Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." 

 

In his commentary, Matthew Henry wrote: "It is the substance of things hoped for. Faith and hope go together; and the same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith... It is the evidence of things not seen. Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body. Faith is the firm assent of the soul to the divine revelation and every part of it, and sets to its seal that God is true."

 

Faith is the substance of the debut album by vocalist Jodi King and her husband, bass player Chris Rademaker, the duo that make up the new Word Entertainment band Love & The Outcome. I had the opportunity to interview Jodi and Chris about their catchy song "He is With Us." 

 

Jodi: This song came out of the journey Chris and I have been on for the past two years. We really felt God telling us to sell everything we had and hit the road. So we headed out, not exactly sure where God was taking us. We felt a lot like Joshua when God called him to lead his people out into the wilderness. The task must have felt huge and overwhelming. That is true faith, trusting that God will equip us for the tasks that he has laid before us. I'm really encouraged by Joshua 1:9. We read that Scripture, and realized that applied to us as well. Moses had passed away, and it was Joshua's turn to lead the people. I can totally relate to that. We have always felt that God has asked us to do things way beyond our pay grade, and beyond ourselves. We've needed faith to do it, and that's been our story in a nutshell. 

 

Chris: Everything meaningful that happens to someone is related to how we respond to God. Many times we'll talk with people and it seems like they are waiting for God to do something. Maybe He is doing something, and we just need to step out in faith and respond to Him. Our modern day example of stepping out in faith has been living out of our car, or a tour bus, not knowing where we were going next. Wherever you are with your journey with God, just remember that He is always by your side.

 

Joshua 1:9 (The Voice): "This is My command: be strong and courageous. Never be afraid or discouraged because I am your God, the Eternal One, and I will remain with you wherever you go."

 

Isaiah 7:14 (The Voice): "Suit yourself. The Lord will give you a proof-sign anyway: See, a young maiden will conceive. She will give birth to a son and name Him Immanuel, that is, ‘God with us.'"

 

Hebrews 11:8 (The Voice): "By faith Abraham heard God's call to travel to a place he would one day receive as an inheritance; and he obeyed, not knowing where God's call would take him."

 

Jodi: We are excited about our journey in making this album and about this song in particular. Every time we sing it, we mean every single word. Chris and I made an album in Canada. In order to make the album, we had to sell our home. We felt God telling us to step out in faith and serve Him. We didn't know we'd live on the road for two years. It was a journey for sure with twists and turns, but the Lord never left our side. It was even deeper than that. We felt that God was so clearly with us, even though everything was changing. This song comes from our journey of clinging to the Lord, knowing that He never changes. We love making music and we love the Lord, and this is our way to try to make an impact for His Kingdom on Earth. We've learned that sometimes, being close to the Lord means being far away from comforts. That's not always the case, but that's a sacrifice of praise. All of our family lives far away. Our hope and our prayer with this song and our album, is for people to stay close to God.

 

"He is With Us" is one of my favorite songs of the year. Right from the lyrics: "We can't pretend to see the ending or what's coming up ahead, To know the story of tomorrow, But we can stay close to the One who knows," I find myself praying and singing along with this amazing song as it really expresses a deep desire that many people have, which is to "know the story of tomorrow." The beauty of walking by faith, and not by sight is that we can trust God. As the song says, "He knows what He's doing."

 

As followers of Jesus, we know that we can trust God's Word. We are all a work in progress. Have faith and let God "work all things together for good." Spend time with God and let Him redeem and restore you. We are not at the end of our story. God's still writing our stories of redemption. God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who've put all of our hope and trust in Jesus for our salvation. 

 

This gorgeous song connects to multiple Bible passages. That's what Love & The Outcome is all about, loving God with all of their hearts, expressed in one catchy song after another. God loves you so much. Lean on Him and He'll give you strength. This song is all for God's glory. When we are in communion with God, it is joyful and not a burden. I sing along with the truth of this song at the top of my lungs, and rejoice in the lyrics: "He is with us, He is with us, Always, Our God is with us." Amen!

 

(You can watch the music video here.)