Peace In The Storm (2013) | benjaminbitter

Peace In The Storm

lyrics and acknowledgements :

Free

Nearer, My God, to thee

Nearer to thee
Even though it be a cross
That raiseth me
Still, all my song shall be
Nearer, my God to thee
Nearer, my God to thee
Nearer to thee

Ever since I knew your name
I’ve been searchin’
Before I ever knew your worth
I knew that you were there
Before your sun rose in my sky
I felt your warmin’
I just never knew how
How free that I can be

Chorus:

Oh, when at first I found out
How black my heart could be
My anguish made me cry out
And fear eternity
But now, when that judgement comes
No fury will I see
‘Cause your boundless love took a guilty man
And pronounced him free

You could have kept him for yourself
You had the power
The mortal mind would never know
Until it was too late
You gave us rope to hang ourselves
And then you cut it
With the blood of your own Son
That you nailed to a tree

Chorus

Increase My Faith

I don’t know if you have noticed
But I’ve been gone for awhile
I have let the world beat up on me
While my soul stayed in denial
Looking back I know it’s foolish
Pushing your comfort far away
But I just can’t seem to make myself believe

Yeah, the truth is all around us
It’s right in front of me
All I have to do is live your word
And it will make me free
But when it comes time to follow through
That’s when I lose my way
So I pray that you can hear me when I say

Chorus:

Jesus, please increase my faith
I don’t wanna walk in darkness
Never cryin’ out for grace
Jesus, please show me the way
‘Cause I need a hand to be the man
That you made me to be

Lord, your love is always greater
Than the troubles in my life
And I’ve grown to trust that in the end
You’ll make all things right
But you put my soul inside a heart
That’s black with selfishness
And I just can’t see this ending very well

So I’m cryin’ for your mercy
That only you can hold
Let me get out of this Captain’s chair
My life is yours to mold
Give me courage and conviction
For the battles up ahead
And fill me with a longing for your word

Chorus:
Jesus, please increase my faith
I don’t wanna walk in darkness
Never cryin’ out for grace
Jesus, please show me the way
‘Cause I need a hand to be the man
That you made me to be

Bridge:
Only you can make me see
How badly I need you, God
Only you can make me believe
So, Jesus please
Savior, Please

My Something Better

I’m sleepin’ through a daydream
Spend all my time rememberin’ when life was simple
I’m throwing out my blessings
By always wanting more
Why can’t I be so satisfied with what Jesus has given?
As time hurries by, my chances are few
(So, I’m sayin’)

Chorus 1:

God of everything I see
Release this child inside of me
And grow me, Just grow me
Make me understand the way
To forget my past and seize this day
Please show me, Jesus
The newness of your love will never fade
You’re my something better

It’s man’s ongoing battle
Our hearts will always want what you know will not satisfy
So we try to stuff our longings
Into a God shaped hole
There on the cross, you showed a love so profound and so perfect
Why would I need anything more?
(Lord, hear me)

Chorus 2:
God of everything I see
Release this child inside of me
And grow me, Just grow me
Take my heart of stone and make it flesh
And fill it up with joyfullness
For you are my portion
The newness of your love will never fade
You’re my something better

Bridge:

Why am I so paralyzed
When the world caresses me with lies
It’s not like I don’t know it’s all untrue
Please wake me from this silent haze
And fill my mouth with ceaseless praise’
For the one that we all owe our stories to.

Chorus:

Radical Love

My God, why am I so cold?
Why do I do these things I do?
Knowing all the things your love has done for me
Still I can’t seem to break through

I ought to be on my knees in praises everyday
All for the life you’ve given me
There’s no real reason for a man to act this way
Please clear the way so I can see
Your radical love

Chorus:

(Your radical love)
Help me, Lord, to realize
(Your Radical love)
In everything I do and say
(Your radical love)
That’s all I need to break these chains
Lord, give me strength to live
In radical love

Oh, Lord, Please help me understand
What it means to walk with you
Show me a love that cannot be contained
A love that shines in all I do

A Love that smiles when things aren’t goin’ right
A love that saturates my soul
That makes me want to help and serve my fellow man
To be like Jesus is the goal
Of radical Love

Chorus:

Bring Back The Day

Before the earth was anything
And the heavens had no name
You cruised about the emptiness
And your glory never changed
You longed to share your wonder
So you grabbed some dust and clay
And the world became a brighter place
On our first day

You gave us all and everything
You said the earth was ours to roam
But for us that was not enough
And so our wickedness was born
You said you had to punish us
And so we just walked away
And our hearts became a darker shade
On that sad day

Chorus 1:

Through it all you loved us
Your Grace has proved you kind
You promised you’d redeem us
When your will said it was time
So the generations listened and they prayed
That you would make your promise true
And bring back the day

You sent an angel to a girl
You said she was the one
That you would show redemption through
By giving birth to your own son
His life would be perfection
But still we’d kill him just the same
But then he’d rise and take our chains with him
On the third day

Chorus 2:

And through it all you love us
Our savior is alive
All we have to do is trust him
And we find eternal life
We no longer have to live life in these chains
It’s the blood of Christ that makes us new
And brings back the day

The Other Side Of Home

As I walk this road with you to forever
I’m amazed at my heart, how much it’s grown
I’ve learned to let myself fall into your forgiveness
And let you take away the shame that was my own

But you never said it would be easy
You never said it wouldn’t hurt
But in the pain and the frustration
I’m growing stronger
Tested Alone
But I’ll come out ready to serve you

Chorus:

Your love is a light in the night when I can’t see
Your spirit guides me
All I have and all that I do I’ll lay it at your feet
And when ya finally bring me back
That’s when I’ll see what you had in mind for me
On the other side of home

Sometimes it feels like I’m tied down to a treadmill
I run and run but never feel like I’ve arrived
I lose my passion when the world comes interfering
So many ways for me to forget why I’m alive

But you always know just what I’m feelin’
You always know just where it hurts
So, Jesus, love my pain away
And make me stronger
I’m not alone
So help me make this a life worth losin’

Chorus:

Bridge:

Well, I know that you are the end game
I can’t imagine my life without your hope
So teach me to walk with assurance
Feed me your truth
And point me forward to life everlasting

Chorus:

Oh, then I’ll know
On the other side of home

To Be A Man

I’ve laid you down to bed
Pulled the covers to your head
Knowing that our time will soon be over
As you close your eyes I pray
I can stop the clock some way
And I hope that you’ll still need me when you’re older

The days go by, the time just flies
There’s nothing I can do
But hold on to every minute as
I hold on to you

Chorus:

Cause everything you do, I’m missin’
So many things go left unsaid
It’s almost like a crime that I’m commitin’
Right now in your eyes I can’t do any wrong
Maybe someday I hope that you’ll understand
That I tried and I tried
To teach you to be a man

It’s hard to shape a mind
One weekend at a time
When ya don’t get extra time for good behaviour
To teach you to be kind
To everyone you find
And make sure you know that Jesus is your savior

I’ve tried to give it up to God and leave you in his hands
‘Cause I know he’s watching over you
And I know he understands

Chorus:

That everything you do, I’m missin’
So many things go left unsaid
It’s almost like a crime that I’m commitin’
Right now in your eyes I can’t do any wrong
Maybe someday I hope that you’ll understand
That I tried and I tried
To teach you to be a man

Bridge:

So many things we haven’t said
So many places we’ve never been
I know

Chorus:

Oh I tried and I tried
To teach you to be a man

Not Apart From You

Sometimes I feel like I’m alone in this place
Not an ounce of direction, I’m just takin’ up space
Sin all around me clogging my heart
Lord, I need your protection, gotta find my direction
Don’t know where I can start

My heart is in the right place, it’s focused on you
Jesus, thy will be done ‘till your kingdom come
I just hope it’s real soon
Humanity’s crumbling all over the place
Give me your love and show me your grace

Chorus:

Purify my heart, Oh Jesus
Put me in your perfect will
Set me free from this pollution
I’m blinded by my sin
I just want to live again
And I can’t live another day apart from you

It's hard not to feel

Like I''ve been livin' in hell

A whole civilization

So stuck on themselves

"Just do what feels good!"

That's what they all say

They won't come to their senses

There's just no consequences

For the actions they take

I'm cryin' out to you, Lord

Can you still see my tears

Someday I will find

Just what you had in mind

When you gave me these fears

My heart is entrenched in a spiritual war

I can't think like a worldly man anymore

Chorus:

Purify my heart, Oh Jesus

Put me in your perfect will
Set me free from this pollution
I’m blinded by my sin
I just want to live again
And I can’t live another day apart from you

You've Already Won

There's trouble on the front lines

Men are falling all around as they give in

The enemy's advancing

Marching toward my soul

Sometimes I get so weary

It never seems like I will ever win this battle

But I cannot retreat this time

So Lord, help me now to stand

Chorus:

I will stand and fight

Cause I know that you are here beside me

You are always there to guide me

I will keep you in sight

For I know that this won't last forever and

You've already won

You've already been there

You felt pain and sorrow I cannot imagine

The nails, the wrath of God

You bore them all for me

So when I feel like cryin'

When the war just doesn't seem like it will ever end

I will sing salvation

Bleeding from your side

Chorus:

I will stand and fight
Cause I know that you are here beside me
You are always there to guide me
I will keep you in sight
For I know that you will last forever and

You've already won

Come Home

Why do you keep running

From who you want to be?

And why are you searching?

When the love you seek's as boundless as the sea

Though I know it's never easy

But over time, Love will conquer fear

Chorus:

Come Home, where love only grows

Come home, where God's glory shows

You know

You'll always belong here

And we're all waiting for you

To come home

We all have our troubles

That's the nature of the world

But we weren't meant to walk alone

Without a shoulder, or a loving hand to hold

But I can see

Your heart's desire

and I know

That God will light your way to

Chorus:

Come Home, where love only grows
Come home, where God's glory shows
You know
You'll always belong here
And we're all waiting for you
To come home

Please, Come Home.

Don't Walk Away

Take a look at the faces all around you

So many people are living without hope

Their teenagers gone wild, temporary layoffs

Don't ya think it's about time to tell 'em what we know

We sit around lazy, laughin' and jokin'

"After all", you say, "I've worked for all I have"

But dontcha know Jesus didn't die for nothin'

And we need to remember all he said

Don't ya know, you just can't walk away

Remember a time, when you were just as lost as they

Don't walk away

There's a peace that comes with knowin' where you're goin'

And that the things of this world are only but a dream

There's a faith that grows by livin' in the spirit

And knowin' the evil all around you just ain't what it seems

You talk about heaven, can you just imagine

Everybody you see on every street

Singin' songs of praise to our God the father

And confessin' that Jesus Christ is their king

Don't ya know, we got a job to do

To come as close

to makin' that scene come true

Don't walk away

1. Free**
2. Increase My Faith
3. My Something Better
4. Radical Love
5. Bring Back The Day
6. The Other Side Of Home
7. To Be A Man
8. Not Apart From You
9. You've Already Won
10. Don't Walk Away
11. Come Home

All Songs Written By Benjamin A. Bitter

** Includes a portion of “Nearer My God To Thee” Written by Sarah F. Adams (Public Domain)

All Songs Published by I'm So Bitter Music (ASCAP)

Special Thanks:
This project had been one of the greatest experience of my life! There are many people to thank privately, but publicly..My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I give it all to you. My music, my life..everything. To my amazing wife, Erin: For sacrificing a room in our very first house so that I can have a place to work, and for loving me so completely and so biblically. To my church family at Meadowview Baptist Church: Thank you so much for the privilege of leading you in worship, and for helping me grow in Christ alongside you. It has been an honor. Hey! Elizabeth Kehl! Thank you heaps for your skilled hand on your violin, that completed "You've Already Won". That song isn't the same without your beautiful solo. :-) To my dear friend Kaylin for raising the bar for me artistically, challenging me to be all I am capable of, and for the amazing cover art. Liner notes in any album of mine aren’t complete without mentioning my family, in particular my brother Drew for being an unbiased sounding board..that is capable of honesty. And the others..Paul, Bruce, Tom, Barb and Michael. I love you all!. And last, but definitely not least, Cuan and Mali Korsten for teaching me the lesson that my art is worth something to someone, and to not give in to my nasty inner voices. You guys have become treasured friends from thousands of miles away, and that’s worth mentioning. And to everyone that has purchased this album, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance. I hope you can allow these songs to lead you closer to Christ, and to a Cross centered life.

Thank you all, and God Bless,

Benjamin

-December 18, 2012