“This Place” was the first song that God gave me, all the way back in November of 2002.
It was a Sunday afternoon and I was doing things around the house, singing while I worked. I went out to the kitchen, and as I was doing dishes, I suddenly realized that I was singing a new song. It was the chorus of this song. I dried my hands and ran out to the piano to write down the words and chords and some notes in case I forgot how it went.
The next morning, I felt really far away from God, and I ended up sitting down at the piano. I played the chorus again, and God just poured the words to the verses into my spirit. I could barely write them down fast enough! Tears were pouring down my cheeks as I was suddenly brought into His presence by this song.
I sang the song day in and day out for the next week, but somewhere during that week, I went to Wal-Mart—still singing the song. And right there in the produce section, the Lord gave me the bridge. It was all I could do to hold back the tears again, as I searched for a receipt to write down the words on the back.
I shared it with the church where I led worship, and we sang it periodically, and we also sing it periodically at the church that I serve in now. But it is a very big pleasure, after all these years, to share it with the world.
I believe God had a purpose in waiting until now to make this possible—and in telling me to release this as my third release instead of the first or second. His call to enter His presence is echoing more and more loudly in the earth today. It is the call of the king saying, “Come to the feast in my presence,” and yet—just like in Jesus’ parable—many are saying that they’re too busy.
But many are coming. Those who know they are poor in spirit without Him. Those who know how much they need Him.
The amazing thing is that when we do seek Him, we find more than we could have ever imagined! 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we are changed as we behold Him. It is through the revelations of who He really is that we discover what He really made us to be, and it is those revelations that change us from the struggling, messed up, discouraged mess that we are without Him to the redeemed child of God equipped with power that He is calling us to be to establish His kingdom here on the earth! It is a glorious calling!
Know this: If you are hearing God call your name to seek His face, then He has grace available to you–the grace that will enable you to lay down the things that are stealing the time in your life that was meant for Him. All He needs is your willingness. He doesn’t need you to figure out how to do it. He needs you to be willing to do whatever He asks, and He will do the rest. Let go of whatever you’re holding onto, and hold onto Him instead. He’ll test your heart, and He might ask You to make hard decisions, but I promise you that what He’ll give you in return is far more than anything He’ll ask you to surrender!
When we answer the call to seek God, we discover a place of wonder–a place of intimate fellowship with God that is beyond our wildest dreams. The wonder unfolds with time, as we answer His call to invest time in His presence over and over again, making Him the highest priority in our lives.
This song is for all those who answer the call to enter His presence and behold Him.
