As I finished writing my thoughts on Galatians 5:1, I felt compelled to include a song in there as well. The song that came to my mind is “Freedom Reigns” by Jesus Culture. (quick note: you will probably notice that any time I mention a song it will probably be a Jesus Culture or bethel music song. I just love those bands.) While this song is mainly about 2 Corinthians 3:17 (Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom), I wanted to share this song about freedom in Christ. With Him, with Him reigning in our lives and over every part of our life we can feel the chains fall away.
Wherever you are, God is with you. All the grace and mercy you need is with you. God is showering you with these things. He is constantly reminding you that there is mercy and grace with Him and you don’t have to be shackled by sin. Shackled with hate or anger or rage or selfishness or lust or dread or worry or anxiety or fear. God gives you a way out of all that. He gives you Himself. He gives you His Son. He tells us to call on Him. To ask Him for anything and He will give it to you.
One line in this version is that in the bridge it says, “feel the heaviness all the weight…” This is why Galatians 5:1 means so much to me and applies to me in this song. All the weight, all of the burdens of sin. All of the guilt, the shame, the pain, the hurt. All of these things…gone. Just gone. With the mercy and grace of Jesus because He reigns over it all.
One of the things that I love about this song is that for a full minute or so, the only words you really here is “Great is Your faithfulness.” It is simply a reminder of the classic hymn but more importantly that faithfulness of God. How great and wide and deep and amazing it is. God will not leave you. in the midst of our trials, our struggles, our dreams, the good and happy times, He is reigning over it all. He is here with us. Oh that I might call on Him more throughout my day for how I could use a more personal and deeper and intimate life with Him.
“If you are tired and thirsty, give your all to Jesus” What a great reminder. Trying to be good enough is a tiresome job. Religion just wears me out. It doesn’t satisfy my thirst and just causes me to feel the burden of my sin and depravity more. But Jesus offers us another way. He offers us freedom. He offers us rest. He offers us peace in this land of grace when we give our lives and every part of it to Him. Not 50%. Not 90%. Not 99.9%. but every part and all of it. for then, we find freedom. We find rest. We find such a fullness of joy by being in His presence.
I hope you enjoy this song and the great reminders of freedom in Christ. Even when the world drags us down and the stresses of life weigh us down. And believe me I know there are some terrible struggles and stresses. From money problems to job issues to medicine to diagnoses to relationships to children to so many things just weighing us down, this song reminds us of one very important thing. “Lift your eyes to heaven…there is freedom”. There is hope. There is peace. There is freedom from the burdens and trials, please I pray that you and I both lift our eyes on heaven and the eternal hope of the greatest reward in life with Christ and freedom from this world.