Emerging pop artist Leanna Crawford is an artist to watch. Captured by her sound, Grammy Nominated & Dove Award winner Matthew West began working with her in an artist development capacity, and she was signed as the first female artist to Story House Collective's roster. Her most successful album to date is 2020's self-titled EP. The album includes hit songs "Truth I'm Standing On," "Photoshop," and "Mean Girls," all of which I've featured in my Behind The Song devotional series.
I've been married for 28 years, and we have three young daughters, and her entire catalog really ministers to me and my family. Leanna has the gift of encouragement, and every single song lifts me up. She has an infectious and upbeat musical style, layering her strong and distinguished vocals over the top of one hooky melody after another. Leanna has really emerged as one of the top new female vocalists in Christian music, and she is a great role model for girls. She has delivered the ideal album to minister to anyone struggling with fear and self-doubt. Every song is a great showcase of Leanna's excellent singing voice, and you can practically hear her smile as she delivers one infectious song after another. The layered and well produced musical arrangements on this album perfectly accentuate Leanna's powerful and passionate songs.
With comparisons to contemporaries ranging from Colbie Caillat to Britt Nicole, Crawford exhibits the passion and confidence of a seasoned artist. Her songwriting is real, positive and vulnerable, and her upbeat songs are a great way to celebrate our freedom in Christ. Leanna is a great role model for girls. Her songs have connected with my daughters and her biblically inspired lyrics represent how true happiness and her identity comes from her relationship with God. I had the chance to speak with Leanna in-person about her song "Before I Knew Jesus."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
This song is about God's faithfulness in every single day of my life. I grew up in the church and at four years old asked Jesus into my heart. In every season since that day, God has met me in different ways, right where I am. I always felt like my testimony wasn't very profound, because I just knew Jesus from when I was very little. Coming into middle school and high school, I started to encounter Jesus in my life. Over the past two years of my life, it's been incredible to see His faithfulness in my life. I have known Jesus since I was very young, but I get a chance to meet Him every day. That's what this song is about.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Philippians 3:8-9 (NIV): "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
Philippians 1:21 (NIV): "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Psalm 46:10 (NKJV): "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
Romans 12:2 (VOICE): "Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete."
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV): "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Acts 2:28 (VOICE): "Instead You direct me on a path that leads to a beautiful life. As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending, and I know true joy and contentment."
What is the takeaway message?
The incredible thing about God's love is His faithfulness and He's not giving up on us. For me, even though I have known the Lord my whole life, it hasn't been a straight line where everything has gone perfectly. There have been seasons of anxiety when I didn't know what to do. God continues to show up every time. That's where this song came from. We can live in that freedom and live in that forgiveness that He wants to give us every day. With the mindset of knowing Jesus, it's so easy to think that maybe because you've known Jesus a long time and you think you need to have it all together, or if you just met Jesus yesterday, there's no going back to who you were before you knew Him. Because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we can walk in the confidence of who we are in Him, and we can walk in that promise of everlasting life with Him. We can't earn righteousness, it's only from Him.
Lyrics:
Before I knew Jesus
All I knew was all my shame
Unloved was my life story
Unworthy was my name
Had no future
Just a long and broken past
But I'm standing here today to say
Jesus changed all that
Now I know freedom
Now I know hope
Now I know love that will never let go
Forever forgiven
Forever I'm changed
And there's no going back to the day
Before I knew Jesus
There was no such thing as a bigger plan
No redemption for my failures
No such thing as a second chance
Before I knew Jesus
The good was never good enough
But he set me free to see
That I don't have to measure up
Now I know freedom
Now I know hope
Now I know love that will never let go
Forever forgiven
Forever I'm changed
And there's no going back to the day
Before I knew Jesus
And now my Savior
He knows me
He knows me
And now my Savior
He calls me His own
And now my Savior
He holds me
He holds me
And in my Savior
My heart has a home
Before I knew Jesus
And I look Him in the eye
I want everyone to see
He's the one who changed my life
Now I know freedom
Now I know hope
Now I know love that will never let go
Forever forgiven
Forever I'm changed
And there's no going back to the day
Before I knew Jesus
And there's no going back to the day
Before I knew Jesus
Cause I know Jesus
Closing Thoughts
It's overwhelming living for today, not knowing what tomorrow has in store for us. We look for meaning in a busy world. But take comfort in the words from Philippians 3:8: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."
God's thoughts and love for us are deep. We can't even begin to imagine how many mercies we have received from Him. We live in a fallen world dealing with fear and anxiety. Two roadblocks were heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, if you take the truth of what it means to follow Christ, you know you weren't made for this world.
I have spent time reflecting on and singing this song to God. And it always gives me comfort. One of my daily devotionals in trying to grow in my walk with Jesus is to sing to Him at least one praise song every day. So, spend time with Him.
Try praying and singing along with this song of adoration. Also, read your Bible every day. God wants us to have a that reminder to not be afraid. The cost of discipleship is to make Him the Lord of our lives.
Daily we are presented with the choices of how to use our time, lifestyle choices, pursuit of riches, living for today not knowing what tomorrow has in store for us and questioning our loneliness and looking for meaning. God speaks to us in different ways, and I find myself closest to Him in my times of prayer and reflection, especially with songs of praise and adoration like "Before I Knew Jesus."
For me, this song reflects what's on my heart and my greatest desire as a follower of Jesus is to live out the Gospel and these songs all help me with my walk and challenge me to gain that "righteousness that comes from God and is by faith". This song celebrates the day that we were saved from our sins, causing listeners to reflect on and celebrate their salvation experience. This song is about our Savior, Jesus, who overcame the grave.
My testimony is that the biblical messages behind the songs I heard on the debut album by Jars of Clay prompted me to seek out the biblical connection to the words of songs like "Liquid," "Love Song for a Savior" and "Worlds Apart." That led to me dive deeper into God's Word for the first time in my mid-twenties, having grown up with more of a works-based faith and not relying on Jesus alone for my salvation. The transformation process included listening to every type of Christian music, and I got saved in 1999 when I said the sinner's prayer after listening to an artist testimony at the end of a Christian album where the artist invited me to join him, for which I'm eternally grateful.
It is my prayer that my "behind the song" devotionals will encourage readers and be an influence on peoples' individual walks with Christ, or maybe to even lead people to Christ if they haven't made the decision yet. We can't earn Heaven; it's only through complete surrender to Jesus and putting all our hope in Him can we be saved. As Christians, we all can loudly proclaim: "Now I know freedom/Now I know hope/Now I know love that will never let go/Forever forgiven/Forever I'm changed/And there's no going back to the day/Before I knew Jesus." Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, and an avid music collector. He 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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