Is "Child Your Cries Have Awoken The Master" a heretical Song?

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Sovereign Grace

Puritan Board Sophomore
Crossing the calm sea with Jesus
The disciples were getting concerned
The winds started violently blowing
But He was asleep in the stearn
Does He not care that we perish?
We're helpless and we're so afraid
Jesus arose when they called Him
And said to them, where is your faith?

Because you've prayed all night
'Cause you've held on with all of your might
Child, your cries have awoken the Master
Oh, He knows your voice
Lift your hands, it's time to rejoice
Child, your cries have awoken the Master

It hit you without any warning
The storm of your life had begun
Seeing no hope in the distance
You're frightened and nowhere to run
By now your vessel is filling
And you're thinking that you'll surely drown
You cried out for help from the Saviour
And you know you can't give up now

Because you've prayed all night
Because you've held on with all of your might
Child, your cries have awoken the Master
Oh, He knows your voice
Lift your hands, it's time to rejoice
Child, your cries have awoken the Master

You're up there worried that He's fast asleep
The wind's are so deadly
The water's so deep
But try to be patient
'Cause soon He'll bring peace
Just one word from His voice and it all must cease

Because you've prayed all night
'Cause you've held on with all of your might
Child, your cries have awoken the Master
Oh, He knows your voice
Lift your hands, it's time to rejoice
Child, your cries have awoken the Master
Child, your cries have awoken the Master

He hears your voice


Personally, I think its not just heretical, but also blasphemous. I agree with the first stanza as that is in reference to Him sleeping while the storm was raging and they awoke Him. However, the rest of this "song" is saying that our cries (prayers) have awoken Him while He is sitting at the right hand of the Father. Now, where do I find someone accusing ppl's god of being asleep?

It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”[1 Kings 18:27]


This song has been sung at church a few times and I don't know how much longer I can go and not address this. Would it be wrong for me to take my pastor to the side and address this issue? Am I correct in my assessment of this song? Any and all advice would be much appreciated and welcomed.
 
It also seems to reek of a works based salvation because of where it says Because you've prayed all night 'Cause you've held on with all of your might and to me, that reeks of works. Am I wrong here, too?
 
It also seems to reek of a works based salvation because of where it says Because you've prayed all night 'Cause you've held on with all of your might and to me, that reeks of works. Am I wrong here, too?

I don't know that you are necessarily wrong. You could point to the Syrophoenician Woman, or reference a verse like Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." (But I do think that often contemporary songs are so vague it is hard to know exactly what is the intention of the words.)
 
I don't know that you are necessarily wrong. You could point to the Syrophoenician Woman, or reference a verse like Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." (But I do think that often contemporary songs are so vague it is hard to know exactly what is the intention of the words.)
Yes, vagueness is the problem here. It could easily be understood in more than one way. I definitely see problems if interpreted in the way you are interpreting it, Willis. And your interpretation is quite plausible. It is certainly uncomfortable. The assumption that our situation is exactly like (or even necessarily analogous to) the disciples' interaction with a physically present Jesus is problematic. Analogies don't always work very well. On the other hand, there is Psalm 44:23, Psalm 35:23, Psalm 78:65, which verses use "sleep" as a metaphor for God's seeming inactivity. I think we should be careful before outright condemnation.
 
Yes, vagueness is the problem here. It could easily be understood in more than one way. I definitely see problems if interpreted in the way you are interpreting it, Willis. And your interpretation is quite plausible. It is certainly uncomfortable. The assumption that our situation is exactly like (or even necessarily analogous to) the disciples' interaction with a physically present Jesus is problematic. Analogies don't always work very well. On the other hand, there is Psalm 44:23, Psalm 35:23, Psalm 78:65, which verses use "sleep" as a metaphor for God's seeming inactivity. I think we should be careful before outright condemnation.
Wonderful post!!! That’s why I seek advice from ppl on here and other forums. Thank you!!!
 
This reminds me why I am Psalms only....I grew so tired of evaluating hymns. That is a life life endeavor BTW.
 
Yes, vagueness is the problem here. It could easily be understood in more than one way. I definitely see problems if interpreted in the way you are interpreting it, Willis. And your interpretation is quite plausible. It is certainly uncomfortable. The assumption that our situation is exactly like (or even necessarily analogous to) the disciples' interaction with a physically present Jesus is problematic. Analogies don't always work very well. On the other hand, there is Psalm 44:23, Psalm 35:23, Psalm 78:65, which verses use "sleep" as a metaphor for God's seeming inactivity. I think we should be careful before outright condemnation.
Seeing that we are being inundated with bad songs, a song like this just causes too much confusion, as we can see some differing views of how we view this song. Songs like "Reckless Love" and "Holy Water" (just to name two songs) are so so wrong theologically, we don't need the song in the OP to pile onto those other horribly written songs.

Words matter, words have weight, and words have meaning. Where my problem lies is in the fact that the song saying our prayers have awoken the Master is along the same exact vein as the disciples waking Jesus up while He was sleeping is taking things too far. Where do we draw the proverbial line in the sand in regards to this song? I say draw the line at the front door of the church and do not allow that song past that line.
 
Well, if not heretical, it's at least crappy, sentimental poetry. That alone is reason enough not to use it in God's worship.
Right! If someone writes a song and one of the lines says "And Jesus became God", do we sing it just because it has a nice beat to it? Of course not. Why? It has horrible theology in it. If the doxology does not line up with theology, then it has to be ousted.
 
Willis, just to be clear, I am not saying that we should sing this song in church. I agree with Christopher that it is not good poetry, and that it has a fair bit of sentimentality in it, which doesn't belong in worship ("In the Garden" being the most egregious and heretical example of this). I was merely pointing out that the specific point about "waking the Master" doesn't have to be interpreted as heresy. We have to be careful in critique that we don't paint ourselves outside the Bible's own language.
 
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