Following up their standout worship album Wonder, which featured their popular song, "So Will I (100 Billion X)," churches and believers around the world celebrated the release of People (Live). The album features many standout songs, including "Whole Heart (Hold Me Now)," "Good Grace," and "Another in the Fire." Don't miss out on this incredible worship album, one of the best of last year and my all-time favorite Hillsong UNITED album. Once again, they have released their newest "best" album, and it was one of my top 5 worship albums of 2019.
If you've always enjoyed Hillsong UNITED's corporate worship anthems, you're in for a treat with this album. It has a great balance of male and female-led vocals and it is chock-full of songs for the Church and songs for personal reflection and worship. People is loaded with several stirring new worship songs that really set me in the proper mindset to praise God for loving me so much that He gave His life away for all that was lost. I really enjoy the exciting musical vibe of this album, and the melodies are catchy and the lyrics are prayerful. The album features stellar vocals, catchy melodies and solid lyrics reflecting unashamed faith in Jesus.
I have consistently been blessed by each album from Hillsong UNITED with their staples "Hosanna," "Lead Me To The Cross," "Oceans," "Touch the Sky" and "Scandal of Grace" all being sung at church worship services worldwide and putting the Word of God into the minds, mouths, and hearts of Christians everywhere. I had the chance to speak with Jonathan 'JD' Douglass about "Another in the Fire."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
I love this song. Every time we write songs, our intention is always that they come from a real and authentic place in our own journeys in following God. Also, our desire is that the truth of God's Word in our songs will help and encourage so many people. Sometimes that happens in the same way we are encouraged by God's Word and I love how God can take Scripture and apply it individually with people. Each line in this song is really packed with the foundational truths of the Bible and described in an inspiring way.
The main image is from the Book of Daniel when God is with us in the fire and the eternal truth that trusting and knowing that God is with us. That is amazing when things are going well, and things are going better than we expect and plan. There are the seasons when we are in valleys like we are now as the whole world is going through this pandemic. We are in this unknown and unwanted season and God is still with us.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV): "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV): "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV): "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
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."
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."
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."
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 3:1 (NKJV): "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."
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?
My favorite Scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6. I love how it talks about trusting in God and not leaning on our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledging Him and He will direct our paths. Once you've been saved and on the journey with God for five minutes, you come across that Scripture and know you are supposed to trust in God. The real power in that passage and the real power of our faith is trusting in God and not leaning on our understanding. Even though I don't know what's going on I'm going to lean into God and trust Him anyway. He will direct our paths.
I can speak personally and for us as a team that whether you are a parent, a student, a worker, trusting God, and knowing that He is in control is what this song is about. Especially when times are tough and things don't make sense, God gets the glory and God always comes through as He promises in His Word and in this song.
In the world we live in there's a lot of noise and a lot to look at. Part of the reason for this song is to remind us to look to the right thing and listen to the right voices. It's our responsibility to look to the Word of God and His truth to bring faith and help us in our tough situations. We don't have to do this alone. We have God and He is ever-present.
The early church would use songs to remind them of who God is and what He had done in the past. That's this song. For anyone who needs to hear it. You are not alone.
Lyrics: There's a grace when the heart is under fire Another way when the walls are closing in
And when I look at the space between
Where I used to be and this reckoning
I know I will never be alone
There was another in the fire
Standing next to me
There was another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
Of how I've been set free
There is a cross that bears the burden
Where another died for me
There is another in the fire
All my debt left for dead beneath the waters
I'm no longer a slave to my sin anymore
And should I fall in the space between
What remains of me and this reckoning
Either way I won't bow
To the things of this world
And I know I will never be alone
There is another in the fire
Standing next to me
There is another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
What power set me free
There is a grave that holds no body
And now that power lives in me
And I can see the light in the darkness
As the darkness bows to Him
I can hear the roar in the heavens
As the space between wears thin
I can feel the ground shake beneath us
As the prison walls cave in
Nothing stands between us
Nothing stands between us
There is no other name
But the Name that is Jesus
He who was and still is
And will be through it all
So come what may in the space between
All the things unseen and this reckoning
I know I will never be alone
There'll be another in the fire
Standing next to me
There'll be another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
How good You've been to me
I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be
Closing Thoughts
This song is an excellent reminder that our worship of God should not be based on our circumstances but based on who God is. I think God included the book of Job as a reminder of how He wants us to handle trials. God tells us in the Bible that we are all sinners, and we've all fallen short. We need to serve God because of who He is, not what He does for us. God doesn't promise to spare us from pain, but we need to trust Him. You need to trust Him and wait on Him and wait for Him to orchestrate the plans for your life. That story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel is a great reminder to have that type of faith and to allow God to use you.
Are we letting God be in control? Either He is in control or He isn't. There isn't any middle ground. Jesus gave His life for us. And we know that He believed in God's purpose. We, as believers, are eternally grateful that Jesus relied on God's will. This song reminds me that there is a reason for everything under heaven. As His children, we can all rest in the knowledge that we can fully trust in God and lean not on our own understanding. We're all united in our struggles, in our spiritual warfare, and in our desire for truth and relationship. The Lord wants us to spend time with Him every day.
"Another in the Fire" is poignant and powerful with earnest, worshipful lyrics. It is a powerful reminder that we are not meant for this world, but to live with God eternally in Heaven. Commit your life to Jesus and offer Him your heart and your life as you sing along with this great song. We have nothing to bring to our battles except the Lord. When we are on our knees before Him like Job, raising our empty hands, we are closest to God. That's a gift God wants all His children to have. Under our own strength, many mountains we face will seem impossible, but with God, all things are possible. As we all face this worldwide coronavirus pandemic together, this song gives believers words of faith to cling to and sing, "I know I will never be alone."
What a gift and promise to know, "there is no other name but the Name that is Jesus, He who was and still is." That's worthy of all our praise. We need to live each day knowing that despite circumstances, God has a plan for "those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). The message of this song challenges listeners to think about our own doubts and how Jesus calls us to rely on Him and the power of His resurrection, to remember that He has overcome death and fear. No matter where you are in your walk with Jesus, this song is a salvation message that helps us remember that Jesus truly came to die and rose to set us free. This song reminds us of our standing before God. We know what love is because God is love. Make the lyrics of this song your prayer, "There is another in the fire/Standing next to me/There is another in the waters/Holding back the seas/And should I ever need reminding/What power set me free/There is a grave that holds no body/And now that power lives in me." Amen to that.
NRT Lead Contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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