into the hearts of today's culture. Her upbeat songs are about proclaiming God's love for us, delivered by her sincere vocals. Every song by Lexi is creative musical expression and a testimony to the grace and love of Jesus Christ. She consistently sings songs with an amazing passion and with unashamed praise and gratitude that is inspiring and emotionally moving.

Having three young daughters, it is exciting to me to hear anointed female Christian artists like Lexi. In her beautiful new song "Hand of Heaven" from her latest release Love is Alive, 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 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 Lexi about "Hand of Heaven."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

The writing of songs for this album was really a journey for me. My prayer was that whatever the Lord needed to take me through to get the most real and next level of songwriting for me, to have His way. What I didn't know was that I was setting myself up for quite a journey. 

What should have been the most incredible year of my life was also the most trying year of my life in every way: career, personal, financial, family. I went through something that taught me a lot. Out of that came this 5 song EP. Listeners will be able to hear the depth in these songs. This is my favorite song. When I was writing this song, my life was chaos. I was up at 3 in the morning, and I was in an extreme season of anxiety, doubt, wonder and fear. 

I had moved away from all I had ever known in Northwest Indiana, my family, friends and church community, to be with my husband CJ in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With that, CJ and I had just gotten married and we lost his family because, quite honestly, they felt there was just more for him than me. I was working jobs that made no sense in terms of my calling, certain that God would see me through so long as I was faithful in the little. 

I know the Lord has told me to write songs and sing them for Him. CJ and I felt like wandering newlywed strangers praying for the dark and weary to turn into hope. We were sure God was working when we could not see, but there were times we questioned if we could endure one more helpless night. I made a declaration the day we wrote this song: I would trust my God more than I trusted what was "supposed" to happen in my life. I would lay every dream at His feet, not because that was the right thing to do, but because it was what I wanted to do. I wanted Jesus more than I understood. I still want Jesus more than I understand.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Isaiah 43:18-19 (The Message): "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands."

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV): "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."

Romans 8:28 (VOICE): "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."

Romans 8:11 (VOICE): "If the Spirit of the One who resurrected Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, then you can be sure that He who raised Him will cast the light of life into your mortal bodies through the life-giving power of the Spirit residing in you."

John 1:12-13 (VOICE): "But for all who did receive and trust in Him, He gave them the right to be reborn as children of God; He bestowed this birthright not by human power or initiative but by God's will."

1 Corinthians 3:7 (NKJV): "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."

What is the takeaway message?

Starting at the moment of salvation, everyone who gives their life to Christ is given that eternal, ever-present God, the Holy Spirit. When I'm singing about "Hand of Heaven," that's who I'm referring to. I'm speaking about Him. 

Fear and intimidation were happening. The biggest fight we have as Christians who are trying to be radically obedient is that logic begins to fight you. I was a newlywed, and I have a college degree where I could work in the business world. But if one person or every person on the globe was going to hear the music I was creating, I was going to do it, because God asked me to do it. It doesn't matter what you see; you trust Him. 

The cool thing and the hard thing about faith is that you don't know the result. I didn't know it was going to be this song or that this song was going to reach people and be my biggest selling song, or that I would hear from record labels. I would have made this album anyway. I truly believe that faith is an opportunity to show your trust in God before you know the end results. This song for me was the outcome of choosing to trust God as our guide and trust the "Hand of Heaven" regardless of our doubts. Don't let God's calling on your life pass you by for the blessings He has for you. I felt like I was inadequate, but decided to step out and be obedient. I know God isn't finished with me. This has turned out to be my most impactful song.

Lyrics:
When I feel alone 
And the future is unknown 
Help me to believe 
That Your love will not withhold 

Whatever lies ahead
Let me see beyond the edge 
To where Your presence is 
So I'll never forget 

Hand of heaven 
Everything I need 
Hand of heaven 
You're Never out of reach 
Hand of heaven 
No matter what I see 
Hand of heaven 
You're holding on to me 

In the middle of my doubt
Help me in my questioning 
To lay all of my dreams
Completely at Your feet 
I know that I am safe 
In the violence of the waves 
There's nothing I can do
To take Your love away 

Even in the darkest place 
You are not an absent God 
Even in my wandering 
You are not an absent God 

In this song, I can tell Lexi is expressing her true feelings, and her biblical reference points lead her into a deeper understanding of what it means to rely on God. We are not at the end of our story. God's still writing our stories of redemption. God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who've put all of our hope and trust in Jesus for our salvation. All we need is faith, and God will show us what He has planned for us. He's the author of our lives and knows what's best for us much better than we do.

My conviction based on these Bible passages and this song is to stop and listen to God and find out what He is asking me to let go of, to let Him have control in my life. This song includes a heart cry found throughout Scripture, where the saints who have gone before us expressed doubt and frustration. God wants us to say back to Him what we are struggling with and ask Him to help us overcome whatever we are facing.

Growing up, I expected to find success in worldly pursuits and thought happiness and joy were things to be won in the game of life. Since I've come to be a follower of Jesus, I now have a better understanding that success for Christians is defined differently. This song is a great example of what it means to live out the story of faith. That's so much of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

We learn throughout God's Word that dealing with adversity and allowing life's trials to remind us of our never-ending need for Jesus leads us into a deeper relationship with God. God's resurrection power from The Holy Spirit, that same power that defeated death and raised Jesus from the grave, is available to followers of Jesus. We can all make the choice to ask The Holy Spirit to indwell us with His supernatural ability to overcome what the Enemy wants us to think about ourselves. Allow The Holy Spirit to "cast the light of life into your mortal bodies." If you are struggling with depression, uncertainty and fear, please know with certainty these life-giving words: "Hand of Heaven, no matter what I see, You're holding on to me." Amen to that!

Listen to the song below.