Dorothy Savage brings to Christian music with her debut album Glorious Mess,  the energy of a fresh, relevant message of hope--hope aimed at her own contemporary generation needing desperately to know the concept of “let go and let God” beyond just a line on a dusty bumper sticker.

Glorious Mess is just the beginning of Dorothy’s story, marking a new chapter in a life that has already lived more than one amazing dream come true. From earning her music degree in college to the bright footlights of the Broadway stage in New York and now to the recording studios of Nashville, the spark of kinetic energy and bright “can do” spirit that is Dorothy Savage has won the personal battles in her own young life with the simple realization that real strength comes in letting go and letting God.

Crafted around the message of Glorious Mess, the album unfolds as an auto-biographical lifeline of songs that trace Dorothy’s journey of the heart and lyrics that touch the unchanging core of God’s truth.

“I am a glorious mess, with raw edges and a mountain or imperfections!” she says. “However, I came to realize that Jesus loves me because of these things, rather than in spite of them. It was a beautiful moment of revelation in my life!”

Dorothy Savage has taken the definition of “independent artist” to new levels in Christian music since the release of Glorious Mess. The unique diversity of Dorothy Savage and the album are reflected in the release of her third radio single from the project: “Faith Begins,” written by Chris Sligh.

In the midst of the new energy surrounding her, Dorothy is enthused about the timeliness of “Faith Begins” hitting the airwaves. Faith has, after all, been the cornerstone of all in her life of “independence.” I had the great opportunity to speak with Dorothy about her newest single “Faith Begins.” Here are the answers to the questions I asked Dorothy.

Please tell me about the message of your song “Faith Begins.”

If there is one thing I have learned in my life so far it’s that sometimes things happen that I just don’t understand. Sometimes they are small things that really don’t matter and I can accept, and sometimes they are massive, life-changing things that affect my life in very impactful ways. This song brings it down to one line: “This is where faith begins, letting your questions go.” It covers everything I’d tried to communicate in my music and message. Whether you’re struggling in a sin you never thought you’d be in, or caught in a situation where you have absolutely no control of the outcome, God reminds us to just let go of everything--including the pre-conceived notions of how He should work things out--and trust Him. That, to me, is the simple substance of real faith. Whenever I get to perform this song, it’s a big part of the night. It comes down to this place similar to “Finder of the Lost” in that I come to the place where I acknowledge that I’m done and I know that I have no more hope or ability based on my own strength. You can’t accomplish anything else or work your way out of your situation. It’s about having humility and admitting that you’re broken and totally surrender it all to the Lord. “Faith Begins” is about taking that step of faith and walking without being able to see that next step or know the outcome. That’s where understanding that God’s light is sometimes like a lantern where you can’t see everything that’s going to happen, He just shows us one step at a time. That’s where our faith is tested and where our faith in God starts. We need to trust Him completely.

Is the song based on any specific Bible verses?

Job 1:20-22: Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

What does the song mean to you personally? Any take-away message?

When I was 13, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and she fought the disease until I was 19, when she went home to be with the Lord. Three and a half years ago, my sister passed away, and I struggled with my faith. You need to rely on God and exhale and release the pressure of trying to understand. I was working on this album while my sister was dying and this was very emotional for me. It’s okay, because she’s with Him now and “His ways are higher than my ways.” I know that I can rest in that Truth.

So here I am--years after my mother’s death, three and half years after my sister’s death, watching family members I love face struggles and injustices that they have no control over--and I am in a place of questioning and yes, even of anger. However, just like in the situations of that past I sense God’s patience with my feelings, and I also sense the presence of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, granting peace when I can find no understanding.

As I said at the beginning, sometimes there are things that we are just not going to understand and truthfully we may never find an answer for while we are on this earth. However, the most beautiful revelation in all of that is God knows all and has a plan and a purpose for all things, even the most painful and difficult. It’s in these moments that we can come to know Him in a deeper and more honest way, and that our dependence on Him can grow in ways we never thought possible. At the end of the day, that is what I have come to see as the gift in all of the lack of understanding.

May God bless us all in our lack of understanding and even in our anger and may it draw us closer to Him in ways we never thought imaginable.

Here are the lyrics:

Your ways are higher than my ways
My view of the horizon is smaller
than all that You can see
No matter how hard I try
I just can’t get my mind around this
Your will is bigger than me
How will You turn the sadness to joy again

This is where faith begins
I’m letting my questions go
This is where trust starts over again
In the pain, this is where faith begins

I cannot see past this moment
My view of the horizon changes
with every step I take
I just keep reaching out in spite
of these raging doubts inside me
I know this is more than fate
How will You turn the sadness to joy again

This is where faith begins
I’m letting my questions go
This is where trust starts over again
In the pain, this is where faith begins

I can see through
These tears that keep falling
So I will just worship You
Although I can’t see through the pain
I know You will restore me again

This is where faith begins
I’m letting my questions go
This is where trust starts over again
In the pain, this is where faith begins

In the pain, this is where faith begins
In the pain, in the pain, in the pain
This is where faith begins
This is where faith begins

Here’s Asbury’s Bible commentary on Job 1:20-22: “Four disasters in rapid succession strip Job of his family and possessions. Disasters one and three are caused by marauding humans, while two and four are due to natural phenomena. The death of his children is the climax of this sequence. Children were viewed as a part of a person's wealth. Job responds to these calamities by performing the mourning ritual and by worshiping. He is oblivious to the contest between the Lord and Satan (as he must be) and ignores the secondary causes of the disasters. It is the Lord who initially gave and has now taken away.”

The opening lyrics of this great song really set the tone for the message of the song: “Your ways are higher than my ways.” We’ll never fully understand the mystery of God, and our relationship with Him is not mandatory. We have a choice to follow God and when you make that choice, you need to walk by faith and not by your own understanding. “Faith begins” from our ability to trust in God completely as beautifully stated in these lyrics, “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get my mind around this, Your will is bigger than me, How will You turn the sadness to joy again?” This is a great “Job” song based on the Truth that God gives and God takes away. The challenge of that passage and this song is to respond in faith as Job did, and proclaim regardless of your circumstances, “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” Amen.