Alan Chesters tells how a track by Heartbeat impacted his life.

Heartbeat's "Tears From Heaven's release as a single was controversial - there were even accusations of hyping it into the charts (!) - but the song will always be a great blessing to me.

Though speaking from the wrinkly end of the age scale, I still take an interest in Top Of The Pops and thank God that I was watching when the song came on in 1987. I'd become a Christian after the break up of my previous marriage. I'd come to question all the pain and hurt that was in the world. I'd seen a booklet The Power For Living' advertised and after reading that and going along to the local Anglican church in Callington, Devon where I lived I found that peace with God.

As I watched Top Of The Pops that night it just hit me, "Oh, we've got a Christian band here". There was a freshness, a joy, about what they were doing. The only contemporary music I'd heard Christians do up to that moment was praise and worship. This was something different, the song had a catchy, poppy feel and I liked it a lot. A few months later I heard about the band being in Plymouth in September on the 'Heal Our Nation' tour and went to see them after I'd been on the March For Jesus in Truro during the day. The song "Tears From Heaven" really began to hit home to me.

The lyrics spoke so graphically of a God whose heart is full of love for us that he is crying over all our sin and ingratitude. Yet we are not reciprocating. That song, and the prophetic nature of several of the other Heartbeat songs I heard that night, really began to implant within me a vision for revival.

At the 1994 Cross Rhythms festival, I heard Jan Willem Vink refer to the need to reflect on how much or how little CCM is being played in Christian homes. I've now had equipment fitted to receive United Christian Broadcasters (without contributing to satellite or cable TV), which I recommend. I believe that a lot of my current enthusiasm for contemporary Christian music and vision that one day it will spark alight the fires of revival stem from that memorable day when I first heard "Tears From Heaven".

TEARS FROM HEAVEN
Words and music by Rinaldi, Goudie, Bassett, Morgan, Bankhead and Townend

Feeling the fear of tomorrow
Hurting inside from all the sorrow
Oo oo oo
Running from the hell that we're living
God sees our land, like children lost
Heaven knows the pain
He sees the scars our freedom's cost
Crying as we turn away

(Chorus)
Tears from Heaven, breaking his heart
Tears from Heaven (Tears from Heaven)
Breaking his heart

Tired of these hurts without healing
Longing to lose this empty feeling
Oo oo oo
Running from the hell that we're living
God sees our land, like children lost
Heaven knows the pain
He bears the scars our freedom's cost
Crying as we turn away

(Chorus)
Tears from Heaven, breaking his heart
(Don't go breaking, breaking his heart)
Tears from Heaven (Tears from Heaven)
Breaking his heart, breaking
His heart...

God of love
Crying out
Please return to me

He sees our land like children lost Crying as we turn away

© Copyright Heartbeat Music/Southern Music. Reprinted with permission.