Rock My Soul

Josh Garrels builds this song around the ache of being a "motherless child," an orphan searching for comfort in every place he turns, only to find that nothing heals him but the Lord. That admission of helplessness gives way to the central image of the chorus: God rocking the soul in love while the two of them make a home together. The second verse turns that image inward, confessing there are still rooms kept closed even as the singer welcomes God in, then answering the hesitation with a resolve drawn from Joshua's declaration that he and his house will serve the Lord, swinging wide the gates and unlocking the doors. A later verse shifts the metaphor from rocking to mothering, describing God's goodness rising up like a mother's love with healing in her wings, holding close and speaking tenderly until fear is relieved. The song closes in pure longing, the soul crying out that God's presence is beautiful, that only He can make it whole, and that His love outranks fortune and gold. The repeated line about wanting only Him keeps the whole thing from drifting into sentimentality; it stays a prayer of dependence.