In Genesis 32 we read the story of Jacob wrestling with God through the night. On the other side of Jacob’s divine encounter was a new name, a new blessing, a new identity and a new way of walking (literally). Will we be a worshipping people who are not content to sleep through the night (spiritually speaking) and wake in the morning unchanged? Like Jacob, will we enter into the wrestle with God, dare to know Him more intimately and be changed in the process?

This is the premise for Hillsong Worship’s 26th live praise and worship album. The title, “THERE IS MORE”, truly is a statement-of-belief more than a record title. As Brooke Ligertwood writes, “THERE IS MORE at stake than we dare realise – souls, communities, families, nations on the other side of our wrestle through the night seasons. Our personal freedom is for corporate revival. THERE IS MORE of God and more to God and His love than we can possibly conceive of.”

Here are the elements that make of the album cover and what they mean:

THE LION AND THE MAN

Jacob wrestles with God. To truly encounter the Lord is to be changed. We read this in Genesis 32 as Jacob wrestles with God through the night. As dawn breaks, his hip is wrenched from its socket and he is given a new name – Israel. In worship, if we are willing and determined to “not let Him go” as Jacob was, we too will encounter the Holy One and discover our true identity and place in the plan of God.

THE SCROLL

Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection is the fulfilment of over 350 Old Testament prophecies written centuries before He was born. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. (Luke 4:17-21, NIV )

THE BIBLE

The Bible is God’s love letter to humanity, His lamp to our feet and light to our path, His surgeon’s scalpel and His equipping grace. (Hebrews 4:12-13, MSG. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV )

SUNFLOWERS

Sunflowers follow the sun in the sky, their faces toward the light. In the same way, may we be ever turned towards God, facing Him and following to receive and reflect His light. (Psalm 34:5, NIV )

HEART, CROWN OF THORNS, CROSS

God’s love for humanity and commitment to our redemption is clearly seen in Christ’s obedient suffer- ing (crown of thorns) and death on the cross (cross)… which has made a way for us all to be reconciled to God and to one day enter Zion, the Heavenly city. (Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 14:1)

STAIRWAY

In Genesis 28:12, Jacob dreams of a stairway resting on the earth and ascending to heaven, where the Lord stands and speaks a promise to him. Was this promise in the back of Jacob’s mind only four chapters later when he wrestled with God? What a gracious God that speaks from His throne and chooses to “come down” to Jacob in Genesis 32.

MUSTARD SEEDS

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

WATER

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:18-19)

PEACOCK

Ancient Greeks believed the peacock was associated with immortality. The Church used this belief in common culture to point people to the redemptive, resurrecting power of Christ. What imagery in today’s culture could we use to help people understand the Gospel story? (1 Timothy 1:17)

WINE

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)

DOVE

“After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.” (Matthew 3:16, NLT)

OLIVE TREE

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8)

ROSE

The phrase ‘the rose of Sharon’ first appeared in 1611 in the King James translation. Over time, this was extended to describe Jesus in Church culture over the centuries. It’s a fitting depiction of our glorious Saviour – beautiful in every way, whilst taking the stain of sin and sting of death away.