Matt Redman - Facedown

ABOUT
FACE DOWN

Matt Redman has been uniquely raised up by the Lord as a new generational voice to not only stir hearts to worship but also to focus the formations of truly understood and powerfully pure worship to God. Without question we are at a watershed point in the renewal of worship, mandating we discern the difference between the worship that merely inspires us and the worship that dramatically transformsbetween the merely postured stance and that which brings us facedown.

DR. JACK W. HAYFORD

Author, Worship His Majesty and Blessing Your Children
Chancellor, The Kings College and Seminary

Facedown is a beautifully crafted and poetic book. But much more than that, its a profound insight into the glory of God. While reading this book, often I would have to place it down and humble myself before the Lord. I was left challenged, convicted and inspired. This is a devotional book that Ill want to read again and again.

TIM HUGHES

Author, Here I Am to Worship

Facedown is a unique and brilliant book. Matts teaching and poetry inform the mind and warm the heart.

MIKE PILAVACHI

Author, Soul Survivor
Director, Soul Survivor UK

So often we focus on the joy we feel from the Fathers love and forget to stand in awe of His majestic, almighty presence. In Facedown, Matt invites us to experience another side of worship, reminding each of us to worship in spirit and in truth in awe of our almighty God.

DARLENE ZSCHECH

Author, Extravagant Worship and Kiss of Heaven
Songwriter and Worship Leader

Matt Redman

Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014

ISBN 978-1-4412-6688-0

Previously published by Regal Books

Ebook edition originally created 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Other versions used are:

THE MESSAGE Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE . Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 2012 Gregory Slayton. All rights reserved.

NASB Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

NLT Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation , copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

NRSV The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible , copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Every Grain of Sand by Bob Dylan. Copyright 1981 by Special Rider Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Reprinted by permission.

DEDICATED TO

My amazing son, Noah Luca. God heard our prayers and in His mercy restored your breath. May you use that breath to live, speak and sing for the glory of God.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1
Facedown

Chapter 2
The Otherness of God

Chapter 3
Mysteries So Bright

Chapter 4
The Whole Christ

Chapter 5
Worship with a Price

Chapter 6
The Song of Creation

Chapter 7
The Sound of Sheer Silence

Chapter 8
Awestruck

FOREWORD

T heres no place on Earth like being facedown before the God of the universe, and no one on Earth I know more capable of leading us there than my friend Matt Redman. From the first moment I came in contact with Matts music I could sense his heart was one that had been profoundly affected by glimpses of a great and glorious God. Now that Ive come to know him well, its clear such glimpses are the reason hes been so effective in leading a generation to pursue a kind of worship thats marked at once by both reverence for and intimacy with God.

Worship always begins with God. Apart from His willingness to share Himself with us we would never see His face, being forever stranded from His intimate embrace. God wants to be seen and known by you and me. Thats why all through the pages of Matts book youll find the thread of Gods revelationthat God-birthed, God-initiated unveiling of His majesty and terrifying holiness that drops us to our knees, awakening our heart again to the miracle of grace that allows us to live and breathe in His presence.

Without true glimpses of God we will invariably try to shrink Him down to our own size rather than allow even the tiniest taste of His infinite glory to stretch our mind and soul upward as we try to fathom His. Thats why worship without revelation is so lackluster, dull and void of the awesome wonder that belongs to God alonethe kind of nearsighted worship we can comfortably offer standing up or sitting down. But when our eyes are opened to drink in His matchless beauty, we are intrinsically drawn face-down to the groundthat place of worship where we are both secure and somewhat afraid, in love and in awe, bowed low yet somehow lifted high.

If you think about it, to fall facedown is to actually move closer to God. Its mysterious how that happens, isnt it? The pure light of Gods radiance could instantly and easily knock us flat on our back, a massive blast of intense holiness that leaves us dead in its wake. But somehow in Gods mercy the opposite actually happens as the brightness of His face draws us closer as we fall at His feet.

Facedown is one of those books youre not going to want to put down, but at some point I pray you will. And when you do, I trust youll find yourself enthralled with the God of these pagesseeing Him more clearly than you ever have before as your face presses hard against the floor.

Louie Giglio
Passion Conferences
March 2004

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T hanks to my beautiful wife, BethI love journeying with you. Your passion and vision inspire me. And to Maisey Ella and Noah Lucayou are wonderful gifts from God.

Im so grateful to all the teachers and encouragers God has blessed us to walk with and learn fromDon and Katherine Williams, Mike Pilavachi, Louie and Shelley Giglio, Bishop David and Mary Pytches, Terry and Wendy Virgo, Peter and Susan Brookes, Bishop Graham and Jackie Cray, Will and Caroline Kemp, Chris and Charlotte Cocksworth, Chris and Barbara Jack, and Ian and Jane Prior.

A massive thanks to Andrew Philip and Ellie Redmanfor carrying the load with humility and passion. Thanks to Barbara, Lesley, Sarah and Dave for all your support, especially during the frantic times! Lots of appreciation also goes to those laboring hard to resource the ChurchLes Moir, Jon Pac, Richard Herkes and all at Soul Survivor; Bill Greig III, Bill Denzel and all at Regal Books; Peter York for a spirit of generosity; and all at EMI (CMG).