Open the Eyes of My Heart - Sonicflood

Sonicflood Live at TBN

It has been a while since I've heard this song in church.  After listening to Tommy Walker's Lord I Believe in You, I found myself remembering the songs from the past and one of the first worship/contemporary Christian bands was Sonicflood.  It was just really nostalgic reminiscing about the song we sang in the past.

While it is true that we have so many good song nowadays, there are many songs in the past that still make sense even in this day and age of Christian music.

Open the Eyes of My Heart

Sonicflood

Source: Worship Archive

E

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

B

Open the eyes of my heart

          A

I want to see you

          E         G  A

I want to see you

E

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

B

Open the eyes of my heart

          A

I want to see you

          E        E  E/D   E

I want to see you

           B               C#m

To see You high and lifted up

A                            B

Shining in the light of Your glory

B                       C#m

Pour out Your power and love

           A           B    

As we sing holy, holy, holy

A           B

Holy, holy, holy

          E

I want to see you

Honestly, I still ask this of the Lord.  I still pray for the Lord to open the eyes of my heart in order for me to see His plans and purposes for my life.  I continually seek the Lord believing that as I draw closer to Him, He draws closer to me.   I long to hear His voice and worship in His presence.

If you want more Sonicflood material you might want to check these out from Amazon.com

Lord I Believe In You - Tommy Walker and C.A. Worship Band

Lord I Believe in You - Tommy Walker

Talking about Kim Walker reminded me of Tommy Walker and the praise and worship songs he made popular.  The one that comes to mind immediately is Lord I Believe in You.  When I was looking for it on the internet, it appeared that Crystal Lewis' version was more prominent and popular.  That may be because Crystal Lewis' version is more contemporary as compared to Tommy Walker's version which was really more praise and worship.

Lord I Believe in You - Crystal Lewis

Lord, I Believe in You

Tommy Walker and C.A. Worship Band

Source: worshipmusic.eileenjahna.com

Am                   E                      Am

Though I can’t see Your Holy Face

         F                                     C                         G

And Your throne in Heaven above, it seems so far away

F                         E                                    E7               Am

Though I can’t touch, can’t touch Your nail scarred hands

               F                          C                              G

I have a deep unspeakable joy, that makes my faith to stand.

(Chorus)

  G        C                      F                     C                      F

Lord, I believe in You,        I’ll always believe in You

                          F                           Fm

Though I can’t see You with my eyes

                      C                                 F

Deep in my heart, Your presence I find

             C                      F                              C                  F

Lord, I believe in You,      and I’ll keep my trust in You

                           F                            Fm

Let this whole world say what they may

                   C                    G                  Am                  F  Am

No one can take this joy away. Lord I believe in You.

Am               E                                                   Am

Born from above, You are God’s only chosen one

                 F                              C                       G

You’re the one and only true way, way to the Father’s heart

F                       E                      E7                         Am

You died for all sin, then You rose and now live again

                     F                   C                    G

Conquering death and the grave, so that I might live.

No matter whose version you like better, it does not change the fact that this is a great praise and worship song.  One that magnifies what Jesus Christ has done for us and why we believe.

It serves to remind us that though that we had good songs in the past which brought about this renaissance in Christian Music through Hillsong, Israel Houghton, Kim Walker and others.

If you like these songs, you may also want to check these from Amazon.com

Jesus Be The Center - Israel Houghton

This a fairly new song which, from what I gather, was debuted by Israel Houghton in Hillsong Conference 2011.  Apparently this was the 25th Hillsong conference and a far cry from the small gathering of believers that started it all more than 2 decades ago.  The Hillsong Conference 2001 saw thousands of participant from all over the world congregate at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Darling Harbour.

The conference was said to be amazing and it makes me look forward to going to the 2012 conference if and when I get the budget and time for it.   I will be praying and believing for this to happen.

Jesus Be The Center

Israel Houghton - Hillsong Conference 2011

Source: iunspoken.com

F Gm F/A


Jesus at the center of it all


Bb F/A C


Jesus at the center of it all


Bb Dm


From beginning to the end


Gm


It will always be


F/A


It’s always been You


Bb Bb/C


Jesus, Jesus

Jesus be the center of my life


Jesus be the center of my life


From beginning to the end


It will always be
It’s always been You

Jesus, Jesus

Bb


Nothing else matters


Dm F


Nothing in this world will do


F Gm7 F/A Bb


Jesus you’re the center


Gm7 Dm7


Everything revolves around You


C


Jesus You

Bridge:


C


From my heart to the heavens


Dm F


Jesus be the center


Bb


It’s all about You


C


It’s all about You

Jesus be the center of my church


Jesus be the center of my church


From beginning to the end

It will always be


It’s always been You


Jesus, Jesus

It is a spirit-filled song and brings us back to the meaning of being Christians.  It is a reminder that at the center of it all is Jesus.  Churches should remember that always.  It is not about the pastor, though you may have a good pastor, but pastors are only human.  The reason why you go to a specific church is because you can feel the presence and the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ permeating the church and its believers, not only because the pastor speaks well.

This is really an inspiring song.  The chords provided by iunspoken.com is a good touch.  I might  be adding the chords of the songs I am posting for those interested.

Hope you guys love this song as much as I do.

For more Israel Houghton you may want to check out this other resources from Amazon.com

I Asked You For Life - Kim Walker

This song is great.  It speaks of the kind of love god has for us.  With Kim Walker's Collaboration with Jesus Culture in Rooftops a lot of the songs being sung in Christian churches nowadays have somehow come from her or with her participation!

I Asked You For Life 
Kim Walker
Source: 6lyrics.com

Verse 1:
I asked You for life, and You sent your son to die for me.
I asked You for hope, You came in the night and gave me a dream.
I asked You for freedom, You broke every chain and gave me the keys.
I asked You for love never-ending and every day You surround me!

Pre-Chorus:
And now my faith in You is a mountain that can't be shaken,
Now my strength is found in You, it is joy that can't be taken!

Chorus:
Praise spills from my lips, flowing onto the feet of You, my King.
You deserve all the love and all the honor that I can bring!

Bridge:
Here is my song, here is my heart, here is my love, all for You, Jesus!

Chorus 2:
Holy, Holy, only You are worthy!

(CD: V1, Pre, C1, V1, Pre, C1 x2, Bridge x4, C2 x4, C1, C2 x4)
From the first line of the song, it already tugs at your heart's strings.  The reminder that Jesus Christ died for us to give us hope and freedom, by loving us is well captured in the first verse.
I wouldn't really say that my faith is like a mountain that cannot be shaken, I'd like to think that it is God's faithfulness and love that is stronger than a mountain that cannot be shaken!  And that is the reason why I my faith looks so strong, because God makes it so.
That is also the reason why praise just spills out of my mouth because my heat and soul is just overflowing with honor, love and worship for the Lord!  It just flows out, it is not forced.  The description is very accurate.  Couldn't have thought of a more apt description for it!

A Psalm of David (Psalm 25)

Often I am left with no words to pray, I read the Psalms for inspiration.  One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 25.  This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

Psalm 25

New International Version (NIV)

A Psalm Of David.

 1 In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.

 2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 


 3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, 
but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

 4 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.


5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.


6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.


7 Do not remember the sins of my youth 
   and my rebellious ways; 
according to your love remember me, 
   for you, LORD, are good.

 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.


9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.


10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.


11 For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

 12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? 
   He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.


13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.


14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.


15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.


17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.


18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.


19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!

 20 Guard my life and rescue me; 
 do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.


21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, 
 because my hope, LORD, is in you.

 22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

What an amazing praying right?  Not only a prayer for one's self but a prayer for one's country.  This is really an encouraging Psalm.  And gives an assurance as to the faithfulness of the Lord to his people.  It serves as a reminder of the Kingdom principle that God is our Lord and King and He will deliver us from all our troubles.

It is a Psalm I often use to worship God in times of struggle and also in times when I just want to feel the presence of the Lord.

Jesus Culture: Rooftops

Most of the worship songs in churches nowadays come from Hillsong or Lakewood Church.  When I first heard this song I thought for sure this is a new Hillsong worship song.  To my surprise and delight, the song was from a new group (well at least new to me), called Jesus Culture.  The song is called Rooftops.

Rooftops
Jesus Culture feat. Kim Walker Smith
Source: lyricsmode.com

Here I am before you
Falling in love and seeking your truth
Knowing that your perfect grace
Has brought me to this place
Because of you I freely live
My life to you, oh God, I give

So I stand before You God
I lift my voice because you set me free

So I shout out your name from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am yours

All the good You've done for me
I lift up my hand up hand for all to see
You're the only one
Who brings me to my knees
To share this love across the earth
The beauty of Your Holy Word

So I stand before You God
I lift my voice because you set me free

So I shout out your name from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours
All that I am I place into Your loving hands
And I am Yours, I am Yours

Here I am, I stand with arms wide open
To the one, the Son, the everlasting God (2x)


It is a great song to sing in the rooftops and belting out until your hearts content.  I do believe that the love of God has brought me to this place.  It is amazing how I can relate to this song.


It is indeed great to sing a new song to the Lord everyday.  I hope you guys enjoy this song as much as I did and let us never forget to put all that we are into the hands of God.  This does not mean off course that we could just slack off.  Truly believing in God does not lead to laziness.  We all know that there is much work to be done right?

I Am a Friend of God

I Am a Friend of God is an old song popularized by Israel Houghton and New Breed of Lakewood Church pastored by Joel Osteen.  If you haven't heard this song, you may want to check out this video.

I Am a Friend of God

Israel Houghton and New Breed (Lakewood Church)

Source: lyricsmode.com

VERSE:


Who am I that you are mindful of me


That you hear me, when I call


Is it true that you are thinking of me


How you love me, it's amazing (Who am I Lord)

CHORUS:


I am a friend of God


I am a friend of God


I am a friend of God


He calls me friend



Repeat Verse



BRIDGE:


God Almighty


Lord of Glory


You have called me friend



Repeat Chorus


I believe this was taken from the Book of James 2:23 (KJV):  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 

I have some misgivings with the song.  Well, misgivings may be too strong a word, maybe I have some opinions on how to refine it.  Of course, it would be too late now given its popularity and the time interval! (Haha!)

While it is indeed amazing to be compared to Abraham! But then again we must remember that Abraham was born (and died) before the time of Christ.  We are indeed friends of God, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in Calvary, we have become more than friends, we have become family!

The verses are amazing and they pierce the soul!  But when you really think about it, after the crucifixion and resurrection of  Jesus Christ (commonly referred to as Easter, and no there were no bunnies then, well at least I think there were no bunnies in Calvary or the rolling tomb!), we should expect God to be mindful of us!  After all we are his children!  And yes it does not take away the fact that it is still amazing and awesome to think that the God of all creation cares for us.  Oh but he does!  And we are dishonoring Him if we think otherwise!

Instead of repeating the phrase "I am friend of God" over and over, it should have also included the fact that we have become more than friends with God when we became the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.  But this is an afterthought and does not take away the fact that the song is amazing!

Desert Song (Hillsong)

When I first heard the title of the song Desert Song by Hillsong I remember thinking about Sting's Desert Rose.  But when I heard the song I was amazed.  It was a very good song.  If you haven't heard it before, here is the song on youtube.

The song is just awesome and inspiring.

Desert Song
by: Hillsong
from: lyricsmode.com

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've recieved I will sow


The part that I like the most is the bridge.  In every season of our lives, no matter what we are going through, the bad, the good, especially the best and even in the worst we always have a reason to sing and worship the Lord.


Hillsong just makes beautiful worship song and this one in particular has become my anthem.