Bethel Music (Feat. Kristene DiMarco) – It Is Well

Bethel Music was a dominating force in 2019 and is expected to continue their reign as a top Christian organization in 2020.  It exists as a community of artists, including Cory Asbury, Paul McClure, and Brandon Lake.  With hits such as No Longer Slaves, One Thing Remains, and Raise a Hallelujah, their music continues to resonate with their audience.

It is Well is another hit song requested for review, joining Extravagant and Goodness of God as my sixth review.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Bethel-music-it-is-well-live-lyrics.

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.  I strongly encourage you to consider the potential blessings and dangers of this artist‘s theology by visiting Resources.

1. What message does the song communicate?

As one would expect, Bethel borrowed an element (and lyric) from Horatio Spafford’s It Is Well With My Soul.  Namely, peace in God in the midst of our personal storm and the original’s refrain.  It also includes its own concepts:

• fixing eyes on Jesus
• moving mountains
• letting go of worries

Though the name of God/Jesus/etc. is not explicitly used, the concepts described makes it difficult for believers to reasonably find a different interpretation other than Christianity. Who else but God can calm water phenomena, cause the earth to split by utterances, and whose name is known by gusts and rip tides?

There is a chance that unlearned Christians will get the wrong idea, that all is well all the time.  That nothing bad will happen to us.

Side Note: For those sensitive to excessive repetition, there’s quite a bit of it within the Chorus, Bridge, and post-bridge.

Score: 10/10

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

All of it is Biblical.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1 and 2: That is, God causes earthquakes through His voice (Joel 3:16, Haggai 2:6-7, and Hebrews 12:26).

Lines 3 and 4: References Jesus’ calming of the sea (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25).

[Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: Regardless of one’s own personal scenario, Bethel’s eyes are fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

Lines 3 and 4: In all things, our soul shall become healthy (3 John 1:2).

Lines 5 and 6: Repeats lines 1 and 2.

Line 7: Personalizes line 4.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: Line 1 is a double negative meaning “I shall believe”.

Though Bethel may not know the immediate outcome of their own struggle, they will continue to believe.  Jesus called those who have not seen Him “blessed” (John 20:29).  The same can be true about those who persevere through their trials (James 1:12).

Lines 3 and 4: That is, to move mountains (Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:21, and Mark 11:23-24).  Of course, if we do it without love, we’re nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).

[Bridge]

Line 1: That is, let go of our worries and anxieties and trust in God (Matthew 11:28-30 and 1 Peter 5:7).

Line 2: That is, they obey God.  See Verse 1, lines 3 and 4.

Lines 3-7: Repeats lines 1 and 2.

[Post-Bridge]

Lines 1-10: Borrows from the refrain of It Is Well With My Soul.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Those outside of Christianity will undoubtedly connect this song with its older refrain from It Is Well With My Soul.

There is a good chance that they will misunderstand Bethel’s intent regarding trusting in Jesus, thinking that God will rescue us from all pain and suffering.  Experientially and Scripturally, this is patently false.

Score: 7/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God through Bethel’s description of trust through storms.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Bethel’s It Is Well pays tribute to its classic predecessor and goes in a slightly different direction.  It opts to include concepts not included in the original, including our focus on Jesus, moving mountains, and separation between man and our worries, which glorify God.  Their message on trusting in Jesus may be misinterpreted by some unbelievers.

It might be worth considering, depending on congregational knowledge on persecution, trials, and trubulation.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track:  It Is Well (Live) (listen to the song)

Artist: Bethel Music (Feat. Kristene DiMarco)

Album: You Make Me Brave (Live)

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2014

Duration: 6:25

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

Updates:

06/11/2021 – Per Artist Theology announcement, I expanded the red text to encourage others to study Bethel Music’s theology.

03/17/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.  Changed my commentary on repetition to a side note, raising section 1’s score.  This changed my overall score, from 9/10 to 9.5/10.

03/27/2020 – Upon further reflection and prayer, I decided that repetition does not impact an unbeliever’s interpretation or the lyrics’ inherent glorification of God. Therefore, I changed my score in section 4; However, it did not affect the overall score.