EMU Music – Creation Awaits

EMU Music is a group of talented leaders, artists, and songwriters that write music and train others to run a Biblically-centered music ministry.  They’ve been in the business for close to 20 years and are the brains behind the Word In Song conferences in Australia, the United Kingdom, and parts of Asia.

They released a staggering 19 albums, including Songs for Little Rooms (2010), The Things Above (2016), and Praise Without Ceasing (2019).

Insofar as I am aware, no prestigious awards or accolades have been given to EMU Music for their work.

Lyrics can be found at https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Emu-Music/Creation-Awaits.

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?

EMU Music was formerly dead in their trespasses, their lifeless souls separated from God.  Now, they are alive in Christ Jesus, whose sacrifice and light sets them loose from the bondage of sin and death.  They are adopted sons and daughters, forgiven and purchased at a terrible price.  Nothing will separate them from God’s love.  They patiently anticipate the glorious day when Christ returns, where they will no longer experience tribulation.

Score: 10/10

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

All of it aligns with God’s inspired Word.

This song does not contain a Verse/Chorus/Bridge structure.  Therefore, I assigned stanzas to each paragraph.

[Stanza 1]

Line 1: EMU Music is made alive because of Jesus (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:11, and 1 Peter 2:24), who died for their sins (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9).

Line 2: Jesus overcame death by rising from the dead (Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29 Acts 1:3, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:33, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8) and is the light that defeats darkness (Psalm 107:10-16, Luke 1:79, John 1:1-13, John 12:46, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:13, and 1 Peter 2:9).

Lines 3 and 4: See commentary on lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 2]

Line 1: EMU Music explicitly states that we are saved from sin’s power, giving further justification for my Scriptural interpretation in Stanza 1, line 1.

Line 2a: See commentary on Verse 1, lines 1 and 2.

Line 2b: That is, the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us (Acts 6:5, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:16-19, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 5:18, and 2 Timothy 1:14) works on us by convicting us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) and points us back to Jesus (Luke 3:22, John 15:26, Acts 5:27-32, Romans 8:16, 1 John 3:23-24, and 1 John 5:6-9).

Lines 3 and 4: See commentary on line 1.

[Stanza 3]

Lines 1 and 2: We are adopted by God into His Heavenly family as sons and daughters of the Most High (John 1:12-13, John 14:18, Romans 8:14-17, Romans 8:23, Romans 9:1-8, Galatians 3:26, Galatians 4:5-7, Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 2:11-22, Hebrews 9:15, and 1 John 3:1-3).

Line 3: Jesus’ shed blood was poured out so that we could find forgiveness of sins that separate us from God (Matthew 26:28, Act 2:38, Act 5:31, Act 10:43, Romans 4:7, Romans 5:6-8, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Colossians 2:13-14, James 5:15, James 5:19-20, 1 John 2:1-2, and 1 John 2:12).

Line 4: There is a long list of things that won’t separate us from God’s love in Romans 8:35-39, which in effect states “nothing”.

[Stanza 4]

Line 1a: That is, EMU Music was purchased at the price of Christ’s death on a cross (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9).

Line 1b: Christians who were formerly dead in their sins experience a spiritual resurrection (Romans 6:4, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:14, Ephesians 2:6-7, Colossians 2:11-13, and Colossians 3:1).

Line 2a: God tells His people not to be afraid and trust in Him for rescue.  A few examples include Genesis 15:1, Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3-4, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 115:11, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 41:10-13, Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 54:4, John 14:25-27, Romans 8:15, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Peter 3:13-14, 1 Peter 5:6-7, and 1 John 4:18.

Line 2b: That is, to be conformed to the image of Christ, resulting in His glorifying of us (Romans 8:29–30).

Lines 3 and 4: God is the bulwark that protects His children; a refuge of safety and security (Genesis 15:1, Deuteronomy 33:29, 2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 12:5, Psalm 18:1-3, Psalm 20:1, Psalm 27:1-5, Psalm 28:7, Proverbs 30:5, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 34:19, Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 57:1, Psalms 59:1, Psalm 71:1-6, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 89:18, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 115:9, Psalm 121:1-8, Psalm 140:4, Proverbs 14:26, Proverbs 18:10, Isaiah 41:10, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and 2 Thessalonians 3:3).

[Stanza 5]

Lines 1-4: Repeats Stanza 3, lines 1-4.

[Stanza 6]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 3, line 4.

[Stanza 7]

Lines 1 and 2: Combines creation waiting for the full number of believers to come in (Romans 8:19-23) with the spiritual bodies we will receive (1 Corinthians 15:42-50) when Christ returns, meeting Him in mid-air (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and the end of trials and tribulations when suffering will be no more (Revelation 21:4).

[Stanza 8]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 7, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 9]

Lines 1-4: Repeats Stanza 3, lines 1-4.

[Stanza 10]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 7, lines 1 and 2.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

The basic message that unbelievers will likely comprehend is that Christians are forgiven from their sins, are God’s children, and wait for Jesus to come back.  There is a plethora of Christianese language expressing deep theological concepts such as justification, sanctification, and eschatology that requires more than a cursory examination to understand.  It seems that unbelievers were not EMU Music’s intended audience.

Score: 7/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God through highlighting salvation, adoption, sanctification, and that all creation expediently awaits the second coming of Christ.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

EMU Music’s Creation Awaits is a wonderful song for believers.  It presents the Gospel message on several occasions, that Christ saves spiritually dead, wicked sinners from eternal separation from God.  We are adopted children of God who receive the Holy Spirit and await Christ’s expedient second coming, bringing Him glory.  Those outside the camp of Christ will get the gist of EMU Music’s message, even if much of the wording and concepts require additional study to understand.

I highly recommend this song for churches that can handle solid meat in lyrics.  Worship leaders focused on milk for seeker-sensitive churches may want to look elsewhere.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Creation Awaits (listen to the song)

Artist: EMU Music

Album: N/A

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2019

Duration: 5:12

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

Updates:

03/24/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.