I love making lists.
I make lists for just about everything. It’s pretty rare that I don’t touch a list on a given day. When it comes to my to-do lists, I always start them with things I’ve already completed. Checking off something as I build the list makes me feel satisfied in a weird way.
However, one of my greatest obstacles in following Jesus is my tendency to measure my worth and value by what I accomplish. I often struggle to rest for this very reason, as I think rest is something I earn through my productivity rather than something I receive as a gift from God. Can you relate?
If you can relate, then you may find some deep meaning in Shane & Shane’s new song, "You’ve Already Won." This song was recorded as part of a live album recording at Liberty University. Shane and Shane dedicated the song to followers of Jesus in Ukraine who are trusting Jesus amidst incredible turmoil and conflict in their country.
RELATED CONTENT: Shane & Shane in "You've Already Won"
In the opening verse, the guys sing about the gifts we need to receive when we’re trying to perform and earn our way into worth and value.
“There’s peace that outlasts darkness
Hope that’s in the blood
There’s future grace that’s mine today
That Jesus Christ has won”
Pivoting from performing to receiving God’s grace is a difficult shift. While it would be challenging enough on its own, we have a spiritual enemy who wants us to continue to measure ourselves by our performance. In that mindset, Satan can condemn us for our failures and convince us that our worth must be secured with another perfect performance.
Shane and Shane go right after this lie in the chorus.
“I’m fighting a battle
That you’ve already won
No matter what comes my way
I will overcome”
We are fighting in a spiritual battle to not only trust in God’s grace for our salvation, but rest deeply in grace for our identity and worth on a daily basis. The battle is ours to fight, but as many have said, we are not fighting for our victory - we are fighting from His victory.
Shane and Shane have a large library of songs which give us a chance to sing the Scriptures back to God. In "You’ve Already Won," they also show their deep love for hymns and hymn-writers who came before them.
This song’s lyrics harken back to two beloved hymns, "The Solid Rock" and "It Is Well." In their second verse, they sing the following:
“There’s mercy in the waiting
Mana for today
And when it’s gone I know you’re not
You are my hope and stay”
In "The Solid Rock," Edward Mote and William Batchelder Bradbury wrote these words,
“When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.”
"It Is Well" is one of the most famous and powerful hymns in recent church history. Horatio Spafford wrote the lyrics as he traveled a section of ocean where the ship carrying his family sank. His wife survived, but his four children did not. His faith was mingled with grief as he wrote the famous opening to the hymn.
“When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul”
Shane and Shane pick up on the same theme, introducing these words to a new generation.
“When the sea is raging
Your Spirit is my help
He’ll fix my eyes on Jesus Christ
And I’ll say that is well
Oh I know that it is well”
As you read these words, both old and new, you may be thinking, “So what am I supposed to do? If God’s 'already won' through what Jesus did, then what am I to do?”
I think there are some ways we are called to respond to how God has already won.
First, pause and enter into a posture of receiving. We spend a great part of our days in unhealthy postures, so much so that they become defaults. As I typed those words, I realized I had become hunched over my laptop. I paused and sat up straight, hoping to save me from back, neck and shoulder pain later tonight.
Ephesians 2:8-9 invite us to cultivate a posture of receiving, so we can embrace and live from God’s grace rather than live from a posture of earning. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Second, as Holy Week draws closer, spend some time reading and meditating on the crucifixion of Jesus and what it means for us. Use your favorite Bible app to find an Easter reading plan. Instead of binging a few episodes on Netflix, what if you read one of the Gospels straight through? Each Gospel takes 1.5-2.5 hours to read. It’s hard to be in awe of something you’re not experiencing personally.
Third, put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode and push play on Shane and Shane’s "You’ve Already Won." Close your eyes and focus on the lyrics. As their lyrics indicate, you may not know what God is doing in your current season of life. But, you know what He’s already done. You know how the story ends. Put your focus on, and soak your attention in, the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
If you need to, give it a second or a third listen.
Then, if necessary, get back to your list of tasks for today. Allow what God has already done for you to shape how you approach what needs to be done by you.
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer and yes he does have the best last name ever. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the proud parents of three children. He loves helping hurting people forgive others through his Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
