The Spirit Moves

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:2, King James Version

Surely the Lord is in this place

Jacob was running from home when night caught him on the road. He lay down with a stone for a pillow and dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven. When he woke up, he said, surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.

That is Genesis 28:16, and it is where this song begins. Somebody tell me, the Lord is in this place tonight. Not in some other place. Not some other night. Here, now, in this room, whether we feel it or not.

This song came to me on an evening walk. I spoke the words into my phone as I walked, before I had any music for them.

The Spirit of God moved

The title comes from the second verse of the whole Bible. Genesis 1:2. The earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Before there was light, before anything had shape, the Spirit was already moving. That is still how God works. When things are dark and formless and nothing makes sense, the Spirit moves first.

Jesus described the Spirit the same way in John 3:8. The wind bloweth where it listeth. You cannot schedule it. You can only welcome it. If that speaks to you, read the page for Revival.

What happens when the Spirit moves

The second verse lists what the Spirit does. Healing hearts. Touching souls. Breaking bonds. Loosing chains.

Luke 4:18. Jesus opened His ministry by reading from Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives.

Acts 16:25 and 26. At midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises in prison, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, and every one's bands were loosed. Chains break at night too.

Romans 8:26. The Spirit helps us with groanings which cannot be uttered. The Lord speaks to me in words beyond.

Above the thunder and the waves

The bridge pictures God above the storm.

Psalm 29:3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of glory thundereth.

Psalm 93:4. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. You rise above all the storms.

Habakkuk 2:14. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. You, Lord, fill the earth.

What the song is about

The Spirit Moves is a short, simple song of worship. It declares that the Lord is present tonight, that He reigns and speaks, and that His Spirit moves in the heart and from one person to the next. It is meant to be sung slowly, many times over, until the room believes it.

The Spirit Moves opens the album, and it was the first song written for it. Daalu by Michael CU is out on 3 November 2026.

A prayer for the presence of the Holy Spirit

Listen

The Spirit Moves lyrics