Daniel Doss is a singer-songwriter and worship leader. He recently released the deeply personal Praise the King, his first full-length recording in nine years. The album's ten original selections celebrate hope and healing following a difficult season for his family.

About the worshipful title track, Doss shared, "There is healing and power that comes when we lift high the name of Jesus. He is the solution for the hate that is tearing us apart as believers and as the human race." I had the chance to speak with Daniel about his stirring song "Stained Glass Windows."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This is a song of deep significance for me and my wife, Emily. We've been married for 17 years. We were called to ministry, and we've had a lot of dreams: we wanted to buy a house, have kids, have grandkids and go to Heaven. That was our game plan. However, early on in that dream plan, we had we learned that we couldn't have children. We experienced a tough and heartbreaking season of infertility and mourning. 

Although I had surrendered to God, a weird thing happens inside where you hope He will fulfill all of your hopes and desires. That's not an evil thing. But in exchange, you expect God to do things for you when you do things for Him. When you step outside of that, you realize He doesn't owe us anything. For Him to withhold this one good thing from us, it made us struggle. 

He opened our hearts to adoption. We walked that road and believed God was leading us. Seeing a birth mother give up her child isn't natural. We had multiple failed adoptions before ultimately bringing home our son Manny, and he is now 7 years old. Four years later we adopted Oakley, and my wife Emily was in the room with the birth mother when he was born. Although seeing a birth mother give up her children isn't natural, we know that God has a way of taking broken things and making them better than we can imagine. 

I originally wrote this song during our season of infertility. I wrote the bridge for this version of the song this past year on the other side of that journey. God is compassionate towards the doubting heart. God may not resolve all of our questions in this life, but He is fully present.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV): "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

1 Corinthians 2:9 (VOICE): "But as the Scriptures say, No eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard and it has never occurred to the human heart all the things God prepared for those who love Him."

Psalm 139:13-14 (NKJV): "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." 

Psalm 139:17-18 (NKJV): "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You."

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV): "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
 
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV): "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Romans 8:28 (NKJV): "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Jeremiah 29:11 (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."

What is the takeaway message?

Often when all we see are broken pieces, God sees a grander plan. That's how it was with our journey through infertility and adoption. We are thankful that our dreams were shattered, because God is showing us that His ways are so much better. Paul says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." That's been a verse that has resonated with me for years. 

I'm the type of person who is kind of restless, and I feel the need to be doing something or working on something or moving towards something. That verse has reminded me to take a deep breath. Despite being on this side of glory and knowing that we are not home yet, this is a time when God shows us His grace and mercy and restoration in our lives. There's so much good in this life that we can embrace. Though the earth groans for the day He comes back, there's so much beauty in this life that we get to enjoy. Part of that beauty is the love that we get to share as a family. Every day I get a reminder of His grace when I look in the eyes of my boys. 

In this life we may not get full resolution, and God crushed our original dreams and showed us that His plans were greater than our plans. We want to embrace what He has for us. We don't always know why. There are moments when God resolves things in our lives and shows us His goodness. We are very thankful. I want people to get a sense that God is with us in our journey, and He is able to handle all of our questions and doubts. He doesn't stop loving us.

Lyrics:
Last week I walked on water
Today I'm sinking low
Can Your hand reach down to me and pull me up once more
The dreams I had are shattered, all scattered on the floor
The last time You picked up the pieces helped me dream some more

'Cause we're making stained glass windows
Every piece a different shade
All broken and then put together like a big mistake
But when the light shines through the colors form a tapestry
A hundred different images of how You keep loving me

Each moment You are with me
Each word I hear You say
Helps me understand and trust in Your higher ways
All the roads that go through valleys help me cling to You
And when we find a mountain top we'll dance the whole day through

'Cause were making stained glass windows
Every piece a different shade
All broken and then put together like a big mistake
But when the light shines through the colors form a tapestry
A hundred different images of how You keep loving me

When I can't stop asking why
When I can't see the other side
You keep loving me
And one day I know I'll see
Oh Lord help me trust and believe
'Cause when the light shines through the colors form a tapestry

We're making stained glass windows
Every piece a different shade
All broken and then put together like a big mistake
A hundred different images of how
And when the light shines through the colors form a tapestry
A hundred different images of how You keep loving me
And when the light shines through the colors form a tapestry
A hundred different images of how You keep loving me

This is one of those songs that I could instantly sing with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength, and I wanted to know the story behind writing the song. The beauty of God's Word is that it doesn't return void, and it provides a constant source of comfort, guidance and truth of how to us draw closer to Him. Whatever your circumstances, you can celebrate that Truth. You may be going through some of the worst earthly things that you can imagine, but "no human mind can conceive all the things that God has prepared for those who love Him" (1st Corinthians 2:9).

If you think about the type of faith we are called to have as believers, it is described as the faith of a mustard seed, and we are called to "walk by faith, and not by sight." God can do more than anything we can ask or even imagine, and this song is a true celebration of the great biblical truth of "Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" from Ephesians 3:20.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that God loves us so much that He knows us intimately and He wants to fill our hearts with love. He knows our brokenness inside and out, and because of what Jesus did on the Cross, He sees us as righteous. God sees us as He sees His Son. It's not our righteousness or appearance or talent or gifting, it is just Jesus. That's cause to reflect and sing out to Him: "When I can't stop asking why, when I can't see the other side, You keep loving me, and one day I know I'll see. Oh Lord, help me trust and believe." Amen to that!

Listen to the song below.