Songs of Worship: Graves Into Gardens
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News headline: “Pallbearers approached by a gang frantically throw dead body in a nearby grave. Dead man stands to his feet after touching the bones of the already entombed. Story below.”
Whoa! I would most certainly read on. Would you?
There is so much packed into the creation of the incredible multi-award-winning song, “Graves Into Gardens.” It merits understanding the story within the story within the story. You must, MUST, promise me one thing: read the stories in order or you will miss the grander one.
Story #1: The origin of the song, “Graves Into Gardens”
Perhaps you remember when you heard “Graves Into Gardens” for first time. If you know it, re-listen; if you are not familiar with it, gift yourself in the next few minutes. There is an energy that literally pulls us into the story within the story within the story.
Listen to song HERE.
Read Lyrics Below:
I searched the world
But it couldn't fill me
Man's empty praise
And treasures that fade
Are never enough
Then You came along
And put me back together
And every desire
Is now satisfied
Here in Your love (hey)
Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
I'm not afraid
To show You my weakness
My failures and flaws
Lord, You've seen 'em all
And You still call me friend
'Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
There's not a place
Your mercy and grace
Won't find me again
Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You're the only one who can
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You're the only one who can
You turn graves into garden
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You're the only one who can
You're the only one who can
Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You're the only one who can
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You're the only one who can
You're the only one who can
You're the only one who can
Elevation Church worship leaders Chris Brown and Tiffany Hammer wrote “Graves Into Gardens” in 2019, along with the head pastor Steven Furtick, with Brandon Lake. In fact, the song was inspired from weekly messages from Pastor Steven. It was recorded live at the Ballentyne campus (North Carolina) of Elevation Church on January 15, 2020, and was released in August of 2020. It became Elevation Worship’s and Brandon Lake’s first #1 single on the US Hot Christian Songs chart. It has been certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of America and was Dove’s Song of the Year for worship recordings … and more. Also, the Spanish rendition, “Tumbas a Járdines,” won the Spanish Language Song of the Year at the 2021 Dove awards.
Personally, I find it rather interesting that it was written weeks before a world-wide pandemic broke out, and then released and recorded shortly after. Throughout centuries, there have been tumultuous times. Let’s face it, right now you could be living in the most tumultuous time in your existence. There must be something real and eternally relevant about a repeating phrase, “There is nothing better than You” for this story in song is told with the reminder that graves can be turned into gardens. There is a story that lives beyond our bones.
Story # 2: The story behind the writing of this song is found in 2 Kings 13: 20-21; Kings 13:20-21 (NIV)
“Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.”
Wait! Are you serious!? Picture this … Elisha has been dead, a season or so, and his bones reside in his tomb. Some evildoers from Moab enter the country right in the middle of a burial when Israelites are disposing of the body of an unnamed man. What do the Israelites do? They throw the body of the man hurriedly into Elisha’s tomb.
Oh, how I wish we had a full explanation from every angle of this scene! The poor Israelites who are burying this man … what are they to do? I guess you throw the dead man’s body in the nearest place you can find and that just happened to be the tomb of Elisha, a leader of the prophets. Well, no choice. Hard stuff. Can you even imagine?
And the Moabites … I am sitting at my computer chuckling at the sight of these intentional evil-doing raiders who most probably are witnessing those bones standing up and coming to life. I don’t know about you, but not having the end of this story, I am filling in the blanks. I picture pale faces, screams, and wide-eyed, stunned men who are probably running for their lives and making themselves scarce. What do you picture?
That burial story, friends, is the heart of this incredible song. However, we need to better know the decomposed heart of the man whose bones remained … the bones that touched the tossed dead body and caused them to stand up and come to life. Elisha caused this story to be breaking news, a story worth repeating, generations later. Remember this: Elisha had died, but his story did not end there.
Story #3: A glimpse of the life of the prophet, Elisha
In Elisha’s lifetime, he had seen the rise and fall of many kings. Some of the kings were godly, some were ungodly, and some were the kind that would conveniently follow God when they got into a mess. In his lifetime, Elisha was mentored by his predecessor, Elijah, the previous leading prophet. The wisdom of these two men was phenomenal. Many who study Elisha state that even the ungodly kings knew that there was wisdom from Elisha which they needed to seek. Charles Spurgeon stated: “Let us seek to live so that even ungodly men may miss us when we are gone.” When Elisha spoke, the kings listened. They did not always follow or do what was right in the eyes of Elisha and the Lord, but the opportunity to follow Elisha’s godly teaching was there.
The name Elisha means God is salvation, my God saves. Elisha’s passion in life was to be a leader who would leave a legacy that would be passed down for generations. He was not perfect, but he lived a life that mattered … most importantly, a life that would matter after his days on earth were finished. He accomplished this by his faith, his words, his relationships and his deeds. Elisha asked God to perform many miracles and God used Elisha to do so. To name a few: he multiplied a widow’s oil so that she could pay her debts, he restored a Shunammite’s son to life, he changed deadly water into good water, he multiplied twenty barley loaves to feed one hundred, he blinded the enemy, and he healed leprosy. There are many more, but my favorite is when Elisha caused an axhead to float. (If you think God is not in the small details of your life, just read 2 Kings 6: 1-7 that relays this axhead story. God is most certainly in the small details of our lives and cares.)
Elisha consistently prayed to the Lord and asked the Lord for guidance and help as he followed the God who gave him the name, “My God Saves.” Generations later, God would send his son, Jesus, to perform similar deeds, only multiplied and magnified many times over. Elisha’s journey included God by his side.
A question worth asking ourselves: “How can we live a life that matters?”
Story # 4: The Grander Story. YOU are the author!
So far, we have the story within the story within the story. The first story gave us facts about the song. The second story informed us about a rather unusual happening at a gravesite. The third story allowed us to know a few facts about the life and depth of the man behind the bones, Elisha, the prophet. There is one last one, in which you (that’s what I said, YOU) are the protagonist. It is you who gets to determine your story.
Jesus died on the cross so that we could live with him in eternity. Yet there is more to our story on earth. If we are intentional, we can leave a legacy from our lives on this earth too. We can choose to allow our faith, our words, our relationships and our deeds to remain living, even after our hearts have stopped beating.
Best said by Scripture … and may I add that the two Scriptures below from Psalms have impacted and guided me through the years. The topic of generational ripples is the heartbeat of my innerworkings. I want to strive to pass on this message of legacy, the message that could be missed if we, as believers, are not intentional:
Psalms 102:12-18
“But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.”
Psalms 89:1-2
“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”
No surprise to any of us: we will experience a physical death on this earth. What you lived for on earth is what is magnified when you die. Imagine the words that will be stated at your funeral. What will be magnified “post-you”? You have the incredible opportunity to leave a legacy from your faith, your words, your relationships and your deeds. You are not expected to be the prophet, Elisha. However, leaving godly legacy must be intentional.
The song, “Graves Into Gardens,” speaks to this. 2 Kings 13 speaks to this. The life of Elisha speaks to this. Author of your days on this earth, will your story be a call to future generations to follow the God who turns graves into gardens and confidently declares to our Creator: “Nothing is better than You”?