“For the King” Song Breakdown”
Happy Autumn! I love this time of year in Minnesota. The weather is turning the corner from summer to winter, the leaves are showing their stunning colors in the trees, and all the campfires with good music playing in the background. Speaking of good music…I wanted to highlight another artist I have been listening to lately: Alison Eide. Allison has been rocking it recently with a new release called, “For the King”. If you haven’t heard of her yet, her style is upbeat, honest, and the kind of music you want to sing loudly in your car. I think music is such a beautiful way that God can use those talents to spread a message, hope, faith, encouragement, conviction, vulnerability, or blessing. Allison Eide actually grew up in Minnesota with a love of music stemming from her father from the young age of six. Allison was also a basketball player with the NCAA for four years! A quote from her website says: “Intertwined in the joy of her music, Allison’s mission is to help bring freedom to those struggling with mental illness.” Her music feels real and personal, almost like an old friend is holding you accountable or is praying over you. Each section of the song is filled with lyrics that are meaningful so I wanted to highlight a Scripture verse that I felt matched the lyrics well.
“Oh never have I ever felt this much dirt in my face
Oh never have I ever heard this laughter from the grave
Oh never have I ever bled out all my fight like this
And yet the One I serve has never left me, for dead”
Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” This is way easier said than done. If someone is insulting you, it is so hard to hold your tongue or turn the other cheek. Our first reaction is to bite back, cut deep, defend, or lay down defeated. But this verse is telling Christians to be still and let the Lord handle it because He will fight for you and never leave you. The world is a place diseased with sin ever since Genesis 3. Life without Jesus is tough, unfair, and not a piece of cake. Those who do not have Jesus as their Savior try to fight on their own and get beaten every time. As Christians, find a way to reach out and offer that life-saving Gospel message to someone. They might not take it, but maybe just knowing that you are praying for them and offering to be there is that little nudge towards the Holy Spirit’s conviction.
“Cut me and break my bones but you will never touch my soul
Go ahead, bury me down with the mustard seed (Seed!)
Knock my knees to the ground
Right where I can pick back up my crown
I'm for the King and the King's for me”
Psalm 18:39, “For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.” There are several Bible stories where the odds of winning looked slim at first (Gideon, Moses, Esther, to name a few) but because they trusted in God, He could fight the battle for them. All it takes is a submission to trust Him. David, the author of Psalm, knew this well. When David was a young shepherd, there was a battle going on between the Philistines and the Israelite army. David fully trusted God to stand with him as he squared up with the biggest Philistine soldier he’d ever seen, Goliath. Without even laying hands on him, David used his preexisting stills with a sling to take Goliath down with a stone. Another verse I thought was applicable for this chorus of For the King is in Hebrews 13:6, “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” When you put your trust in people, they can let you down, steal from you, lie to you, and disappoint you. The Lord is a helper! He is the King of Kings and he is on your side! Take that, world. Even the mustard seed was in darkness, dirt, and isolation for a while before it grew into the huge tree of faith that it was designed to be.
“Me when I struggle just to picture what the light looks like
When I'm at war with hidden habits haunting me at night
But no better place to be than at my weakest on my knees
When I remember who I am and whose I am and that He's called me”
Ephesians 6:11-12, “ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” God will not throw us into a battle that He has not equipped us for. As Christians, we are not promised an easy life! We are promised eternal life! Jesus lived a perfect life, and yet people still hated him. Maybe you aren’t fighting someone physically, but you find that those hidden habits that haunt you at night are your battlefield.
When researching this song I found a quote from Allison, “For the King is basically what I feel like grit can look like as a Christian. It is painful, but when we know our position in Christ, we are wired to win. I hope this song reminds you of two things: the heart of Jesus draws near to our mess & He does not let anything go to waste. Truly.”
