Rising contemporary Christian artist Anne Wilson is a musician to watch. She's on a mission to spread the love of Jesus through her music. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the Christian singer-songwriter has lived a lot of life in her 19 years. In 2017, Anne’s brother, Jacob, tragically died in a car accident.
Anne's family asked her to sing at her brother's funeral service. After prayerful consideration, she reluctantly agreed. Then, during the service in front of 1,000 people, God spoke to her. He said music and ministry are what He was calling her to do with her life. So, Anne set aside her plans to become a NASA astronaut and said yes to the Lord’s plan.
In late 2017, Anne dropped a video of her singing Hillsong Worship's hit “What A Beautiful Name” on YouTube. The video went viral, catching the attention of music industry manager and executive Jason Davis.
Over the following year, Anne became a recognizable voice in the music industry. She is considered to be a vocal powerhouse comparable to artists such as Lauren Daigle, Ellie Holcomb, and Steffany Gretzinger. Anne exhibits the passion and confidence of a seasoned artist.
Her songwriting is real, positive, and vulnerable. Her upbeat songs are a great way to celebrate our freedom in Christ. Anne is a great role model for girls. She's passionate about showing others that it's not about religion, it’s about a relationship with Jesus. I had the chance to speak with Anne about her hit song, “My Jesus.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
The story behind the song started four years ago when I went through a season of tragedy. My older brother, Jacob, who was my best friend and someone I looked up to in every way, lost his life in a car accident at the age of 23. When he passed away, God really used that season to draw me closer to Him. I developed this deep relationship with the Lord that I didn’t have before. I really fell in love with Jesus for the first time in my life.
I started journaling, writing down my thoughts to God. I also started writing songs, falling in love with music. I was looking through my journal one day at what God had done for me in my life. And, I realized that I never addressed Him as "God" or "Lord," but, instead, I always wrote “my Jesus.”
It was because we are called to have a personal relationship with the Lord. And, I could only think of Him as “my Jesus.” That night at Jacob’s funeral, I heard God’s voice so clear. He spoke to me for the first time. He said, “Anne, are you going to trust Me or not?”
I answered, “Jesus, I trust You.” In an instant, Jesus lifted the heavyweight off and told me that He would give me everything I needed to get through this. I realized God had called me to sing for him and not to pursue my dream of being an astronaut. That’s ultimately what led to writing this song.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Romans 8:28(VOICE): "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."
Hebrews 13:8(NKJV): “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Galatians 2:20(NKJV): "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Psalm 27:13(NIV): “I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV): “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
John 17:3(NKJV): "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 15:4-5(VOICE): "Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing."
What is the takeaway message?
Jesus showed me that He is a personal God. I grew up in an incredible Christian home, but I never really knew He could be a personal God. Talking with Him and telling Him about what I'm thinking is what He wants from me. But, my Jesus can also be your Jesus. That’s what this song is about.
When people hear this song, I want them to feel that Jesus is personal. And, while our stories may look different, the same Jesus that I call “my Jesus” can be your Jesus, too.
When I lost Jacob, one of my favorite scriptures was Romans 8:28. I know this is painful and I’m brokenhearted and depressed, but I know that God can work this out for good during the tragedy. As a Christian, life's not always going to be perfect. We’re going to have trouble. We need to hold on to the promise that He will make a way when there is no way.
God has opened so many doors for me to walk through and experience His goodness. I know He's showing me how He's turning the tragedy I experienced for good. He wants to give me joy and peace. And, you, too.
So, trust Him and follow Him. Let Him lead your life. It’s beautiful to see what He will do. You need to say, “I'm Yours.” Once I made that decision, God has been using me for his purposes. It’s your decision and choice to love the Lord and trust Him.
Lyrics
Are you past The point of weary Is your burden Weighing heavy Is it all Too much to carry Let me tell you about my Jesus
Do you feel
That empty feeling ‘Cause shame’s done All its stealing And you’re desperate For some healing Let me tell you about my Jesus
He makes a way where There ain’t no way Rises up from An empty grave Ain’t no sinner That He can’t save Let me tell you About my Jesus
His love is strong And His grace is free And the good news is I know that He Can do for you What He’s done for me Let me tell you About my Jesus And let my Jesus Change your life
Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, amen, amen
Who can wipe away The tears From broken dreams And wasted years And tell the past To disappear Let me tell you about my Jesus
And all the wrong Turns that you would Go and undo If you could Who can work it All for your good Let me tell you about my Jesus
He makes a way where There ain’t no way Rises up from An empty grave Ain’t no sinner That He can’t save Let me tell you About my Jesus
His love is strong And His grace is free And the good news is I know that He Can do for you What He’s done for me Let me tell you About my Jesus And let my Jesus Change your life
Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, amen, amen
Who would take My cross to Calvary Pay the price For all my guilty Who would care That much about me Let me tell you About my Jesus
He makes a way where
There ain’t no way Rises up from An empty grave Ain’t no sinner That He can’t save Let me tell you About my Jesus
His love is strong
And His grace is free And the good news is I know that He Can do for you What He’s done for me Let me tell you About my Jesus And let my Jesus Change your life
Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, amen, amen Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, let my Jesus Change your life
Closing Thoughts
When you’ve encountered the love of God, you won’t be the same. "My Jesus" celebrates the freedom we are promised in God's Holy Word, the Bible. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Christians are new creations on the inside.
God wants us to believe in the freedom that we have on the cross of Jesus. We're free from our fears, addictions, insecurities, and perfectionism. Jesus came to die for us so that we can truly live in Him.
This song has become my personal anthem. And I sing along at the top of my lungs the sincere and emotive lyrics of submission. You can't earn your way into heaven. Jesus already paid that price for us. God's mercy and grace are new each day. It's not based on our performance or what we can do for God. He pours out His mercy despite what we've done. There's nothing we can do except trust in His son, Jesus.
"My Jesus" does an excellent job of explaining what grace is about. My pastor uses the phrase, "God's riches at Christ's expense" to define grace. The irrefutable argument we have as believers are to share our story of grace. Tell others about how Jesus has changed your life.
Clearly, there are some truths that we can all agree upon, as believers: God is our Father who sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sins, as well as He rose again and defeated death. We can all say “Hallelujah” and celebrate those truths together while singing along, “Do you feelthat empty feeling/‘Cause shame’s done all its stealing/And you’re desperate for some healing/Let me tell you about my Jesus.”
The enthusiasm and energy of this song are infectious. Its message challenges us to think about our own doubts, to see how Jesus calls on us to rely on Him and the power of His resurrection and to remember that He has overcome death and fear. This gives Christians everywhere the faith to believe and tell the world, “He makes a way where there ain’t no way/Rises up from an empty grave/Ain’t no sinner that He can’t save/Let me tell you about my Jesus.”
"My Jesus" is an incredible song for the Church. It's a beautiful picture of our hope in Christ. The chorus is my heart's cry and has an amazing reminder: “His love is strong and His grace is free/And the good news is I know that He can do for you what He’s done for me/Let me tell you about my Jesus/And let my Jesus change your life.” As the song sings, “Hallelujah, Hallelujah/Hallelujah/Amen, Amen, Hallelujah/Hallelujah, Hallelujah/Let my Jesus change your life.” Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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