Rend the Heavens (Toby Baxley)
http://www.praisecharts.com/live/articles/250/1/Rend-the-Heavens-Toby-Baxley/Page1.html
Toby Baxley
Toby Baxley is a worship leader and songwriter currently living in NE Texas with his Wife, Melissa, and their two children, Garrett and Vivian. He currently leads worship for a community group that meets in his home and he often serves as a guest worship leader in the area. Click here for a complete (and growing) list of Toby's music at PraiseCharts.
By Toby Baxley
Published on June 12, 2008
I'm happy to share another song with you that I just finished. Some gracious new friends from New Zealand that I've made through this site are trying to put together a conference for my friend Branon to come and train their worship teams and for me to work with their teams specifically on my music. Our new friend, Diane from NZ, has expressed that since we started talking about this, she has been having dreams and visions of revival breaking out and people lined up outside the church building, waiting to get in. The vision has grown from what started out as a weekend retreat for several churches in the area, to what could possibly be a nationwide concert tour/worship conference/revival "thing" (as you can tell, I don't even know what to call it).
All of this, plus re-connecting with an old friend, John Franklin, who used to be my Sunday School teacher and is a consultant on prayer and spiritual awakening (www.johnfranklinministries.org), has gotten me thinking on the subject of revival. As we were discussing the possibilities of the New Zealand trip, I was convicted that the key to revival is not a few catchy songs. It is the people of God coming together in brokenness and praying for mercy and forgiveness and for God to restore the years the locusts have eaten. The lost will see and hear and know there is a God and fall down before Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
This song was born out of these circumstances. I hope it ministers to you as it has already ministered to my family, friends, and me. Here are the lyrics:
"Rend the Heavens"
© Copyright 2008 Toby Baxley (admin. by www.praisecharts.com)
All we, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each one has turned to his own way;
We have forgotten our First Love,
God of earth below and Heaven above;
So we fall down before You,
We humbly implore You as we pray, we pray.
O Lord, that You would rend the heavens,
Let the power of revival fire come down;
Cleanse us, Lord, and shower us with mercy,
As we humble our faces to the ground;
Hear from Heaven and heal our land.
Heal our land, we've walked down paths of self-destruction,
Heal our land, we've bowed our hearts to lesser things;
Heal our land, set our feet on paths of righteousness,
And lead us by still waters again.
Download the full audio and leadsheet at www.praisecharts.com/4702
I'm happy to share another song with you that I just finished. Some gracious new friends from New Zealand that I've made through this site are trying to put together a conference for my friend Branon to come and train their worship teams and for me to work with their teams specifically on my music. Our new friend, Diane from NZ, has expressed that since we started talking about this, she has been having dreams and visions of revival breaking out and people lined up outside the church building, waiting to get in. This song was born out of these circumstances.
Now available in the PraiseCharts catalog!
I'm happy to share another song with you that I just finished. Some gracious new friends from New Zealand that I've made through this site are trying to put together a conference for my friend Branon to come and train their worship teams and for me to work with their teams specifically on my music. Our new friend, Diane from NZ, has expressed that since we started talking about this, she has been having dreams and visions of revival breaking out and people lined up outside the church building, waiting to get in. The vision has grown from what started out as a weekend retreat for several churches in the area, to what could possibly be a nationwide concert tour/worship conference/revival "thing" (as you can tell, I don't even know what to call it).
All of this, plus re-connecting with an old friend, John Franklin, who used to be my Sunday School teacher and is a consultant on prayer and spiritual awakening (www.johnfranklinministries.org), has gotten me thinking on the subject of revival. As we were discussing the possibilities of the New Zealand trip, I was convicted that the key to revival is not a few catchy songs. It is the people of God coming together in brokenness and praying for mercy and forgiveness and for God to restore the years the locusts have eaten. The lost will see and hear and know there is a God and fall down before Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
This song was born out of these circumstances. I hope it ministers to you as it has already ministered to my family, friends, and me. Here are the lyrics:
"Rend the Heavens"
© Copyright 2008 Toby Baxley (admin. by www.praisecharts.com)
All we, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each one has turned to his own way;
We have forgotten our First Love,
God of earth below and Heaven above;
So we fall down before You,
We humbly implore You as we pray, we pray.
O Lord, that You would rend the heavens,
Let the power of revival fire come down;
Cleanse us, Lord, and shower us with mercy,
As we humble our faces to the ground;
Hear from Heaven and heal our land.
Heal our land, we've walked down paths of self-destruction,
Heal our land, we've bowed our hearts to lesser things;
Heal our land, set our feet on paths of righteousness,
And lead us by still waters again.
Download the full audio and leadsheet at www.praisecharts.com/4702