One of Christian music's most recognizable and prolific female voices, Christy Nockels, was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Christy and her husband, Nathan, recorded five albums together as Watermark with Rocketown Records—producing the hit songs "Knees To The Earth", "My Heart Your Home" and "Glory Of Your Name."

Christy and Nathan have served at Passion Conferences since 1997, and in 2008, they moved to Atlanta to be a founding family of Passion City Church. Christy released her first solo worship project, Life Light Up, three years ago, and I've been anxiously waiting for her follow-up album.

"Ever Lifting" is the opening track and lead single from that follow-up--called Into The Glorious--and features a new musical style including including a banjo. Christy knocks it out of the park with one of my favorite new songs of the year. True to her worshipful lyrics, she proclaims her ministry in the hook-filled refrain:"I'm lifting my voice just to sing a new song, I'm lifting my hands to show You I know where I belong, I'm lifting my eyes so I see You clearly, You are ever lifting me Jesus." Amen! I had the great opportunity to interview Christy about her amazing song.

Please share the background message behind the song "Ever Lifting."

This was the last song that we wrote for this album. Nathan and I either co-write every song together or he gives me input about each song. After we had laid out all of the songs, it was kind of neat to consider what was missing from the album. We decided we needed a happy, uplifting song that makes you want to roll down the windows and drive around in your car. We wanted that song where you can worship in Spirit and Truth and believe a Truth and allow it to change your perspective and your day. We wanted to make it almost a country song feel.

Last year at the Passion Conference I heard Louie Giglio say that the Lord allows us to go the heights and to see who He is--that's what worship is all about. When we approach Him, He allows us to see who He is when we seek Him. I thought that was so neat, and we based the song on Psalm 18. I really love verse 33, about God setting us on the heights. I love how we get to see our story inside of His big story. You are able to see behind you and before you.

When you are down in the valley--which is a daily thing that Louie also described--after God lets us go to the heights, we are in awe and then we go back down and bow down low to Him. I love that visual. Those times when He lets us go to the heights we see that He's going to keep lifting us and we see behind us that He's always been lifting us. I had this happiness of that truth in my heart and decided that's what I wanted to sing about. I wanted the song to be super-happy with hand-claps and stomps and a celebratory song.

Please tell me about the Bible verses you used in writing the song. Any life verse?

Psalm 18:33: "He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places."

… and Psalm 18:3: "I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies."

My life verse is Psalm 37:4-6: "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday."

What is the takeaway message for listeners about the song and the album?

When the songs were in the beginning stages, I would pray and ask God to show me the people who needed to hear the truths I was singing. I asked Him to show me the strongholds that He wanted to break in people's lives and I would literally pray for His healing and His power to be sown into the songs from the very beginning.

The sweetest thing for me was when I recorded the vocals months later, I kept having to stop as my throat was closing up because of all the tears. I would remember the prayers that I had prayed into the songs as I began writing them and now I was praying as I was singing the vocals.

Truth was being sown into every part of these songs. It changed me forever as a songwriter and I'll never make records the same again. God knows who needs it. He knows whom it will speak to. He knows that the right song, in the right mouth at just the right moment can change the world. He knows the drawbridge of someone's heart is going to slowly lower down through these very songs. He ordained it. It's His; I'm proud to carry it, but really it's His to promote and His to do with as He pleases and I trust Him with it. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to be a part of it, so I thank Him. I'm at rest and without striving or seeking for something more, I simply open up my hands and my heart and hand over to the world Into The Glorious.

Lyrics:
Up on the heights, oh oh
You let me go, oh oh
You make my heart to rise from the depths below …

You hold me up, oh oh
So I can see, oh oh
You're ever lifting me …
You're ever lifting me …

You're lifting my head so I know You're near me
You're lifting my eyes so I see You clearly
Where I belong…You are where I belong
I'm lifting my voice just to sing a new song
I'm lifting my hands just to show You I know where I belong …
You're where I belong …
You are ever lifting me …
You are ever lifting me …

You fill my heart to know, the length of Your great love
And where You go I'll go, You set my heart above
And nothing on earth compares, Oh God when I'm with You
You take me higher, You take me higher

Matthew Henry's commentary: "But according to these songs, it is not simply that the experiences inspired or confirmed faith, but that in the deliverance Yahweh actually made Himself known. Psalm 18 uses classic language borrowed from historic appearances of God to make this point. Those that truly love God may thus triumph in Him as theirs, and may with confidence call upon Him. This further use we should make of our deliverances, we must not only love God the better, but love prayer the better—call upon Him as long as we live, especially in time of trouble, with an assurance that so we shall be saved; for thus it is written, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Acts 2:21."

Christy Nockels has long been one of the premier female vocalists in Christian music and this brilliant five-star album, Into The Glorious, was well worth the almost three-year wait. Every song is worshipful, catchy, moving and powerful. This is my favorite female solo album of the year along with Audrey Assad's Heart. Christy's tender and powerful vocals are captivating on the stand-out songs "Ever Lifting", "For Your Splendor", "Into The Glorious", "Your Love Is Moving", "Healing Is In Your Hands", "Waiting Here For You", "How I Love You" and her stunning worship anthem, "Sing Along." There are no weak tracks and this album is truly a masterpiece. Without a doubt, Into The Glorious is my top worship album of the year.

"Ever Lifting" is such a great song and anthem of praise! Many of my favorite songs are based on the joy of the Psalms and certainly Christy's new song "Sing Along" from the Passion: White Flag album also has that psalmist feel.

As Christy and I discussed those passages we both thought of how convicting it is to really live out the words of Psalm 37:4-5: "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass." I love how the song also connects to the theme verse of Passion268, Isaiah 26:8. That's a daily decision to make and commit to God, to say "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your Truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls."

What a great and awesome responsibility we have as followers of Jesus to "be the light of the world." This song is great way to have encouragement and sing at the top of your lungs: "You're lifting my head so I know You're near me, You're lifting my eyes so I see You clearly, Where I belong…You are where I belong, I'm lifting my voice just to sing a new song, I'm lifting my hands just to show You I know where I belong …You're where I belong …" Amen!

(You can listen to the song here.)