Song Meanings: Proclaim

You can listen to and download this song at http://undertheroseband.com/track/proclaim. 

Lyrics

 

Out of the depths I cry unto You

In my anguish

For no other name could ever set me free

When I am with You I am not afraid

I hide under Your wings

I lift my voice, You hear my cry

You turn Your ear to me

When they surround me like a swarm

(What can man do to me?)

And push me back ‘til I am falling

(They will surely be cut off)

You are my strength and my song, God

(You are my salvation)

And I will not die on this day

I’ll proclaim what you have done

Let the sound of joy and victory

Resound in my tent

For Your right hand has done this mighty deed

I look in triumph on my sin and death

By the wonder of Your love

I trust in You and not in man

In You who set me free

Glory after glory chasing me in waves

You crawl under my skin

You’re running down my face

You hold my heaving chest

You shut my eyes with gentle touch

Here in the place You made for us

I am the place You made for us

Turning Point

“Proclaim” marked a huge turning point in the way I write songs. For years, I had wanted to use heavy music to describe my relationship with God. But, it seemed that many Christians around me preferred to write only “pretty” songs with “happy” lyrics. For some time, I felt guilty about my own musical tastes. Was I dwelling on dark thoughts and dark music? Was I not experiencing the full joy of God's presence? It didn’t help that some Christians were horrified by the sheer volume of my music and the amount of seemingly unmusical noise I produced when performing it.

But Psalm 118 encouraged me to pursue my musical tastes further. “Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” These are powerful words of violent deliverance. These words boast in the God that defies nations. He cuts them off. His sense of eternal justice does not allow evil to escape. In his despair, the psalmist cried to God, and his God destroyed evil.

When I think about a divine army descending to crush evil, I don't think of acoustic guitars and light melodies. I think of pummeling drums, roaring guitars, and anthemic choirs. To me, this is the sound of victory. So, I tweaked the words of Psalm 118 to fit a heavy but reflective piece of music I had begun writing a few years before. The combination became “Proclaim,” the first heavy song I wrote to describe my relationship with God.

The Temple

The bridge of the song contains a few lines I wrote in a journal to describe the experience of being in God’s physical presence. He touches my skin, He moves me to tears, He holds me. The Bible makes numerous assertions that God makes His home inside His people. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? ... For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor. 3:16–17). Knowing I am in His presence is a comforting, empowering experience. It is an unparalleled wonder to be able to say, “God, I am the place You made for us to live together.”

The almighty, conquering Warrior God is one with the personal Friend.

Biblical References: Psalm 118, Psalm 103, 1 Corinthians 3, 6

--Aaron