Exegeting the Hymns #62 - Do It Again

Do It Again
w/m - Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Matt Redman, Steven Furtick

Walking around these walls
I thought by now they'd fall
But you have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle's won
For you have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is your faithfulness
Faithfulness
I'm still in your hands
This is my confidence
You've never failed me yet

I know the night won't last
Your word will come to pass
My heart will sing your praise again
Jesus you're still enough
Keep me within your love
My heart will sing your praise again

I've seen you move, You move the mountains
And I believe I'll see you do it again
You made a way where there was no way
And I believe I'll see you do it again

This is our next new song for church in the month of October. I can see why it is a big radio hit, the melody is memorable and the words bring comfort to those in the midst of a trail. However, there is also a warning, but more about that later.

Walking around these walls, I thought by now they'd fall, but you have never failed me yet. Clearly, the writers are using the Old Testament analogy of Israel walking around Jericho. God had promised to deliver that city into their hands and, even though the path to victory was a curious one, it was a certain and clear promise from God. Here, the writer inserts himself into the story and uses God’s dealing with Israel as a pattern for how he views his own victory over the walls that stand in his way.  

Waiting for change to come, knowing the battle's won, for you have never failed me yet. The writer’s story is one of faith and that is the focus of this song. God is faithful to His promises. He never will leave us, and in an eternal sense, the ultimate battle is won. 

Your promise still stands. Great is your faithfulness. I’m still in your hands, this is my confidence: You’ve never failed me yet. We have trials and tribulation. Jesus, Himself promised we would. Along with that promise of tribulation comes the promise that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). In that we can rest.

I know the night won't last. Your word will come to pass. While the night won’t last throughout eternity, the night can last for a very long time here on earth. Here, we begin to see a bit of a problem in the parallel between God’s promise to Israel and the way He helps us through trials. God made specific timely promises to Israel about taking the land, but I don’t know of any specific promises regarding the length or even temporal outcome of our trials. In some circumstances, it can last for years, decades, even to the end of our lives.  

God’s Word always comes to pass, but nowhere in His Word are we guaranteed to have everything work out the way we desire. Verses like Mark 11:24 have been taken by some false teachers to mean that we have power to “Speak things into existence”. It is tied to the prosperity gospel and has led many well-intentioned believers down a road of discouragement when they don’t get what they believed so hard would happen. How many people have even turned their backs on God because they believed they would get a “miracle” and it never came to pass? 

When Jesus spoke in places like Mark 11 and Matthew 17:20, He was saying that there are no limits on a believer’s prayers as long as they are according to God’s will and purpose. Sadly, I have even heard “preachers” say that we should never pray “If it be your will” because we are the ones who make our desires and dreams come true by speaking them. There are also those who believe (falsely) that all temporal dominion and physical healing is guaranteed us in the atonement, but that is not a Biblical view. There are some prayers that are answered in the definitive “NO”. 

While this song does not teach that, there are parts of it that could be interpreted that way, and my warning is simply that we view this song as praying, believing that God will do what is best for us… that is His promise.

My heart will sing your praise again. Please, let this line be simply descriptive and not prescriptive. Our heart should always sing God’s praise. Let us be like the psalmist in Psalm 30:12, 57:7, and 138:1 and “steadfastly” praise Him “forever”. I appreciate the theology of Casting Crown’s “Praise You in the Storm” in this regard.

Jesus you're still enough. Keep me within your love. My heart will sing your praise again. There may be times we don’t feel like singing God’s praise and maybe the writer is speaking of the day in the future when he’ll “feel like” singing God’s praise again, but we should not wait until we “feel” that God is worth praising. The writer even remarks that he knows that Jesus is enough and that God keeps him in His love. Certainly that should be enough to praise Him now, and to have never stopped praising so as to have to start “praising Him again”.  

I've seen you move, You move the mountains, and I believe I'll see you do it again. You made a way where there was no way, and I believe I'll see you do it again. Sometimes God moves the mountains away… and sometimes, God makes us climb every jagged, stony step of that steep incline. Sometimes God gives us what we want, and sometimes God knows better and helps us grow by leading us onto a path that we don’t want go, so we will grow in Christlikeness and patience and faith. Remember, if God takes the mountain out of our way, He is removing the thing that will help us grow in endurance and patience. It may be an easier thing, but would it be a “good” thing? (Romans 8:28)

God’s children may spend their life in a wheelchair, some will die of cancer, some may even face great persecution and be burned at the stake. So, as you sing this song, it’s a good thing to trust God, pray to God, and believe that God will move your mountain. My only advice is that if He chooses not to, don’t be angry with the all wise and all loving God because He chose not to “do it again.”

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