Take a Journey Into the Glory
The album opens and closes with explosive praise—the likes of which I haven’t heard in a good while. There have been many amazing slower-paced worship songs written in recent years, but some of the more jubilant praise anthems tend to be missing today. “The Whole Earth” sets the tone for the worship journey, fixing your gaze upon God alone. These songs are not man-centric; they are God-centric and as a result, take you on a journey into His very glory.
When the songs do have elements that involve man’s participation, it’s powerful and prophetic. “O Mighty Ones” is a declaration of what happens when we bless the Lord with all that is within us—voice and body. Praise pushes back the darkness. This is one you might end up putting on repeat!
“Let Hope In,” originally written by Daniel Bashta (“God’s Not Dead”) is another prophetic anthem, releasing the life and hope of God into the darkest of situations. These songs help worshippers learn how to prophesy the Word and life of God. They give you language to agree with the life-releasing purposes of God. I speak to barrenness/I command life within. These songs don’t only teach us how to worship—they teach us how to prophesy.
Songs That Carry God’s Presence
There is a segment of about three songs that I struggled to move beyond. I found myself getting caught up, time after time and wave after wave, in abandoned worship to God. In a few cases, I was so overwhelmed by His presence—often filling the car—that I thought I might need to pull over. My car is often my portable sanctuary of worship in the mornings, as I’m sure it is for many of you.
The songs are “The Lion and the Lamb,” “He is Yahweh” (from Vineyard) and “He’s Reigning in Zion.” Truly, if you want to be taken into a throne room encounter, play these songs back to back. Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Lyric after lyric directs your focus to God. They recalibrate your worship to focus on the character and attributes of God Almighty (“He is Yahweh”) and out of this revelation of God’s nature, you can make confident, prophetic declarations. He’s reigning in Zion, destroying our enemies. He’s reigning in Zion, He’s setting the captives free.
Finally, I love the album’s diversity. You have energetic praise and prophetic anthems, explosive exclamations of joy (“Joy”) and deep, intimate exchanges with God (“Jesus You’re Beautiful,” “All My Worship”).
I’ve only touched on a selection of the songs presented on this recording. Trust me, you will be profoundly impacted by this magnificent album. It’s not another music experience; it’s a powerful worship encounter.
Get ready to get caught up in The River is Rising!{eoa}
Larry Sparks is author of the books Breakthrough Faith and Breakthrough Healing. He also founded Equip Culture Media—a ministry that empowers believers with the tools and resources they need to live victoriously through the supernatural power of God. Larry serves as director of curriculum resources for Destiny Image Publishers and hosts Life Supernatural, a weekly radio program that features best-selling authors, emerging filmmakers and key ministry leaders. He lives in Florida with his wife and daughter. Follow him on Twitter @LarryVSparks. Subscribe to his weekly blog at lawrencesparks.com.
Bill Wiese 
Paul McGuire 
