• Written, Performed, and Produced by Josephine Mary Schmidt
• Copyright Protected © ℗ 2022
• Master Engineer – Holder Lagerfeldt

Album Cover Significance

I wrote this song a long time ago, “Great and Merciful God.” I actually think it might be amongst the first I ever wrote for the Lord’s glory after Jesus Christ took me out of demon possession in 2004. I was so enormously thankful for His mercy! It shone out to me as a bright, redeeming light amongst the cruelty I had suffered where no one cared about my soul or eternity. These people who had orchestrated my possession wanted me murdered and killed. And it was the same spirit of darkness that killed our Christ. I was betrayed like Him by a kiss by people who called me a friend.

I chose this photograph of me, taken when filming a film clip and leading a horse on our property in Australia. I had a music manager who deceived me into believing he was looking out for my best interests and managing my career on the principles of love. But he lied because I had cried out from the depths of my soul to find the meaning of life. I was desperately lonely, with my husband often away, and unsatisfied by the work of my hands. The Devil had sent this man to keep me from finding the truth and why it was so hard to find true love in this world. This man and his friends almost destroyed me, sacrificing me to the demonic. But God came and showed me He is love. And my heavenly father sent Jesus to break the curse against us and redeem us back to Himself. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is a love story – the great prince rescuing us from the wicker ruler of the land, Satan, and the captured maiden he had imprisoned in his chains and dungeon.

“With love and light
Your truth and Your goodness
Jesus, the King has washed death away.”

Chorus – “Great and Merciful God”

Story Behind the Film Clip

God sent Leo and I to Fresno. Leo needed to work here, and I accompanied him. We rented a short-term rental house. It reminded me so much of our humble home in Australia, on 80 acres – the house and the land, isolated from neighboring homes.

We had decided to film “Great and Merciful God” even before getting there. We had seen the pictures on the Airbnb website. But we had no idea just how closely related this house and our property were.

It was such an incredible encouragement to me. I had left everything to follow the Lord’s will, and then I ended up here, filming the clip for this song, which holds such significance for me. Jesus saw my suffering and sacrifice because I was in love with Him and His mercy and all He had done. We truly serve a mighty God, our Redeemer, a gift too complex to truly fathom.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.””

Hebrews 13:5