There was a time I thought faith meant certainty, a solid ground where all the answers lined up neatly. I knew the doctrines, quoted the verses, and felt confident that I understood the core of it all. But life has a way of challenging that confidence, of unravelling the easy answers and making room for doubt. When prayers went unanswered and things didn’t turn out as expected, I found myself wrestling with questions that didn’t fit into my tidy beliefs.
Here I Stand reflects that journey. It’s about coming before God as we are – doubts, fears, and questions in hand. It’s about letting go of the need to have everything figured out and embracing the vast mystery of a God who can’t be boxed in or fully explained. There’s something freeing in realising that God is bigger than our certainties, that He invites us to lean into trust rather than perfect understanding.
This song is an invitation to live within that tension, to find refuge in a love that is strong enough for our questions and deep enough for our doubts.
I love the arrangement for this song. It’s really important to me that the harmony. melody, lyrics and production work together and Mark Edwards is an absolute master at writing arrangements that compliment the song. The Wurlitzer has a warm, gritty depth, with a gentle vibrato that adds a soft, pulsing shimmer to each note. This subtle tremble makes the chords feel alive, giving them a rich, textured warmth that seems to float and linger, evoking a sense of mystery which fits the lyrics perfectly. On top of that, Matt Weeks’ smooth bass lines, Reuben Harsant’s hand-played percussion, and the repetitive banjo ostinato weave together to give the song a dreamlike, yet earthy quality. I hope you enjoy listening to it!
Here I Stand
Here I stand
Warts and all before the architect of man
Here I stand
Like the spiritual vagabond I am
I’ve been wandering in circles for so long
Try’ng to find a place where I belong
Like a prodigal returning to the fold
Longing just to find my way back home
Here I kneel
Laying down the essence of my deepest fear
Here I kneel Letting go of all my preconceived ideas
He is bigger than I ever realised
When I fit him in a box cut down to size
Escaping all the chains of certainty
As I’m learning to embrace the mystery
Here I live
In the shelter of the shadow of His wings
Here I live
In the refuge of the strength of love he brings
Though my mind is full of questions, I am sure
I am stronger than I ever was before
Even though I know the answers may not come
I am trusting in the everlasting one
Trusting in the everlasting one
© Olwen Ringrose 2024