Human trafficking, a friend’s battle with a chronic disease, and her personal struggles while walking with God inspired Dove-nominated singer/songwriter Laura Hackett’s new project, “Love Will Have Its Day,” which was produced by Grammy award-winning Brown Bannister with Ben Shive (Brandon Heath, Bebo Norman, JJ Heller, Andrew Peterson). The album is being released Oct. 21 in digital and retail outlets, just weeks after her marriage to label mate, Jonas Park.
Hackett has led worship at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC) since she was 16. She started writing songs when she was 8. Her new husband, Park, also is a worship leader at IHOPKC. A typical schedule is two hours per day, four days a week in sessions that are streamed worldwide to over 175,000 viewers. “Spontaneous song always pulls from the moment,” she said. She sings to God during worship, and her ultimate goal is for God to hear her.
“When God hears you, nothing else matters,” she says. She wrote “Lift Up Your Head” as a prophetic declaration over her friend battling a chronic disease. In ‘Lift Up Your Head’ Hackett sings, “Breathe, darling, breathe. It’s not yet time for you to leave. Love will have its day. Lift up your head. Turn your face to the rising sun while you wait, while you wait for redemption to come.”
“A friend of mine is a 35-year-old woman with the bones of an 80-year-old woman,” says Hackett. “I wanted to write a song with a message that while she is waiting for God to heal her, that He will redeem her time. This song is also a song for Israel.” The song is slated for airplay on major Christian radio stations.
Another friend’s struggle with a vocal injury inspired “Beautiful Heart.” “My friend had to take a break from singing for one to two years and, I knew her heart for worship,” says Hackett. “The enemy hates the song of the Lord, and I wanted to encourage her to not give up the fight. Even though she couldn’t sing, she has a beautiful heart.”
Electronic-driven with spoken-word style lyricism, “King Jesus” is a prophetic declaration over the darkness of human trafficking. “I had a vision about sex trafficking that marked me for weeks,” says Hackett. “Then I was in a briefing with Exodus Cry about the problem of human trafficking and was overcome by the hopelessness of it; it’s so violent and horrible. Then while I was in the prayer room, God spoke to me that I needed to set my eyes on His throne. He will bring justice.”
The next song, “Anger” isn’t something you would hear on a typical Christian album. But Hackett says a friend who came out of an abusive relationship and her own struggle with offense showed her that Jesus takes the blows for us. “I was praying over this situation that I was angry about, and instantly I got this picture in my mind where Jesus is asking to take the blow. That convicted me, and I realized that He paid the price for our abuse and takes every blow for us.”
The gift of turning pain and suffering into a song that brings a message of hope caught Bannister’s eye. “I have had the privilege of working with one of the best-kept secrets in Christian music!” exclaims Bannister. “I’ve found Laura to be a delight—and not just an amazing talent, but also an amazing person…She is just one of those pure souls—pure artists—who is so vertical and given over to the Lord. She has a special gifting as a woman of God and a special role in Kingdom work. I am truly excited to introduce Laura to you, and I can’t wait for you to hear the record!”
The album is under the Forerunner Music Label, the official label of the 24-hour International House of Prayer and distributed by New Day Distribution.
Leilani Haywood is the editor of Spirit Led Woman. She is an award-winning writer and frequent contributor to Charisma.
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