In Luke 12:22-34, Jesus says to His disciples, “Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap...yet God feeds them.” Most of us, familiar as we are with the story of Noah and the great flood, do not usually recall that the first bird released from the ark was not a dove but a raven. In the early phases of planning The Face of the Deep, I saw an image in my mind of a war torn land of darkness over which was a giant heart. Out of an opening in this heart came ravens, one after the other, who were flying over the land with bread in their beaks. I had that sense that this was from the Spirit of God, and I began to consider the ravens.

The raven is a very intelligent bird with a powerful memory and the ability to fly great distances; in fact, the raven that left the ark never returned. Think of that bird, sent on a mission from the ark of a new covenant that God was making with mankind, flying over the receding floodwaters that covered the earth. Beneath those waters lay the waste of the corruption and violence of man. Within the ark, floating on the surface of the waters, the righteous prophet waited with his family in safety.

Think of Elijah, the great prophet, when Ahab became king of Israel and “did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:30). He married outside God’s people and began to lead Israel in the worship of false gods, provoking Yahweh to intense anger. In steps Elijah, and he predicts the famine that would last several years until he prays for its end. In the meantime, God sends him to the Kerith Ravine where he drinks from a brook and is fed morning and evening by ravens with bread and meat.

I believe God would have His church be the ravens of our day, sent from His heart, the Holy of Holies—the ark of His presence—to a world falling deeper and deeper into darkness, corruption, and violence to bring the hope and promise of His mercy and salvation. It is a day for the prophet to be strengthened, for the Bride to wake up and rise to the call of the Bridegroom to fill the earth “with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This is at the heart of what The Face of the Deep is about, and I hope God uses it in some way to further this inevitable movement of everything towards the throne of the King.

The Face of the Deep is not a recording of live praise and worship or just a collection of worship songs. It is a journey to which we believe God continues to call His people. It is an effort to put mind and heart, spirit and truth, sound and word together to bring this call to life.

After considering the ravens, Jesus said, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning like men waiting for their master to return.” Church, do not be afraid. Fresh courage take. No matter how dark, hopeless, or overwhelming things may seem to be, “your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom,” and with God, nothing is impossible. For those who have ears to hear, may they be encouraged and strengthened to rise and be a part of this mighty flood. May this be an act of worship by faith that He finds at the end of the age.