Remember, you can listen to "Into the Storm" and the rest of the Reflections album on February 22, 2021 on your favorite media platform!
This song was a last minute edition to the Reflections album and also a very recent write of mine. I was having issues with a different song that was slated for Reflections and decided to replace it with "Into the Storm." I had been excited about this song since I wrote it in late November of 2020. I had been working on another song inspired by my grandfather's devotional book "Plow New Ground". In this other song, I was using a particular phrase directly inspired by my grandfathers words, but it didn't flow well with what I already had. So I had to cut it. But i loved this phrase and wanted to use it. So i gave it its own song.
In the introduction to his book, my gradfather, Ed Mathews, explains his purpose for writing his book. He calls his book "an encouragement to abandon the shores of belief in order to experience the depths of faith." What a marvelous concept! Simple belief is safe and easy, but a true deep faith takes work. True faith stands strong in the face of challenges of doubt. And so, in a sudden fury of inspiration, I cranked out two verses written around a ship being a metaphor for faith.
(verse 1)
"My ship is built and I'm ready to go
My hull is strong and I'm eager to show
That I can take on anything
No matter what dangers the sea will bring
So hoist the sails, no time to delay
Windward I turn underway"
Once we've built our ship (faith), it needs to be used. A ship that never sails is no good to anyone. Likewise, a lukewarm faith that is never used for good works is a waste. We should be confident that our faith in God will carry us through no matter what comes our way.
(verse 2)
Lightning strikes and thunder rolls
My ship is strong despite the holes
A storm will never take me down
My God will never let me drown
Tearing sails and cracking mast
At the helm, He holds me fast"
Any boat is expected to float. What sets better boats apart is their ability to rough the worst conditions even when damaged. As humans, we will never be perfect in our faith. When the storm starts, we will get pushed around, our sails might tear and our mast might even crack. Our strength will be measured by how we handle these situations. Do we remain confident that God holds us firm and that he is at the helm getting us through? Are we putting our faith in Him or ourselves?
(Bridge)
"How will I be tested if I stay in still waters?
How can I know my strength if I leave my anchor down?
Sail away from the shores of safe belief
And experience the depths of faith
Through the storm I will find the shore
Where I'll be forever moored
Once I have endured"
If your ship remains at port, what good is it doing you? Is it serving others? Is it serving God? And if you never take your boat out, how will you know how strong it is, how capable it is? It is here that I used my grandfather's words about the depths of faith. With a strong faith we will make it through the struggles of the earth and find our reward on the other side. Once we are there, the ship's job is done, its mission complete. Having survived the storm, we will drop anchor and walk up Heaven's shore.
(chorus)
"I will sail into the storm
My faith will keep me from harm
The Lord will guide me home
He goes with me
Into the storm"
The chorus is straightforward and simple, and I'm relying on the music here to make it drive home the point. The phrase about the Lord guiding me home reminds me of a great song called "The Lighthouse" by Vocal Union which you can check out here. Great song from a phenomenal group.
I hope you'll love this song as much as I do. And I invite you to check out my grandfather's book "Plow New Ground" which is available to download for free along with his other works at his website Plow New Ground. He has spent his life ministering to people abroad as a missionary and at home as a college professor at Abilene Christian University and has a lot of wisdom to share.
-JB