Christian Hip Hop Artist Lecrae has an album called Gravity. To me, it is an exploration of the many ways in which sin acts like gravity and  hold us down, keeping us from seeing and reaching higher heights in the fashion that Christ died for us to achieve. There are many noteworthy songs on the album, but I would really like to draw attention to this song, “Lucky Ones”. Here is the link, followed by the lyrics:

“Lucky Ones”

Hook (Rudy Currence):
When it’s all said and done
You and I are the lucky ones
We fought many
And we’ll fight the night until we see the sun
We are the lucky ones
We are the lucky ones
We are here

Verse 1 (Lecrae):
Under the sun, I found we were left to drown
Evil abounds, weight is pullin’ us down
No sight or sound, impaired to His care
Chasing after the wind, running after the air
Deserving of desertion, servants of destruction
And everyday we taste of a grace that we’re unconcerned with
My sin I should be burned with, I’m guilty, filthy, and stained
But He became a curse, drank my cup and took my pain
And for that he reigns, through faith I’m changed
And I don’t have a reason why he loosened up my chains
I don’t believe in luck; I believe in Grace
But they say we’re lucky cause we seen your face
And we heard Him call us, and He heard our answer
And He gives us second chances when we throw our hands up
So weary and broken, hopin’ His arms will be open
Unconditional love has got us locked into focus
(I guess we the luck ones, huh?)

Hook:

Verse 2 (Lecrae):
You’re greater than my shame, guilt, my doubt, and my past
Fortunate to trust in you cause I’ve doubted your plans
I’ve questioned your ways, every question I raised
Is foolishness compared to mountains, the wind, and the waves
You’re so mindful of us, we rise from the dust
You love these cheating, beating hearts and these eyes full of lust
Gave us power to fight it, though we cower in quiet
We have the faith to start a riot; how can we deny it?
Fire inside us that you kindle when it starts to dwindle
And simply put I’m sinful so your love is essential
I don’t believe in luck, no, I believe in Grace
But they say we lucky cause we seen your face
Lord, we heard you call us, You heard our answer
And you give us second chances when we throw our hands up
I’m weary and broken, but your arms will be open
Unconditional love has got us locked into your focus

Bridge (Rudy Currence):
See, I’m not sayin’ I’m always right
And I ain’t sayin’ that I’m perfect
And I know I don’t deserve it
But I’m glad I got this life
I’m glad that I got it
And it makes me a lucky one

 

I feel the Holy Spirit so strongly on this song. It’s weird. I’ve listened to hip hop, specifically Christian hip hop for a long time, and while I have always loved it, I have not found a song that speaks so to the heart of God as this one. I listen to it every day, sometimes twice or three times per day. There is just so much richness and encouragement here. I especially love the part of verse two where Lecrae raps,

“You love our cheating, beating hearts, and these eyes full of lust”
Have you every stopped to think of the magnitude of grace that has been extended to us from God? To me, that line sums up the human race. We cheat on God with other lovers in the same way that Gomer cheated on Hosea. Our lovers take multiple forms, each one a god that infringes on the territory that we say that we set aside for the one, true God. Our eyes can find things on a daily basis that threaten to tear our focus away from God. We look at bills and despair not having the money to pay them. We look at our present circumstances and despair not being where we want to be. We look at others and compare our plights with theirs, growing angry with God when we think we are serving him better, but are blessed far less. I know I’m not the only one who deals with this kind of ingratitude!

But the fact remains is that if Old Testament people could see us now, they would call us the lucky ones. Why? Because God has revealed Himself to us in a personal way. No longer is he kept behind a curtain in a stuffy, dusty room. No longer are the works of His Holy Spirit confined to outward manifestations. No longer do we have to depend on lambs and cattle to receive atonement month after month and year after year. No longer do we have to depend on a priest to be the sole way to approaching God. They would marvel at what we have.

Yet what we have is not luck. It’s grace. And I know that we sometimes are loose in our lingual descriptions, but there is no such thing as luck. There is God’s will, and there is our will. The wages of our will usually lead to death of some sort. The rewards of God’s will are more than we can count. And even as we many times take for granted what we have as opposed to what the Old Testament people had, God loves us. He is still jealous for us. His love is still surrounding us, ready at the drop of a dime to completely consume us if we are open and willing to receive it.

All of this and more; that’s what I hear and feel in this song. Gratitude for a grace that abounds. Gratitude for forgiveness that surpasses atonement. Awe for a love that defies any explanation that we can come up with in our limited human language. This song places me in complete awe of my God. I’m so undeserving, but He still loves me. I hope you all can enjoy this song for the message that it conveys as much as I do. Yeah, I know not everyone likes and can understand hip hop, but the words really speak for themselves.

Until next time, be blessed.