A quick note
The words we sing matter. They are words about God after all and so we should do our best to make sure that they are right. I hope though as you sing these songs you will understand the meaning and it will lead you to worship the creator as it shines a light on who he is and what he has done.
Although every line has verses associated in this justification, my intention is not to say that these verses are absolute proofs of the line being legitimate. These verses are simply places to start. It is necessary to take into account the whole of scripture and theological ideas to check if a song is right. Therefore, where this is possible/necessary I have endeavoured to do so below the lyrics. If you think we have made errors let us know through the website. We aren’t perfect.
Although death devastates (Ecclesiastes 9:5) Leaves clamour in its wake (John 11:35) And the heaviness is (Psalm 43:5) More than hearts can hold (Psalm 43:5)
Christians should be the first people to acknowledge pain and suffering as real. We should be the first to say that death is wrong. I consider the book of Ecclesiastes to be a lament over the fleeting nature of life, it’s honest. Even Jesus wept so it is no sin to be upset (John 11:35).
There is a Counsellor to seek (Isaiah 9:6) Whose ragged holes in hands and feet (John 20:27) Bear witness to a love that mends the soul (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; 1 Peter 2:24)
Thankfully we have the good news of a one who will comfort us, who has been there, experienced what we have experienced and is also God (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
Our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Our steadfast hand (Psalm 136:1)
Prince of peace is the name given either to God or to his servant in Isaiah 9:6. Either way, it refers to God. We know that Jesus is God. Therefore, we have every reason to call Jesus, “Prince of Peace”. Jesus is the only one who can bring peace and stability to our lives and to eternity. The Hebrew word for peace (shalom) carries with it many connotations, particularly the idea of things being as God intended them, as they are meant to be.
You are the oil and balm of Gilead (Jeremiah 8:22)
Oil and balm of Gilead is both a reference to an old hymn and a verse in Jeremiah 8:22. The cry of the Old Testament is humanity’s need for a saviour. Humanity cannot save itself because every human hero fails at some point and so Israel is ultimately exiled as a result of their rebellion against God. As Jeremiah, the prophet grieves for his own people he cries out this line “is there no balm of Gilead? (Jeremiah 8:22). This was a particular medicinal herb from Gilead, it wasn’t simply healing but also soothing. Jeremiah is saying “is there no solution?” “is there no healing and soothing?”. But we know, from where we stand in history, that Jesus would be the true, final solution, Jesus is the true ‘balm of Gilead’ for which Jeremiah cried.
You soothe our aching bones (2 Corinthians 1:4) and our wretched souls (Philippians 4:7) Our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
We can see how this relates to the balm. Jesus doesn’t just give us a salvific solution, he soothes us by being relatable (Hebrews 4:15), by sending the Spirit who is our helper (John 14:16). Additionally, in Jesus’ life on earth he physically healed people (Matthew 8:16), he gave them hope and a purpose, and we believe that he does these things today.
The Son of Man (Matthew 20:28)
Son of man was Jesus’ preferred title for himself and so we choose to call him this (Matthew 20:28).
You heal our broken homes (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 5:33) And our grieving souls (Revelation 21:4) Our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Our servant Lord (Mark 10:45)
Jesus heals our broken homes We live in an individualistic world but the gospel speaks to families as well as the individual and makes specific reference to them (2 Corinthians 1:4). The family dynamic changed for the better forever when Christianity entered the world stage. The gospel truly lived leads all to kindness and reparation of relational damage. God is able to heal even broken homes.
Although storms take their toll (2 Corinthians 4:8) Leave unrest in hollow hulls (Psalm 38:8) And it feels we are adrift in endlessness (Ecclesiastes 1:2) There is a servant on a cross (Hebrews 4:15) Losing more than we have lost (Hebrews 4:15) Who can lavish everlasting peace and rest (Isaiah 9:6)
A similar sentiment to verse 1, although we want to say these things in more nuanced ways. The first two lines point to the way we can feel empty, in times of great difficulty and restlessness—like we are drifting. Yet God has lost more than we are even able and he is prepared to relieve us of all these things.
When the sun has set its last (Revelation 21:23) All the years have left their mark (Romans 7:15) All my failures and triumphs have turned to nought (Romans 3:10) There is a Father who outlasts (2 Peter 1:11) Who has turned His face to us (Numbers 6:25) Who will gather all the (Revelation 19:1) saints His love has bought (Galatians 3:15)
Here we turn to the future, the one Christians look forward to. Up to this point we carry our scars, we have succeeded and failed yet it does not matter because of the work of the eternal God. God has, in the past, turned his face to us and is still looking in our direction as we have been forgiven and have right relationship with him (Romans 6:23). in the future God will gather his people together, in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1).
We hope that this song will be a great comfort to Christians who are hurting as they are reminded of the comforting saviour, Jesus Christ, who is bringing eternal peace.
Listen here