Ah yes, Oceans. That song which dominated Christian radio station airwaves for months and (occasionally) still runs on some stations. Congregations all over the world sang Hillsong United’s Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) as part of worship to our most Heavenly Father and King. As far as two years since its initial release, it still showed up as Billboard’s top Christian song. That’s some serious staying power!

Insofar as I know, this song is meant to be poetic in nature, brimming with metaphors. I will keep that in mind. Though there are multiple radio versions, I will review the original.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site! Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

This song is primarily based on the account of Jesus walking on water, in Matthew 14:22-31. Peter asks Jesus that upon command, he will come out onto the water. Upon affirmation, Peter walks on water to meet Jesus. He becomes afraid of the wind and doubts, sinking into the sea. Jesus rescues him and brings him back into the boat. She takes this incident and applies it to her own walk with Christ, in poetic fashion.

There are other sub-themes including trusting in God, following His leading, and spiritual growth.

One of my major concerns is that this song transforms a historical account into a metaphorical overtone. For those who are not familiar with the historical account, it can confuse people into thinking that this event never occurred. Much like speaking about the “giants of our life” when referring to the account of David and Goliath. As long as we remember that this account is historical and present it as such, it will quench my concerns considerably.

Score: 9/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

All of it! Lyrics posted with permission.*

[Verse 1]

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

This is a direct reference to Matthew 14:28-29, a subset of the entire passage mentioned in section 1. Peter was called out upon the Sea of Galilee by Jesus as an act of faith. How frightening! We are called to the same child-like faith towards “You”, one without any doubting, else, we will sink like Peter did. Since it is revealed later that “You” refers to “Jesus, my God”, we will use Jesus, God, or proper pronouns for all other references throughout this review (also see James 1:6-8).

And there I find You in the mystery

The deep, rich secrets of God are found when we seek God with all our hearts. See Deuteronomy 29:29, Proverbs 25:2, Matthew 13:11-13, Mark 4:11, Romans 16:25, Ephesians 1:9, Ephesians 3:4-5, Ephesians 5:28-32, Colossians 1:25-27, Colossians 2:1-3, and 1 Timothy 3:16.

In oceans deep my faith will stand

Although the original context of the source material takes place in the sea of Galilee and not an ocean, this particular line is more metaphorical, indicating that despite the vastness and depth of water, like Peter standing on water, we will also stand firm in our faith. See 1 Corinthians 16:13, 2 Corinthians 1:24, Ephesians 6:11, Philippians 1:27, Philippians 4:1, Colossians 1:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 6:11, Hebrews 10:23, and 1 Peter 5:9.

[Chorus]

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace

Like Peter, who in Matthew 14:30 called upon the name of Jesus and said: “save me, Jesus!”, we too can rest upon Him when trials and tribulations (allegorically referred to as waves) make haste towards our doorstep. See also 1 Chronicles 16:8, 2 Samuel 22:4, Job 27:10, Psalm 18:3, Psalm 55:16, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 105:1, Psalm 116:2, Joel 2:32, and Acts 2:21.

For I am Yours and You are mine

That is, a connected, personal relationship we have with God. See Acts 17:27, Romans 8:15, John 15:1-11, and Romans 11:16-24.

[Verse 2]

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

This concept is eloquently captured in Psalm 107:23-32.

Your sovereign hand will be my guide

This speaks to two important concepts:

God’s sovereignty (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 4:39, Deuteronomy 10:14, Joshua 2:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 29:10, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Psalm 93:1-2, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 43:13, Isaiah 45:9-10, Isaiah 46:10, Lamentations 5:19, Daniel 4:35, Romans 9:19-21, Ephesians 1:11, Hebrews 1:8, James 4:15, Revelation 4:11, and Revelation 20:11); and His guiding hand (Psalm 32:8, Psalm 37:23-24, Psalm 73:23-24, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 30:21, Isaiah 48:17, Isaiah 58:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 20:24, Psalm 25:4-9, Psalm 25:9-10, Luke 1:78-79, John 14:26, John 16:13, and Romans 8:14).

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

If God is with us, there is no reason to be afraid (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10-13, Matthew 28:20, 1 John 1:18, and Hebrews 13:5-6. Though some are impatient, God acts on His own timing when He keeps His promises (2 Peter 3:9).

[Bridge]

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

That is, the promised Holy Spirit, who guides us. See John 16:13 and John 14:26.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Saviour

Trials and tribulations stretch the life of a Christ-follower. See Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 12:4-11, and James 1:2-4.

Note

There are some who have concerns with the Bridges’ six repetitions and its connections with Transcendental Meditation. In truth, those who engage in it meditate for 15-20 minutes per session, twice per day. Six repetitions (though admittedly annoying) does not go on for 15-20 minutes nor is the intent to transcend its original meaning. It does not qualify as Transcendental Meditation.

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

The apex of this song, declaring Jesus as God. See Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 43:10-11, Matthew 1:23, Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26, John 1:1-3, John 1:14, John 5:17-18, John 8:23-25, John 8:28, John 10:30-33, John 14:9, John 20:28-29, Philippians 2:5-6, Colossians 1:16-19, Colossians 2:8-9, Titus 2:13, 1 Timothy 6:14-16, Hebrews 1:10-12, Revelation 1:8, and Revelation 22:13.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

It’s hard to say. On the one hand, there are subtle hints which point to a relationship with Jesus, trusting in Him, declaring Him as God. On the other hand, a cursory listen may, for some, to think that this is talking about a relationship with a boyfriend however small they may be.

Note

The “boyfriend” interpretation becomes more pronounced with the radio version, which omits “Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!” While it’s something to consider, since I promised to only review the original version, I will not deduct points for lack of mention of Jesus for this version.

Score: 8/10

4. What does this song glorify?

God.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Though Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) was released almost 6 years ago, its lyrical power is still making waves all over the world. The poetic and harmonious tune produced by Hillsong United continues to be sung to this day. It is Scripturally sound, has an excellent message, and glorifies the Almighty.

Just don’t sing the radio version.

Final score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) (listen to the song) (buy the song)

Artist: Hillsong United

Album: Zion (buy the album)

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), Pop

Release Year: 2013

Duration: 8:55

Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

*Copyright © 2013 Hillsong Music Publishing (APRA) (adm. in the US and Canada at CapitolCMGPublishing.com). All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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