Do You Really Wanna Sing Oceans?

*I wrote this song in my and Jeana's blog, but I thought it would be nice to share it here*

The first time I heard this song, I knew it would be one of my all-time favorites. The lyrics were really good and it was a new and refreshing sound from Hillsong. Taya Smith's profound delivery of power and emotion is unrivaled and the instrumental helps drive those aspects of the song. So naturally, this song was on constant repeat for a lengthy amount of time. I found myself driving along the freeway, singing at the top of my lungs, not thinking much about what the song really means.

Then the Philippines happened.

You see, coming to the Philippines to study Theology is but a small step towards God's ultimate will for my life. However big it may seem to have moved here with my wife, it is just the beginning of our journey. And even though it's just a start, I am constantly bombarded by things that I am very much uncomfortable with. The ultra-conservative outlook on Christianity in my campus bothers me. The constant inconvenience of travelling in a jeep makes me impatient. Having to form new relationships with fellow students and teachers exhausts me. Weekly small group meetings make me uneasy. Teaching a Sabbath School class takes so much effort. This is just to name a few. And to think that this is just the beginning of my journey?

And so when I randomly heard this song one night, it caused me to meditate on the meaning of the words a little bit deeper, and it scared the heck out of me.

Spirit lead me

Where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper

Than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior.

Let's be honest, those are scary things to ask for.

It's not just telling God that you'll do whatever He asks you to, but actually asking Him to put you in situations where you'll have to struggle, fight, and claw your way to get through. This is not just a regular song of praise but a request for God to take over and a complete surrender of your life to His will. It's a declaration telling God to put you in situations where your only chance of surviving is putting your faith in Him.

What if God's will for me is not to go back to Canada but stay here in the Philippines? What if God tells me that it's not His will for me and my wife to have children of our own? What if He decides to send me to a disease-stricken country to minister to those who are afflicted by sickness? Worse yet, what if He convicts me to become a vegetarian?

Now imagine this yourself: What if you're at your very last year studying to become a nurse but somehow you get a message from God telling you to become an elementary teacher? Would you switch courses right then and there without delay? What if you're currently enjoying financial stability with everything in order and the rest of your life seemingly all covered, but God suddenly tells you to go to leave everything and head to Africa to serve the people in that region? Would you go in a heartbeat?

That's what this song is all about!

You, by singing this song, are essentially telling the Holy Spirit to take you far beyond your comfort zone, doing things far beyond your normal capabilities.

BUT HAVE NO FEAR!

At the very end of the song is a powerful and soul-satisfying promise that results from us enacting the faith He has given us. This song perfectly ends with the promise that God is with us wherever He puts us. When we exercise the faith given to us for us to be able to ask such things from God, He also assures us that He will constantly be by our side, lifting us up whenever our feet may fail.

How sweet it is that through trials and hardships, we will be able to sing these words:

My soul will rest in your embrace,

I am Yours and You are mine.

I'm not saying we shouldn't sing this song. It's a wonderful prayer and I wish for everyone to have this song in their hearts! This is a call and a challenge to mean the words that we say, to dwell on the lyrics and what it would mean in our lives and relationship with God. I love the instrumental and how this song is originally arranged. But what I have come to love is the true meaning of what I tell God when I sing this song. So sing it! But at the same time make sure that you mean it.