This album is a collection of songs, in chronological order, which I wrote during a very challenging period of my life. I never intended for them to be heard by anyone but God, and I wrote each one for the purpose of ‘praising to survive’, reminding myself (and God!) of who He is, and speaking His promises back to Him. There were times when all I could do was cry and play the piano, and often, a song began from there.
I believe God intentionally led me through the valley to refine me, strengthen me, and mould me into what He needs me to be. At the beginning of the journey, I asked a lot of questions, did a lot of faith-praying (that ‘the mountain might be removed into the sea’!) and pleaded with God to end the pain. After many months there was then a shift in my attitude (at Track 5, which I wrote in the space of about an hour) after I had a revelation about how sovereign God is, and that in order to truly be used by Him, I had to surrender my will, my plans, and my human understanding of who God is and how He should behave. Am I surrendered to Him only if He does what I ask? Is that surrender? When I gave my life to Him, was it only for times when life was going well?
In the following months it then started to become more about a burning desire to see God and know Him than to have my prayers answered. And the more I caught glimpses of Him, the less I cared about my own earthly desires, and the more I wanted Him to be glorified on Earth.
I am now walking on the other side of the valley, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that God is faithful, He is glorious, and His word does not fail. And above all, I know Who holds me, which I think was God’s plan all along…
