Album Rating: 5/5
I can not emphasize how much I love this album, it speaks well to what a modern psalmist would write. The very first song on the album (All Shall Be Well) sets the mood for the rest of the track list. With a rolling finger picking on a soft acoustic guitar, the words are left imprinted on the ears of the listener. The song serves almost as a thankful prayer, something you would see in the beginning of Paul’s letters (Colossians 1), giving praise to God for his mighty hand in creation. John puts into words the adoration we should have for the Father, in ways I have not thought of. The track is set off with a peaceful mind and only escalates as the songs barrel on.
The album-titled song, With Every Power Wide Awake, tops off at around 10 minutes of music, bringing to light the effect we (humanity) has had on the Son of God. Lyrics like “We sold you into the hand of torture / I denied you and hid my face ” are very much derived from the Disciples and their experience, John relates this to us today, how we gave Him up to die in our own life. His cry to Jesus is this: “I was but a slave to sin / shackled to my own desire /still you showered me with perfect love /and cleansing holy fire “. Even as Peter was denying Jesus three times, our lives before His grace reflect the same denial. In retrospect to the death of Christ, we would have handed Him over as well, driven Him into torture and death. But in light of that, the Son of Man rises again, bringing new life to the world that brought Him death.
His next songs reflect this desperate reliance on Christ for everything. Even after we are saved from certain death, we still fall on our Lord for strength, to “Illuminate our Unknowing” or “in you rejoice”. Even in our sins, we died for us, called us into light by His sovereign grace, which casts out all darkness (1 John 1:5). Van Deusen continues down this route of displaying God’s greatness over his own weakness. It isn’t until the song ‘How Long Will You Wander My Wayward Daughter’ that a thematic and musical difference comes in.
In this song, the point of view switches to God, asking how long will his ‘daughter’ wander away from Him. Once again, in this simple song, simple truths about our God are revealed. He waits patiently for us, for He is slow to anger, slow to wrath, until judgement comes. This is not something for us to abuse, but to rejoice in. God waits for His children to return, like the Prodigal Son and his Father. We need not to wander like the woman in Proverbs 5, who walks her way to Sheol, but rely on Yahweh, who, through His Spirit, breathes life unto all things, creating and sustaining.
The interlude almost serves as a epiphany for the believer, “why would I go any where else”. The love of God hold us together, his Spirit working in our life to bring us towards Him (John 3:8). So, why would we want anything else, for nothing else is better than His refuge and shield, live rod and staff, his portion. This is a great transition into his next song, “The Sparrow and the Seed”. We are dependent fully on Him for our food. Like the Sparrow to the Seed, we live off of Him. “Will you teach me to live / by the Spirit you give”. That is the prayer we need to have for the God who gives us His perfect love. We can do nothing but imitate the goodness He is, that is not enough to partake in His nature, however. God reaches down into Earth to sweep us into His arms.
As it is with the Christian life, the seeming narrative in this album takes the believer down a road of stumbling and sin. The response is to cry to God for forgiveness, which is seen in Psalm 51. The song “Be Merciful To Me” quite well encapslates this prayer. John asks questions that we have all had before, making his convictions clear and open, ” is it okay to be angry with You? / are you at peace with my bitter tongue? ” Many times in my life have I asked myself this question, how can I be okay with being not okay with God? God, in His love, works all things for Good, capital ‘G’ good, for it is His Good that our life is bent to.
From this moment of lowness, we fall onto God, which is what the next song represents. The natural response of the Christian when falling into temptation is to rely on the Father, for His mount is Holy and set apart for His children (Psalm 87). I am grateful to say God cares for me and loves me, waits for me to run to Him. Even in this empty shell, we are to go to Him. Yet, there are times when He can seem so distant. John plays on this in his song “Speak Spirit, Speak!” . It is again one of those real cries we have all had to God, when His spirit is apart, it is true to know that He is always near us, even when our hearts deceive us.
At the end of this album, John relapsing into more praise of the Son for His ‘limitless love’. Think for a moment about the willingness of the Son to lay his own life down, just to save us from death. Amen to Him. He finishes with a praise to Yahweh. The Triune God saves us by His perfect plan. Everything about Him is Good, so Good. A simple praise to Him, lifting Him up above our life. Truly are we loved by a God who cares for us, truly.
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