Seventh Day Slumber has been impacting Christian rock consistently for twenty years. Lead singer Joseph Rojas has been sharing his testimony through song with the help of his brother-in-law Jeremy Holderfield (guitar), son Blaise Rojas (drums) and Ken Reed (bass). Some of their past hits include "Oceans From The Rain," "Inside Out," "Caroline," "Finally Awake" and "Wasted Life." 

Their 11th album Found recently released, including ten new songs ranging from the hard rock anthems "Sky Is Falling" and "Into the Fire" to the melodic ballads "Mercy Meets My Pain" and "My Last Words." I had the chance to speak with Joseph Rojas about the title track "Found."

Please tell me the personal story behind writing this song.

This song came from the heart, and it hits me every time I perform it. It is a deeply personal song for me. For one, God has delivered me from a cocaine addiction I had. I gave my life to Jesus after a suicide attempt. I've gotten married. I have a beautiful wife and three awesome children. I have a career in music. God gave me a new life. 

Rewind to four years ago: after 16 years of doing music, I fell into a depression. The truth is, I was singing every night on stages all over the country ministering to others, but inside I felt empty. I poured myself out but never filled back up. People were sharing things with me about suicidal thoughts or parents losing children, and our music helped them through it. I never lost my passion to minister, but I fell into a depression and ran to things that couldn't fill me. I was too ashamed to tell my pastors how empty and depressed I was feeling, and I ran to things that left me emptier than before. Food became an addiction, and I isolated myself in embarrassment of the weight I had gained. I ended up gaining 120 pounds, and food had become this crutch for me. I wasn't as happy. I didn't even want to leave the house. 

One morning I woke up and saw my wife and kids and realized how empty I felt. I came to realize I was so empty because I wasn't allowing myself to rest in Him. As St. Augustine said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You." I thought about that and realized that it's easy to get caught up in the stresses of life and take our eyes off of Jesus.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song? 

Psalm 73:25-26 (NKJV): "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 40:17 (The Voice): "Meanwhile, I am empty and need so much, but I know the Lord is thinking of me. You are my help; only You can save me, my True God. Please hurry."

Lamentations 3:22-23 (The Voice): "How enduring is God's loyal love; the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion. Here they are, every morning, new! Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day."

Luke 15:24 (The Voice): "Because my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and has been found. So they had this huge party."

Psalm 139:14 (The Voice): "I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul."

Exodus 33:14 (NKJV): And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Philippians 3:8 (The Voice): "And more so, I now realize that all I gained and thought was important was nothing but yesterday's garbage compared to knowing the Anointed Jesus my Lord. For Him I have thrown everything aside--it's nothing but a pile of waste--so that I may gain Him."

2 Corinthians 4:16 (The Voice): "So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day."

What is the takeaway message?

The lyrics are deeply personal because of what they say: "I was the one who had moved, and just when I thought I was all out of chances, You were the One who always came running." When you lose that closeness with God, nothing you have or accomplish will fulfill you. It's the love, grace and mercy of Jesus that has kept me all these years. From delivering me from a $400 per day cocaine addiction to my present situation, He is faithful. This song is a reminder that God knows all the mistakes that we are going to make, and He still has not changed His mind about us. His mercies never fail. Quit beating yourself up and accept the love, forgiveness and grace of God. 

What brought me out of my depression is that my middle son said he missed me. I'm with him all the time, but he meant that he missed me laughing and smiling, and he wanted me back. This song isn't as much about my pain as it is about God's redemption. Even though I ended up in the valley and got lost again, God's eyes were still fixed on me. He was still calling, and in the valley I could hear Him, but I didn't know how to call back. This song means so much because it is about how patient and loving God is, how powerful He is. I'm on this road to recovery, and I've changed my eating habits. I fought for my closeness with God again. All of the stress and depression I was dealing with gets further away the closer I get to God.

Lyrics:
I had to lose it all to come to my senses
And see how far I'd run
Now I can clearly see
It was me, not You
I was the one who had moved
Just when I thought I was all out of chances

You were the One who always came running
When all my world had come undone
You were the one bringing my healing
With open arms You call me son
Deep in the valley You were still calling
Deep in my heart I heard the sound
All of Your grace for all of my failure
I was so lost, now I'm found

Though I have regret
You always remind me
Your grace can't be out run
Oh when You look at me
It's not my shame you see
All my stains washed away
I am new, I am changed

You were the One who always came running
When all my world had come undone
You were the one bringing my healing
With open arms You call me son
Deep in the valley You were still calling
Deep in my heart I heard the sound
All of Your grace for all of my failure
I was so lost, now I'm found

So I'll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown

You were the One who always came running
When all my world had come undone
You were the one bringing my healing
With open arms You call me son
Deep in the valley You were still calling
Deep in my heart I heard the sound
All of Your grace for all of my failure
I was so lost, now I'm found
Now I'm found
Now I'm found

So many people can relate to the message, and the song convicts me to know in my heart the biblical truth from Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23. God's mercy is new each day, and it is not based on our performance or what we can do for God. He pours out His mercy despite what we've done, and there's nothing we can do except trust in His Son Jesus. We can't earn Heaven; it's only through complete surrender to Jesus and putting all of our hope in Him that we can be saved.

You can take comfort in knowing that nothing compares to the greatness of knowing Jesus. We all need to remember that earth isn't our permanent home, and our freedom from the restlessness of this world will come when we enter the true rest that can only come from living eternally with Jesus Christ. This song has become a personal worship anthem for me to sing and remember that "everything under the sun is meaningless." "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world," wrote C.S. Lewis in the book Mere Christianity. As Christians, we all need to remember that we are just "pilgrims" passing through. Earth isn't our permanent home. As St. Augustine put it so perfectly, "our hearts are restless until they rest in You." 

We've all been in that place where we feel unworthy of God's love and down in the dirt. God promises us in Matthew 11:29-30 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. God comes and claims us in our darkest place. When we are in communion with God, it is joyful and not a burden. I sing along with the truth of this song at the top of my lungs and rejoice in singing "all of Your grace for all of my failure, I was so lost, now I'm found." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.