Since I first heard their song "Give Me Faith," Elevation Worship has consistently blessed me as a worshiper with their anthems for the church: "Open Up Our Eyes," "O Come to the Altar," "Do it Again" and "Resurrecting." The band is the worship team of Elevation Church, based out of Charlotte, North Carolina and led by Pastor Steven Furtick.

Elevation Worship's most recent live worship album Hallelujah Here Below was one of my top 10 worship albums of 2018. The project features melodic, worshipful songs all focused on singing the truth of God's character and word into the hearts of listeners. If you are looking for new worship songs to sing with fellow believers, this album is chock-full of congregational songs, especially "Won't Stop Now," "Here Again," "Worthy" and "Here Comes Heaven."

This is one of the top worship albums of the year. It is truly a moving and prayerful worship experience. These anointed worship leaders have consistently impressed me with their mature faith and sincere desire to serve Jesus. The truly unstoppable love of Jesus is beautifully expressed in these compelling songs. The Lord calls us to have joy in Him regardless of our circumstances, which these songs celebrate. I had the chance to speak with Chris Brown about "Here Again."
Please tell me the personal story behind the song.

This is one of the most personal songs we've written. It's always going to be one of those songs where I'll never forget the time, and the place the song was finished. It was written under difficult circumstances for me personally. I've seen loved ones pass away where they are caught in the middle between earth and heaven. And, I had gone through a season of life caught in the middle of family rhythms and ministry. "Here Again" started with the concept of being "here in the middle" and meeting God in that place. Later, when we came back to the song, we were in another season of reflection and not knowing what was ahead. Things didn't look like they used to. In that moment, it was a lightbulb moment for us to turn to Genesis 28 and Jacob's dream. He had been a cheat and a liar, and he was not a great guy. He had gone through a journey and then had this revelation where he sees the ladder going up to heaven and says the Lord has been in this place. That was the turning point for finishing this song.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Lamentations 3:22-23 (VOICE): "How enduring is God's loyal love; the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion. Here they are, every morning, new! Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV): "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

1 John 4:18-19 (NKJV): "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us."

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV): "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Deuteronomy 4:39 (NIV): "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other."

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

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV): "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

What is the takeaway message?

Our faith is always about awareness. It comes down to what we put our eyes on--no matter how we feel in this in-between place. Our awareness of God's presence in the middle of everything is what this song is about. What we want people to take away from "Here Again" is that it would open people's eyes to God's presence even when we don't sense Him, when we're mad or sad, and when we're in doubt or feeling abandoned. He not only remains faithful, which we can understand from our knowledge standpoint, but God is waiting for our awareness of His presence. He's not just there as a friend, He needs us to recognize that He's never left us--now matter what we're feeling.

"Here Again" has brought a lot of healing to people. It seems to bring about a sense of awe and wonder of God. We can't have worship without either of those feelings that express our faith in Him. This song has helped return people to a place of awe and wonder. Our album, Hallelujah Here Below, is about where we find ourselves right now in our faith journey and how we view ourselves as children of God. God inhabits the praises of His people.

Lyrics:
Can't go back to the beginning
Can't control what tomorrow will bring
But I know here in the middle
Is the place where You promise to be
I'm not enough unless You come
Will You meet me here again
'Cause all I want is all You are
Will You meet me here again
As I walk now through the valley
Let Your love rise above every fear
Like the sun shaping the shadow
In my weakness Your glory appears
I'm not enough unless You come
Will You meet me here again
'Cause all I want is all You are

Will You meet me here again
I'm not enough unless You come
Will You meet me here again
'Cause all I want is all You are
Will You meet me here again
Not for a minute
Was I forsaken
The Lord is in this place
The Lord is in this place
Come Holy Spirit
Dry bones awaken
The Lord is in this place
The Lord is in this place
Not for a minute
Was I forsaken
The Lord is in this place
The Lord is in this place
Come Holy Spirit
Dry bones awaken
The Lord is in this place
The Lord is in this place
I'm not enough unless You come
Will You meet me here again
'Cause all I want is all You are
Will You meet me here again
I'm not enough unless You come
Will You meet me here again
'Cause all I want is all You are
Will You meet me here again

Closing Thoughts

Every song released by Elevation Worship completely focuses me as a listener on joining in praise, worship and adoration of Jesus. Our true joy comes from our relationship with Him. One of the lessons I've learned is that we shouldn't wait to fix ourselves before we step out in faith. We need to fully trust God. You can proclaim this faith statement with confidence: "Not for a minute/Was I forsaken/The Lord is in this place/The Lord is in this place." What a powerful expression of what it means to accept that God never leaves or forsakes us as His followers. He is all we need.

The challenge for me in this song is the concept of needing to wait for God's promises, knowing that the challenges I'll face in this fallen world are God's way of making my faith grow stronger in Him alone. I know many times I think I can control outcomes and want things to always go my way. Do you want to be in control? Or do you want God to reveal His plans for you by waiting on Him? Are you waiting for yourself to work things out, or are you waiting for God to reveal Himself?  When we feel like we're on shaky ground and dealing with the uncertainty of our situations, the economy and our world, this song allows us to dwell on the unshakable nature of God. When all else fades away, He will remain. We all need to remember that we're not able to save ourselves. Only Jesus can give us our true identity.

God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song filled with biblical truth.

So many people can relate to the message of this song and the idea of waiting "here in the middle" to see God's promises revealed and to fix our eyes on Him. "Here Again" convicts me to know in my heart the biblical truth from Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23; God's mercy is new each day, and it is not based on our performance or what we can do for God. He pours out His mercy despite what we've done, and there's nothing we can do except trust in His Son Jesus. We can't earn Heaven; it's only through complete surrender to Jesus and putting all of our hope in Him that we can be saved. As a follower of Jesus, you'll want to join in and sing out: "I'm not enough unless You come/Will You meet me here again/‘Cause all I want is all You are/Will You meet me here again." Amen to that.