my babies in some way. I’ ll say this; this record was probably the most personal record that I’ ve ever written. It’ s not because for the other ones I was disengaged or I wasn’ t writing from an honest place, but there are levels of honesty and you can’ t get down to the deepest place until you have to. Like you walk through something and realize you’ ve got to dig a little deeper. It’ s like it exposes an area of your heart that you didn’ t even know was there. That was what this was for me. My family was just walking through the hardest season we’ ve walked through. We were going through a lot of transition because we were moving from Chicago to Nashville, I was pregnant with my third child( our first daughter), and most days I was feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed out. I started having panic attacks. I’ ve always been very flexible; go-with-the-flow. But, I just started having trouble breathing, and I still do … some days when I’ m feeling stress, I just can’ t get a deep breath. This is just what we were walking through. We felt like we were being attacked on all sides, like we were in an all-out war with the enemy of our souls. All of these songs came from that place. Every one of them. Every song is just like me trying to find a new way to sing the truth over myself. And to remind myself of the hope that I have in the Lord because many days I just felt so hopeless. So, these songs were my anthems long before anybody ever heard them. I would play the demo in my car and just weep. Like with“ Soar” –“ God, I believe You’ re working while I wait, and I feel like I’ m in a waiting season … in a valley that I’ ve never experienced before and I know that You’ re using it to grow me and take me to a deeper place, but it’ s really hard, so help me to wait, to trust you, and to believe what You said …‘ They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles.’” So, that’ s what I was clinging to. And, these songs are like a lifeline that the Lord just threw out to me. My hope is that these songs will be a lifeline for other people. That they will offer hope to people and remind the listeners of the hope and promise they have in Jesus that He is with us even in the hardest place.
WM: I see that your husband, Jacob Sooter, is a co-writer on“ Deeper.” Do y’ all do a lot of co-writing together?
MEREDITH: We don’ t do a ton of co-writing together. He is a songwriter by himself and he writes a lot for the Vertical Church Band and he produces all of the VCB stuff. But, we did write“ Deeper,”“ Take Me Back,” and“ I Look to the King” together. We do enjoy writing together. It’ s cool to have that shared experience and to have a song together that means so much. We wrote“ Deeper” when we were in a hard place and we were like,“ We believe this. We may not always feel it, but we believe it.”
WM: The readers of Worship Musician desire to serve the Lord out of their gifting. Would you voice a prayer over the readers?
MEREDITH: Absolutely! God, thank You so much for Your faithfulness to us and the fact that You have wired us in such a way that we’ re just able to come before You as we are and bring our personalities and our gifting’ s and even our short-comings and hang-ups. But, Lord we bring it all to You and somehow You make it beautiful and You use us all for the Kingdom of God. So, I just thank You so much for every reader in the way that they are serving in their different capacities and different churches. Lord, I pray that You would encourage their hearts even as they’ re reading this prayer. God, I pray that You would remind them what You have called them to. May they not take it lightly and may they understand the weight of what You have set before them and have put in their hand to do. Give them a renewed vision and passion to worship You, to love You, and to seek You out. That they would seek You through Your word behind closed doors and to sing out a new song. Because it’ s from that place that we will be able to lead Your people well. Help us to love the people more than we love the music. So, that means sometimes we have to let our preferences die in order to serve Your people well. Honor every reader right now … if they feel they are in the lowest valley or alone in ministry … if there’ s a mom who feels
like she doesn’ t know how to juggle ministry and being a good mother. I totally get that. I ask that you bring clarity, peace, wisdom, and hope
into every situation. Speak new life into every situation, every heart, every reader God. I pray our eyes would be completely on You as You lead and teach us how to call Your people into this place of worship and Your presence. We want to lead Your people well. Help us to do
that, God. May we find You in the secret place so that everything we do on stage comes from there. God, just bless these readers and may they know you in a deeper way than they ever have. In Jesus name, Amen
“ DEEPER” Lyric Video
Deeper( 2016)
Worth It All( 2013)
As Long As It Takes( 2010)
The Invitation( 2008)
24 May � June 2016 WorshipMusician. com