“A Modern Musical for The Ages.”
A Note From
the Director
Nancy Schwartz
The title itself may have you wondering about the content of this “amazing”, but small book of the Old Testament. Yet it proves to be a profound and insightful “voice” from history.
My journey through its pages began after reading a collection of messages entitled “From Confusion To Confidence” by a minister from Wales named Selwyn Hughes. How I acquired this book is another story in itself, nevertheless it led me to do a ‘deep dive’ into some weighty scholarly accounts to further my understanding. Surprisingly, scholars revealed a much unknown fact - that the book of Habakkuk is one of the most “intact”, yes well preserved, and accurate of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Though only three chapters in length, its weighty and very personal account of human events takes us into one man’s struggle to understand how God, in His timing, could bring an answer that “wasn’t what he was asking for.”
Through his strong statements and cries for help, we find ourselves sometimes demanding, as well as imploring God, for the same answers in much the same way. His message became a final song, as the last chapter reveals it in musical stanza form with the words ‘though the fig tree does not blossom and there are no grapes on the vine’. It reveals a song of hope in trying times. As a musician myself, I found his words becoming songs to me, songs that could take us through his story, highlighting powerful scriptures that continue to speak to us today. That is why, after completing years of work, I am inviting you to a presentation of audio and visual songs prepared here by Tones Studio of Rochester, that will give you a portion of the entire concert version of “Look And Be Amazed “. With some of the finest engineering and talented musicians from this area, this presentation will give you a first hand experience that represents a portion of the concert version we hope to present here in the Rochester area. It is my hope that you can attend, and as you preview it, keep in mind these thoughts…
When history comes back,
To our present day,
To render its story against our dismay.
Will we learn from its lessons,
As they echo through time
Or repeat the same story
With a weakness that rhymes.
We hope to see you here.
JOIN US FOR THE LIVE EVENT!
VIDEO OF NANCY
Listen to the music of “Look And Be Amazed”.
The director & songwriter, Nancy Schwartz, shares the vision.
Hear the stories behind the songs.
Learn how to join the vision, and host your own event.
A DEEP DIVE INTO THE SONGS
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With so much happening, given the numerous reports we hear about crime in our cities and all, it sounded so current to me - the cry of Habakkuk voice shouting “Violence!” I could almost hear him in the background of this song, as a young woman stands on a street corner reporting the latest evil event underneath the neon lights of our time.
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Having never attempted to write a “rap” style song, I found some assistance in several YouTube videos which were very helpful in getting started. But through the talent and collaborative efforts of Willie Williams, this song reached a level of excellence with the arrangement he supplied to the message. There is a light-hearted twist added with the confusing conversation on how to say Habakkuk’s name - ‘Habakkuk or Ha-’ba-kkuk, yet it does not diminish the serious discussion between these men in the song.
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At first it was a challenge to write a song with such angry words as the prophet Habakkuk expresses toward heaven. Though he speaks passionately of the fallen state of Jerusalem, having carried his frustration for years with no answer in sight, Habakkuk’s words bring to the forefront the struggle we all share in both emotionally and theologically when the “whys” in life take us to question what we don't understand.
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This song carries a fierce message with words that point to the weighty judgement of God. Those stinging words, sung by Habakkuk to the children as his audience, begins the fearful description of the wicked Chaldean army that would attack Jerusalem. I have to say that those words, ‘look and be amazed’, seem to point a finger at many events in history, sounding all too familiar.
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The shock and awe of God’s message could not be believed by the people caught in the firestorm as this song illustrates. Even the dissonance of the singers at the beginning reflects their angst at being judged by a people “more unrighteous than they.” “How can God! ” is their cry of disbelief, yet somehow they can’t see the bigger picture of forgetting God’s holy laws. As the song draws to the end, there is an admission to something they had perhaps forgotten.
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Lest anyone forget, God’s word is true and to be believed. His instruction to Habakkuk to “Make it plain, write it down on tablets so that a runner can carry it everywhere" was God’s reminder that, though it tarry, the message of His judgement would come to pass. This song is done in a stark acapella style with the emphasis placed upon hearing the sound of the horror in their voices.
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This song contains the imagined story of one young woman’s fate with her captivity in Babylon. With the title of “Rooms” is given a description of her servanthood in a strange land and in the many rooms of a Babylonian home - her prison as it were. Her life, much changed, is a microcosm shared by others who were chosen by the king of Babylon to continue their lives under his rule. She questions her loss and her purpose going forward, drawing on her faith towards God to answer the cries of her heart.
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As the male and female characters take the lead in this song, you will hear of the relationship between God and his chosen people described as a house in disrepair, abandoned for something less moral and yet enticing. It was the beginning of their downfall with the slow rotting of foundational values, creating that wide path to destruction. The lesson they learn is the story for all nations, through all history.
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Yet all is not hopeless, as Habakkuk, the prophet and the singer of songs relates in his song. The third chapter of this book flows into a stanza-written song that declares “ though the fig tree does not blossom and no fruit on the vine, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” He reminds us that God and His salvation is with us through all of life’s challenges. With such powerful words that Habakkuk uses to describe the majesty of God, they are all a vivid reminder of all that the Lord has done and will do. We can rejoice in that, with all He has done in the past, He will do it again. He is our strength, our saving God who brings us to stand upon the mountains in our lives. We can rejoice again!
“If we know who we really are, and where we really come from, we will exert ourselves even more to surpass previous generations. That is why the study of our spiritual history, Revival & Awakening, our TRUE identity, remains of critical importance. Our history is not just the story of who we once were, but of our destiny; not merely what we have accomplished, but our future success.”
Leonard Jones