Trust in God: Finding Anchor Through Worship
As storms rage in our lives, we all seek shelter and stability. The latest hit single “Trust In God” from Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music points to the ultimate source of refuge and hope: God Himself.
Elevation Worship is the music ministry of Elevation Church, an explosive multicampus congregation based in North Carolina, led by dynamic pastor Steven Furtick. Launched in 2007 with an audacious vision to “impact the nation with the gospel and see people far from God raised to life in Christ,” Elevation seeks to engage contemporary culture without compromising biblical truth. Their high-energy worship sets feature catchy yet theologically substantive anthems led by Chris Brown, Wade Joye, Anna Pickle and other anointed musicians. Songs like “Do It Again,” “The Blessing,” and “Rattle!” resonate with Christians worldwide, garnering over 2 billion career streams. Their two dozen albums and Elevation Worship Radio network further amplify their mission to “lead people to encounter God” through Spirit-filled music.
Maverick City Music represents a grassroots movement of next-generation worship leaders united by raw passion for God’s presence. Launched in 2018 by Chandler Moore and Tony Brown in Atlanta, this eclectic collective blend sounds and members from various churches and ethnicities. Their acoustic-driven, gospel-infused catalog has attracted a dedicated fanbase, with atmospheric songs like “Jireh,” “Promises,” and “Man of Your Word” each amassing tens of millions of streams and touching diverse listeners far beyond church walls. Their top-charting albums showcase anointed vocalists like Naomi Raine, Brandon Lake, and Chandler Moore laying bare their hearts in prayerful laments, confessions and declarations that resonate on a deeply personal level.)$‘,igher apex alt="Elevation Worship (L) and Maverick City Music (R)
This dream-team collaboration between two of Christian music’s rising forces produced “Trust In God,” a smooth, intimate R&B ballad with Chandler Moore’s smoky vocals taking center stage. Backed by bright piano chords, thick bass grooves, and swells of strings and horns, the unhurried pace makes space to soak in the raw, heartfelt lyrics centered on relying completely on God’s faithfulness when storms rage:
“I will trust in You
Yeah I will trust in You
My hope is in You Lord
My hope is in You”
Rather than trying to drum up tenuous self-confidence or “name it and claim it” guarantees of health/wealth, the song plants its flag firmly in God’s unchanging character and past faithfulness. This assurance silences anxieties fueled by shifting circumstances. Our feelings and situations may falter, but God remains steady as our sure foundation.
Biblically, this anchors itself in the cornerstone metaphor, where Christ provides the bedrock that anchors our lives through storms (Isaiah 28:16, Ephesians 2:19-22). Connecting to this imagery, Chandler cries in the bridge:
“You are my firm foundation
I’m anchored in Your love”
Unlike ephemeral earthly relationships or security found in status, finance or fitness which can crumble overnight, God’s unconditional love never wavers. This unshakeable confidence in Christ’s faithfulness frees us from clinging desperately to our own dreams or control. As pastor Steven Furtick preached in a recent sermon, “If you try to control what you can’t, you’ll lose control over what you can.” Much anxiety springs from insisting our plans unfold according to our power or timing rather than God’s. But lifting this burden lightens our load.
The chorus continues:
“I put my faith in Jesus
My anchor to the ground
My hope and firm foundation
He‘ll never let me down”
The assurance that Christ will never fail us releases us from micromanaging situations to somehow “earn” security. Our striving gives way to abiding. We can simply rest, rooted in His unconditional love. This empowers us to step out boldly in surrender and service with divine backing. As Jesus urged His disciples, considered the lilies and sparrows who thrive without striving but by trusting their Creator’s provision (Luke 12). Such surrender is not passive resignation, but courageous entrustment activated through faith.
Maverick City Music’s anthem “Promises” makes this point too with the line “Surrender don‘t come natural to me, I‘m fighting my way to where you want me.” Our instinct pulls towards controlling rather than releasing. But fixing our focus on Christ counters that reflex. The song “Jireh” proclaims “I‘ll lift my eyes to the Maker, knowing He holds tomorrow.” Similarly, “Trust In God” shifts our gaze upwards from storms below to the unshakeable rock above, re-grounding our perspective.
Elevation Worship’s track “Rattle” features a bridge with language mirroring these motifs:
“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus‘ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus‘ name”
This echoes the famous hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” which extols Christ as the sole foundation upon which life and purpose can securely rest. Our sentimental “frames” of comfort cannot substitute for the bedrock of Christ‘s character.
In another chorus, “Trust In God” continues:
“You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don‘t belong, oh You say I am Yours”
This acknowledges the gap between God’s truth spoken over us, and our self-perception based on failures or worthiness. Despite perceived disqualifications, God lovingly reassures our identity in Him. We belong not because we “measured up” but because in compassion He reached down.
Elevation Worship’s viral tune “The Blessing” (ft. Kari Jobe) conveys this with the melody “The Lord bless you and keep you…You are His child…There‘s nothing that can change His love for you.” Similarly, Chandler Moore testified that during painful addiction battles, singing worship songs strengthened his trust by reminding “that‘s not what You said about me God…You said I‘m loved.” Clinging to God’s words breeds security.
Beyond lyrical analysis, the intimate musicality of “Trust In God” also fosters connection. The warmth of layered hummed harmonies and sparse instrumentation create space to process the unhurried lyrics. Worship leader Melvin Crispell III explained that slowed chord progressions help people “feel what they’re singing.” This engages the heart beyond the intellect.
UCLA ethnomusicologist Dr. Kat Ramer conducted research analyzing how worship music imprints onto personal neural pathways. Songs sung repeatedly literally “season neurons” she says. Certain songs become mapped onto memories of specific times God met us, anchoring our history with Him. This tracks with cognitive science revealing that music lights up extensive brain circuitry harnessing our emotions, memories, ears and motor cortexes. Singing thus helps integrate theological truths deeper into our wiring on a subconscious level. Repeating mantras like “I will trust in You” rehearses neural pathways of reliance upon God within us.
Applied authoritatively, worship music thus conduces transformation by tuning our outlook to the truth. This generates remarkable testimonies:
“No matter what happens, singing songs like Trust In God help me remember God’s faithfulness in the past and through all situations.” – Alicia S.
“Trust In God became our anthem after losing my sister. Its words got us through grief and anchored our hope beyond the storm.” – Jordan L.
“After two family members battled COVID in ICU for six weeks, singing Trust In God realigned my mindset from panic to peace.” – David P.
"Infusing Scripture-rich songs into my prayer times continues recalibrating my heart toward confidence in Christ over anxiety.” – Michelle H.
Such accounts evidence that declaring foundational spiritual truth through song ministers strength. Science continues unpacking worship music’s potent capacity to imprint beliefs of God’s complete reliability onto our neurons. Worship reinforces that stability supersedes circumstance. Despite disorientation externally or internally, Christ remains steadfast within.
The global success of crossover artists like Maverick City Music and Elevation Worship prove that this musical message resonates loudly. 2022 saw Christian music sales spike over 10%, dominated by worship/gospel as the two largest genres respectively comprising 37% and 34% market share according to Billboard. Worship music also ranked as the most consumed streaming genre in 2022 growing over 9% in on-demand streams. Surging growth continues as more listeners awaken to worship music’s transcendent power to transport our emotions, minds and memories into the shelter of God’s presence amidst storms.
Set your anchor deep in the rock of God’s love through songs like “Trust In God.” As we entrust our hearts to our Creator through prayerful music and meditation on scriptural assurances, we rest knowing He remains sovereign over every storm. Fixating on His triumphant love fosters boldness to release self-sufficiency and say “Jesus, You’re my vision, nothing else.” This act of radical trust unleashes His resurrection power to turn chaos into Calvary’s anthem: “It is finished.” The battle belongs to the Lord, the Author of Peace. Our part is to trust Him at the helm.
The call of “Trust In God” beckons us afresh to surrender control we never really possessed to begin with. As we yield worries and waywardness in worship, God’s perfect love powerfully transforms inner turbulence. Our sole stability amid storms emerges through tuning our hearts to the timeless anchor of Christ’s compassion. Sheltered within this eternal refuge, our souls can finally exhale. Despite raging disasters or distress, His perfect love permeates to calm the storm within. Here we discover the eye of the hurricane – God enthroned serenely at the center.
Be still soul, trust In God alone.