The Rock Music ‘Your Love Remains’

Written by: Laura Chambers (March 5, 2018)

Your ability to continuously locate water to drink depends on whether you’re drawing from a puddle or a spring, a rain barrel or a well. Whereas puddles and rain barrels contain a limited amount of water that, once depleted, is unlikely to be filled again until the next rainstorm, springs and wells draw from free flowing underground sources that continue to replenish themselves. No matter how many buckets we fill, there will always be more water remaining. It is just this way with God’s love; bring a cup or a bucket or a tanker and you’ll get all you need, with plenty where that came from. It matters not what the weather is like, or why you need it. It just is and always will be. In Your Love Remains, The Rock Music invites everyone to come to the everlasting source of fresh water and drink deeply.

The journey begins with the open-ended question “How Long Must I Wait”, giving the listener the opportunity to fill in what they’re waiting for in their minds, whether it’s Jesus’ return or something personal, like healing or reunion with a family member. There’s a sense of confusion that cuts out near the end, as though an answer has appeared.

“Good To Me” calmly rests in the goodness of God, recognizing the many mercies He gives us and the transient nature of our trials. Imagine lying on the green grass on a sunny day, gazing up at a blue sky full of white fluffy clouds and twirling a stalk of grass between your fingers. That level of security and serenity is what the song brings to mind.

“Here’s My Heart” surrenders one’s heart to Jesus for safekeeping. Unlike other songs, here flight is used as a metaphor for straying away from His will, rather than finding freedom. I also give the song points for recognizing that what begins in our minds plays out in our footsteps. You can feel the urgency of the prayer as the notes of the song rise upward, helplessly reaching out to stop itself.

“Cry Out To Jesus” seeks an encounter with God in which His mercy and love can be known. What the song lacks in lyrical depth, it makes up for in sincerity.

“Peace I Give” echoes Jesus’ words to us in which He admonishes us not to fear because of the peace He leaves us with. This repetitive interlude could be considered as a response to the previous track’s request.

“Your Love Remains” lists a variety of circumstances, positive and negative, none of which can ever erase the love of God. Whether we’re open to His leading or defiantly choosing our own way; whether we’re trusting Him or questioning everything we’ve believed, His love is the one unchanging factor throughout. There’s no chorus, simply a series of verses that all end with the track’s title, until the last one, which looks ahead to the future. He shall hold us always then.

“Open Our Eyes” gratefully brings praise to God and prays that we might see the Lord’s beauty. Drawing out the lines of the chorus helps convey a desperate desire to truly see Him in all His glory.

“Grip Me By Grace” entreats God to keep a firm hold on us for our protection. After all, if He knows us and listens to our pleas, if we belong to Him and will never be abandoned, surely He will keep us where we need to be. A bit of the first track plays at the end of this one, rather unexpectedly. This leads straight into “God You’re Good”, which declares the rightness and perfection of everything God does. There’s not much there to chew on in the way of lyrics, but I suppose you need a mixture of simple and complex to balance an album out. I think five and a half minutes is kind of pushing it.

“Thank You For Jesus” thanks God the Father for all of the gifts He has given us, putting Jesus at the top of the list. He is, after all, the one who personifies each and all of these. He makes everything that happens to us benefit us in some way, and keeps all His promises, even if it takes a while.

“Sound of Your Name” closes on the cusp of entering into a deeper experience of grace and trust. God has prepared us for this moment, encouraging our hearts to love Jesus more. Another reprise of the first track brings this track and the album to its conclusion.

Your Love Remains provides an ideal, refreshing atmosphere for trusting and abiding in the Lord’s presence. It’s the kind of album you listen to as a whole, rather than picking out favorite tracks to add to a playlist. Despite that, “Here’s My Heart” is one that did speak to me, however.

3.8/5