From my first listen, I was totally captivated by this studio album Tides by Bethel Music, a ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California. I'm a huge fan of their anointed Spirit-filled worship. Tides is about proclaiming the majesty of God and crying out for His Presence throughout this incredible worship experience. 

 

Jenn and her husband Brian Johnson are the worship leaders at Bethel Church and have been featured on all Bethel Live albums as well as The Loft Sessions and Tides. I'm really engaged by Jenn's emotional vocals and the deep, prayerful lyrics throughout the album. 

 

"I want to know You, I'm after Your heart…/ I'm chasing You, I'm so in love, captivated, I just can't get enough, I'll spend my days running after Your heart" are her cries of submission in lead single "Chasing You," phrasing biblical truth in a creative and personal way. I think of the bridge of my all-time favorite worship song, "Hosanna" written by Brooke Fraser for Hillsong United. "Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause." I had the great opportunity to interview Jenn about her song "Chasing You."

 

 

My husband and I have been married for 13 years. When you say "I do," that's a parallel to salvation. You fall in love, and as you move forward you can get comfortable in knowing that you are loved, and you can lose the art of keeping it fresh or pursuing that person's heart, if you will. I was comparing that to our relationship with the Lord, that it's not a done deal at salvation and then switch to autopilot. Our love-relationship with the Lord is something to keep fresh. This song is me pursuing the Lord's heart, and you have to know the Lord in a personal relationship to figure out what moves His heart. That's a lot of different things. One of those things is loving people well. I had it in my heart to write this song about going after God's heart.

 

Psalm 139:1-10 (NKJV): "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me."

 

Song of Solomon 5:2 (The Voice): "Her: I was sleeping, but my heart was awake when I heard a sound, the sound of my love pounding at the door. Him: Open yourself to me, my sister, my dearest, my sweet dove, my flawless beauty. My head is drenched with dew; my hair is soaked with the wetness of the night."

 

Acts 13:22 (NKJV): "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'"

 

 

Your relationships with others are affected by your relationship with The Father. By learning that chase of the Lord, I re-experience the chase of my husband, and my kids' hearts. It's not something that is a done deal, but how can I make you fall in love with me again? How can I bless you?  I want to have that constant heart connection that's alive and active. 

 

I want to speak into the fact that sometimes we speak, "Come and fill us up," and that's beautiful, or "Come closer." I wanted to say in this song, "I'm after You, God." This is a treasure hunt, and even if I spend every day of my life seeking after God's heart, I still wouldn't find it all. I'm captivated by God's goodness. I want to know Him more, and bless Him. I want to be one that God is blessed by and that He looks down from Heaven and says, "That's my baby." 

 

It's that heart of I'm not going to be a Christian who is just set and I'm in this for everything God can give me. I'm in this for everything that I can give Him. It's that two-fold love relationship. That Bible passage from Song of Solomon is a great reminder that we encounter the Lord even during our sleep. 

 

Our Pastor has taught us that when we go to sleep at night and instead of thinking about our day or what we need to do, to turn our affections to the Lord—to love on the Lord as we go to sleep and to give Him our night to do to us whatever He wants to encounter us in our dreams. It's also about the posture of saying to God that even when I'm sleeping I want to know You.

 

 

I really love how this expressive song allows listeners to reflect on profound words like, "This life, this love was always meant to be a wild crazy adventure, discovering the thrill, the rush, the more of You I see, the more it leaves me wanting everything, You're everything." Those words are great to pray and express your own yearnings for holiness and God's presence. 

 

Our thoughts are constantly under attack by the enemy, and this song is a great way to submit to Him and commit: "From the moment I rise, to the moment I sleep / My affection is for You, and even as I dream / I want to know you, I'm after Your heart."

 

Lord, thank You for the opportunity to think and sing about Your goodness. What an amazing gift it is to know You personally. As we encounter these songs, these Truths, and Your Word, we pray that we are prompted by the Holy Spirit to seek Your presence, and to know that You are with us. Our desire is to pursue You with our whole minds, hearts, bodies and souls. Amen.

 

(Here's the lyric video.)