Children Of The Earth

Josh Garrels pictures humanity as "Children of the earth / Once dust but now alive," people living "in tents of flesh and bone." The imagery recalls the dust of Genesis 2:7 and the earthly tent of 2 Corinthians 5:1. Inside that fragile shelter the singer asks for a flame: "We hold a spiritual fire / Set a flame in my heart / Illuminate the darkest hours."

The first verse waits "before the dawn," hoping to see "the glory and the power / Of the Lord," and the answer is a plain, repeated "Alleluia." The second verse changes direction from light to growth. "The older we become / We must become more like a child," believing in "a land that lies beyond" everything seen so far, which fits Matthew 18:3.

Humility closes the song, with no sense of self-rescue: "You know I can't do it on my own." The way is high, but "we could fly over / When you heal our wings." Healing comes before flight, an image near Isaiah 40:31. The song returns to "Alleluia" as its closing word.