Josh Baldwin is one of the Bethel Music worship leaders, previously featured on "Praises (Be Lifted Up)" from Bethel's Have it All, which was one of my Top Worship Albums of 2016. From my first listen, I was totally worshipping along during his new project The War Is Over. These songs are a great way to invite listeners into a place of worship.

The War is Over is sonically and lyrically refreshing. God is exalted and the depth of His love is celebrated in every single song. This is truly soul-nourishing worship. The engaging musical arrangements are among the many attractions to savor about this soothing and sincere vertically-focused album.

"The War is Over" is one of my favorite songs of the year. I sing this song to God with all of my heart, knowing that "The war is over, turn around, lay your weapons on the ground / The smoke is fading before the light, the dead are coming back to life." There is also a beautiful live version of the song led by Kalley Heiligenthal on Starlight by Bethel Music. I had the opportunity to interview Josh Baldwin about "The War is Over."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song is the most special song to me on the album. It's the title track. The whole idea of writing a song called "the war is over" was Bobby Strand's idea. We had just started writing songs together for this album, and Bobby came to me and said he was playing the piano and had this idea for a song title. I was sitting down one day trying to tackle it and thinking about what that means. Is this a worship song? Do we write it as a corporate worship song? Or, is this just a singer-songwriter type of song? 

We read the Bible and looked at that idea of the war being over. It became this idea of writing a song that not only declared what the Lord had done for us in the resurrection life we have in Him, but also towards a prodigal son or daughter who felt lost. In the chorus "He has made a way for us, born for glory out of dust" declares what we were made for and what the Lord has done. 

The verses have some specific family members of mine in mind for me. If I were singing them this chorus, what would I want to say to them? That's where "the war is over, turn around, lay your weapons on the ground" came from. I feel like there is a lost generation looking to find who they are in Christ and who they are, period. To me, the beauty of the gospel is not only what the Lord has done for us, but because we believe in Him and put our faith and find ourselves in Him. I love that picture. That's really where the verses came from.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 60:12 (Voice): "Only through God can we be successful. It is God alone who will defeat our enemies and bring us victory!"

Psalm 46:10 (NKJV): "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Matthew 28:6 (NKJV): "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

John 16:33 (NIV): "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 

1 John 4:4 (NKJV): "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

Romans 8:11 (VOICE): "If the Spirit of the One who resurrected Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, then you can be sure that He who raised Him will cast the light of life into your mortal bodies through the life-giving power of the Spirit residing in you."

Romans 8:14 (NKJV): "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
 
Romans 8:31 (NKJV): What then shall we say to these things? "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

1 Corinthians 15:21 (NKJV): "For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead."

2nd Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
 
What is the takeaway message?

The verses are a call to a prodigal son or daughter to know that you have a home and belong to Him as His sons and daughters. We are no longer orphans. Scripturally, we were reading John 16, where Jesus talks about having peace and to take heart because He has overcome the world. That's what the idea of what "the war is over" came to mean for us. We've had people tell us, the war isn't over because we still battle with the stresses of life, and we wrestle with spiritual battles. We know that, but we know we can walk in victory through these daily battles because of what He has done. The bridge says that "it is finished it is done, the blood of Jesus overcomes." That's what the song means to us and what we are trying to portray.

I wanted to at least be able to sing this song to that family member I was thinking about and didn't care if was a corporate worship song, and then Kalley wanted to sing it on the Starlight album. It's amazing to me that churches may want to grab onto it and sing this song. It's the cry of my heart.

Lyrics:
The war is over turn around
Lay your weapons on the ground     
The smoke is fading before the light
The dead are coming back to life    

He has made a way for us
Born for glory out of dust
Children held within the arms of Peace
He has made a way for all
Mercy waits where sinners fall
He is our Victory

The war is over His love has come
To call us daughters and sons     
No longer orphans without a home
We have found where we belong    

It is finished, it is done
The blood of Jesus overcomes
It is finished, He has won
He has won     
It is finished, it is done
The blood of Jesus overcomes
It is finished, He has won
He has won     
It is finished, it is done
The blood of Jesus overcomes
It is finished, He has won
He has won    

He has made a way for us
Born for glory out of dust
Children held within the arms of Peace
He has made a way for all
Mercy waits where sinners fall
He is our Victory
He is our Victory
He is our Victory            

He has made a way for us
Born for glory out of dust
Children held within the arms of Peace
He has made a way for all
Mercy waits where sinners fall
He is our Victory
He is our Victory

One thing I love about the sentiment of this song is that regardless of your denomination or preferences, the words are something we can all come together and say amen to. Part of Bethel Music's mission as a collective of musicians is to bring the Church together. I share in that desire as a fellow believer. In writing about songs for the Church for several years now, I've had the opportunity to speak with all types of artists with all types of backgrounds, and the common denominator is our love for Jesus and one another.

Clearly some truths that we can rally behind as believers in Christ together is that God is Our Father sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, and He rose again and defeated death. We can all say Hallelujah and celebrate those truths together while singing along. The enthusiasm and energy of this song is infectious. The message challenges listeners to think about our own doubts and how Jesus calls us to rely on Him and the power of His resurrection, to remember that He has overcome death and fear. That's cause to celebrate and gives Christians everywhere the faith to believe and tell the world, "It is finished, it is done, the blood of Jesus overcomes. It is finished, He has won."

This song really reminds listeners of the power of words and the need to "tame our tongues" (James 3). The tongue is capable of use for both virtue and vice. The same mouth uses the tongue for these contradictory purposes, and we need to "lay our weapons down" in the words that we use towards one another. In our society filled with war, bullying and a lack of care for others, this song is the cry of my heart, with the much-needed call to action message for Christians to sing prophetically over whatever they are going through that "the war is over." This song has become my personal anthem, and I sing along at the top of my lungs the sincere and emotive lyrics of faith, hope and remembrance in the refrain: "He has made a way for us, born for glory out of dust, children held within the arms of Peace. He has made a way for all, mercy waits where sinners fall. He is our Victory He is our Victory." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.