ODYSSEY – 1995

GOD’S PROMISES/RAINBOWS IN THE NIGHT (Odyssey)

Word and Music by David Meece
Lyrics by David Meece and Dwight Liles
Copyright, 1995 Word Music, Ariose Music

Deep within this darkened heart of mine
The Word of God still shines with hope
Deep within this frightened life I live
A voice so soft and still grows
And when the sun is hidden
And shadows cloud my starless skies
Amazingly I turn and see a light

God’s promises are rainbows in the night
Shining hope inside when shadows cloud my eyes
His promises are rainbows in the night
Guiding through the darkest times
God’s promises are rainbows in the night

Looking back on all the roads I’ve known
The echoes of the songs I’ve sung
Looking back there’s a thread of love and grace
Connecting each line and space I’ve known
And all the years I thought were lost
On empty searching without clues
Now trace a journey to the highest truth

FALLING DOWN (Count the Cost, Chronology, Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece
Copyright 1983 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music

Lord you know I’ve tried so hard
To do the things I should
In everything I say and do
And all things that I could
But the world keeps calling me
And time and time again it seems
Before I know what’s hitting me
I’ve let You down again

And I’m falling down
You know I’m falling down
And I don’t understand
Why I keep losing ground
But every time I do
If I look up to You then
I’ll stop falling down
Yes I’ll stop falling down
Because of You

People say they understand
They don’t try to put me down
Lord, You know it rips apart
The witness that I have
How I wish that I could be

The man that you want me to be
But You know that’s impossible
If I try without you

HIGHER GROUND (Candle in the Rain, Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece
Copyright 1987 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music

Lift me up to higher ground
Lift me up, I’m sinking down
And I know the water’s cold
And I might drown
Lord, lift me up to higher ground

I feel the night closing in
I feel the tide rising again
And serenity slippin’ away from me, oh no
The sea of life, it batters the shore
The water’s higher than ever before
Gotta find me a way to get out of here
Gotta find me a way to get past the fear

Lift me up to higher ground
Lift me up, I’m sinking down And I know
the water’s cold
And I might drown
Lord, lift me up to higher ground

I’ve done my best, I still can’t win
And there’s no rest from the state I’m in
Insecurity’s getting the best of me, oh no
I see the light on a distant shore
But I’m to tired to row any more
Won’t You give me the strength to get through the wind
Won’t You show me the way to get home again

Lift me up to higher ground
Lift me up, I’m sinking down
And I know the water’s cold
And I might drown
Lord, lift me up to higher ground

(Repeat Refrain)

ONE SMALL CHILD (Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece
Copyright 1971 WORD Music

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a Savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small Savior of life

One king bringing his gold and riches
One king ruling an army of might
One king kneeling with incense and candlelight
One king bringing us life

See Him lying a cradle beneath Him
See Him smiling in the stall
See His mother praising His Father
See His tiny eyelids fall

See the shepherds kneeling before Him
See the kings on bended knee
Oh, See the mother praising the Father
See the Blessed infant sleep.

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a Savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small Savior of life

Ooo … Oh … Oh … Oh …
(Repeat to end twice):
One small child Oh …
One small child Oh …

YOU CAN GO (7, Odyssey)

Words by David Meece, Michael Hudson and Michael Card
Music by David Meece
Copyright 1985 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music , Straightway Music and Mole End Music

There is a river running deep in your soul
It’s the power of God, can’t you feel it flow
You’ve got a glory that can light up the dark
You’ve got the Kingdom of God in your heart

You can go now, you can go
You’ve got the treasure that the world needs to know
You can go now, you can go
You’ve got the power of God, let it flow

You’ve got a promise from your Father above
There is nothing on this earth that can stop His love
You are the light He wants to set on a hill
You are the one who can walk in His will

You can go now, you can go
You’ve got the treasure that the world needs to know
You can go now, you can go
You’ve got the power of God, let it flow

With the prize before and the cross behind
In the power of God and the name that binds
You can walk in faith, you can always know
When the Lord puts love in your heart, it will flow

You can go now, you can go
You’ve got the treasure that the world needs to know
You can go now, you can go
You’ve got the power of God, let it flow.

TUMBLIN’ DOWN (7, Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece

Just like a fool on sinking sand
I didn’t know what was going down
I let my pride and vanity turn me away from reality
All of my strength and security
Were built upon the walls of society
But all I had were sandcastles next to the raging sea
Don’t you see

They came a-tumblin’ down
(They came a-tumblin’ down)
Just like the walls of Jericho
They came a-tumblin’ down
(They came a-tumblin’ down)
Just like the walls of Jericho
They came a-tumblin’ down

Then in the ruins of my broken life
I saw the gleam of a distant light
I felt the warmth of a gentle touch
I felt the strength as it picked me up
Love was in His eyes as He said to me,
“Don’t put your faith in physical things,
Nothing of this world is forever, you’ve got to see
don’t you see?”

FORGIVEN (7, Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece
Copyright 1985 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music

It was a cloudy day
The earth stood still
A man hung crying in the shadows
Of a hill called Calvary
An innocent man, belied and scorned
Had gladly borne the pain
And suffering for a world
That should have died there in His place
And as He did, He said,

“Forgive them no matter what they’ve done
Forgive them and tell them they are loved
And give to them a chance to go on living
And give to them a life that they could
never have before
Father, forgive them.”

And to pay the price
He became the sacrifice
Surely, He carried all of my sorrows
And He bore my every grief
And did it willingly
He shed His blood for me
And through the tears, I still can see Him
Gaze with love upon the ones who cursed His name
He gave his all to say

We’re forgiven no matter what we’ve done
Forgiven and sheltered by His blood
And we’re given a chance to go on living
And we’re given a life that we could
never have before

No matter what we’ve done
Forgiven and sheltered by His blood
And we’re given a chance to go on living
Forgiven no matter what we’ve done
Forgiven and sheltered by His blood

Forgiven

HIS LOVE IS REACHING (Candle in the Rain, Odyssey)

Lyrics by Gino Vannelli and David Meece
Music by David Meece
Copyright, 1987 Meece Music (admin by) Word Music/Black Keys Music

Where should I begin to tell my thoughts
What can I say that would do
Where are the words when I need them most
To show my gratitude

Though the times I was burdened
Yet I did not fall
Though the times I was certain
There was no one at all

His love was reaching
An invisible hand pulling me through
His love was reaching
Touching my life in more ways than I ever knew

As I lay beneath the southern cross
The stars tell more than I could
And if the words don’t say want I really mean
I pray I’m understood

When I thought I had nothing
Yet I had so much
Though the years when it seemed
We were out of touch

His love was reaching
An invisible hand pulling me through
Touching my life in more ways than I ever knew

How could I think I was living alone
How could a man be so blind
How could I have come so far
Without His hand in mine

His love was reaching
An invisible hand pulling me through
His love was reaching
Touching my life in more ways than I ever knew

COUNT THE COST (Count the Cost, Odyssey)

Words & Music by Randy Scruggs & John Thompson

Chorus: You gotta count the cost
If you’re gonna be a Believer
You gotta know that the price
Is the one you can afford

You gotta count the cost
If you’re gonna be a Believer
You gotta go all the way
If you really love the Lord

He never said it’d be so easy
He never promised a free ride
There’s a costly fee if you wanna be
On His side

Oh the Father knows the cost
His only Son was the price
And when He says to “follow Me”
He’s asking of a man his life

(Repeat chorus)

The modern day disciple
Still has a price to pay
There’s a war within and a war with sin
And He fights it everyday

So be sure and understand
The voice you hear behind the call
You can’t come with half a heart
Because He’s asking for it all

(Repeat chorus)

WE CAN OVERCOME IT ALL (7, Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece
Copyright 1985 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music

Every day a battle rages within
Every day we’ve got a war to win
But there’s no reason that we should give in
We can win every fight, stand for what’s right
And know in our hearts the battle is won

We can overcome it all
When we put our trust in Him
We can overcome it all
When we put our trust in Him

Everybody’s got their thorn in the flesh
Everybody’s got their weaknesses
But there’s no reason to give in to this
We can conquer our faults, rise up and walk
Whatever our fears, whatever appears

We can overcome it all
When we put our trust in Him
We can overcome it all
When we put our trust in Him

We’ve got the power, the victory is ours
We’ll stand up and fight with God on our side

We can overcome it all
When we put our trust in Him
We can overcome it all
When we put our trust in Him

AND YOU KNOW IT’S RIGHT (Count the Cost, Odyssey)

Words & Music by David Meece, Brown Bannister, Michael W. Smith

When something in the deepest part of you
Is telling you the things you need to do
Something in the very heart of you
Is showing you the things you know are true

Chorus: You can hear it now
Growing stsronger now
Feel it reaching out
To grip the heart in you (woa)

And you know it’s right
And you know that you need Him tonight
And you know you’ve been running away too long
And you know it’s right
And you know that you owe Him your life
‘Cause you know that He’s given His life for you

Somewhere deep inside when you know it’s right
There’s just no other place for you to run
And when something deep inside your very soul and mind
Is begging you to do what must be done

(Repeat chorus)
(Repeat chorus)

And you know you gotta give it up
You gotta give it all
And everything you are
‘Cause everything you want
You know you’ll find it all in Him, in Him

(Repeat chorus)
(And you know cont.)

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN (Chronology, Odyssey, Word Marquee Collection)

Lyrics by David Meece, Gino Vannelli and Roy Freeland
Music by Gino Vannelli and Joe Vannelli
Copyright 1986, Meece Music (admin by) Word Music, Black Keys Music/Screen Gems-EMI Music

This prison has no walls
This bondage has no chains
My memories have no mercy
There’s no one left to blame
Wish I could force back
The hands of time
And right every wrong
Grant me just this one last chance
Before it’s gone, gone, gone

How could I be so blind as to doubt your love?
How could I go on living without your love?

Seventy times seven
Will you forgive me for all that I’ve done
Seventy times seven
I’m so afraid of what I’ve become

For all the promises laid to waste
For all the seeds unsown
For all the justice I never faced
I must now atone
Is there a soul that can’t be saved
Is there a heart that has no hope
Is there a peace that can still be made
Please say it’s so

How could I be so blind as to doubt your love?
How could I go on living without your love?

Seventy times seven
Will you forgive me for all that I’ve done
Seventy times seven
I’m so afraid of the man I’ve become

Seventy times seven
Will you forgive me for all that I’ve done
Seventy times seven
Your love can save me from what I’ve become

Seventy times seven

WE ARE THE REASON (Are You Ready, Front Row, Chronology, Odyssey, There I Go Again, Word Marquee Collection)

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn
And all the gifts and toys we knew we’d find
But we never realized a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

And we were the reason that He gave His life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

As the years went by we learned more about gifts
And giving of ourselves and what that means
On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying
in the rain
Because of love, because of love

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

I finally found the reason for living
It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him
In all that I do every word that I say
I’ll be giving my all just for Him
For Him

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

He is my reason to live

EARLY IN THE MORNING (Once in a Lifetime, Odyssey)

Words by David Meece & Michael Hudson
Music by David Meece
Copyright 1993 Meece Music (admin)WORD Music & Ariose Music

Once a good young King came by
Early in the morning
Hope soared nearly to the sky
Early in the morning
Yet that first hope nearly died
With so little warning
The good young King was crucified
Early in the morning

In the stone cold tomb He lay
Early in the morning
Laid with Him the hope of day
Early in the morning
Saints and angels fearful, pray
Yearning for a dawning
Breaking on the silent grave
Early in the morning

Alleluia
O the bright dawn breaks
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia
O the sweet King wakes
Alleluia, alleluia

Long the anxious claws had gripped
Early in the morning
Now vanquished claws have slipped
Early in the morning
How the bragging dragon trips
Head, so high, now fawning
Mouth, denied, forever drips
Early in the morning

Alleluia
Empty claws proclaim
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia
Now the good King reigns
Alleluia, alleluia

Steady in the waning night
Early in the morning
Risen Morning Star our light
Early in the morning
Dragons breed again to fight
Fearful is their taunting
Yet, we trust, Lord, thy great might
Early in the morning

Alleluia
Saints and angels sing
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia
Praise the risen King
Alleluia, alleluia

I CAN SEE (7, Odyssey)

Lyrics by Gloria Gaither with David Meece
Music by David Meece
Copyright, 1985 Meece Music (admin by) Word Music, Gaither Music Co.

All at once He walked beside me
Like He’d been there all along
Not a stranger, but a Father
Who could sense when something’s wrong
He answered all of my questions
And He understood all of my fears
That somehow vanquished now that He was here

Can’t you see who walks with you
Can’t you hear who speaks your name
Can’t you feel something stirring in your heart
How His words rang strong and true
Like a once familiar strain
Could the paths we follow from now on be the same

I couldn’t bear for Him to leave me
So I begged Him to stay
Spend the evening, a few moments
Before He went His way
Then like a host He stood and blessed me
Broke the bread and poured the wine
And there was something I knew I recognized

Yes, I can see who walks with me
I can see who speaks my name
And I can feel something stirring in my heart
How His words ring strong and true
Like a once familiar strain
And I know that I’ll never be the same
I can see

And from that moment in time
I felt the emptiness subside
And all the glory of His power shining through
And for the first time in my life
I really looked into His eyes and saw eternity
And suddenly I knew
Yes, I can see

I can see
I can see

THE REST OF MY LIFE (Learning to Trust, Odyssey)

Words by David Meece & Michael Hudson
Music by David Meece
Copyright 1989 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music & Ariose Music

Lord, Your mercy came and it made me sing
With all my heart
Blessed be the name of the One who brings
Such a fresh new start
Ah, now the air smells clean
And the grass looks green, the sky looks bluer
Than I have ever seen
You have made my sweetest dream come true

And I want to live for You
For the rest of my life, for the rest of my life
And I want to give to You
All the rest of my life, all the rest of my life

Lord, You’ve proved again You’re love extends
To the deepest need
When I hit the end You’re love begins
And from there you lead
Lead through an open door
To a golden shore a royal kingdom
Where my heart explores
And the more I learn the more I sing

And I want to live for You
For the rest of my life, for the rest of my life
And I want to give to You
All the rest of my life, all the rest of my life