So the other day I was scrolling through the inter webs and came upon a video of Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll performing their song Hard Fought Hallelujah on American Idol. I thought it was a great performance of a really great song. It’s a song about the struggles we face in this world as believers, and the times the battle to worship, when circumstances seem to lead us in a different direction, and for some it’s more of a battle than others. After watching the video, I went to the comments.The ones on YouTube were kind and uplifting. The ones on Facebook (where I first saw the video) shows that, in some circles, the battle continues.
It Can Be a Fight
Many of the comments were favorable. It was a great performance of a great song. Both singers were on point and the song is just so powerful. But the performance was not without it’s detractors. Some were comments against Jelly Roll, others were against Brandon Lake for working with Jelly Roll. I found both types very distressing. When asked why he did the song with Jelly Roll, in an interview with the two singers together, Lake commented, “I wanted to share this song with somebody that had a really beautiful and hard-fought story, and the first person that came to mind was Jelly…” I think in some ways this lends itself to even more authenticity in the song. The detractors have different ideas.
Jelly Roll
I first became aware of Jelly Roll in a laundromat. My washing machine had broken and I needed laundry before the repairs could be done. When I heard the song “Need a Favor,” I perked up. What I heard was an honest song of someone on the edge of faith and it hit me hard. I’ve been at the very place Jelly Roll described, and so I dug in deeper, learned more and ended up writing a sermonette based on the song. The song is raw and real, and it convicted me. Not just the me of the past, but the me of today, pastor, author and speaker Dave Weiss. Sometimes, even today, I can get so busy and caught up in things that it feels like “I only talk to God when I need a favor” too.
Let Him Without Sin
Why are some Christians so critical of Jelly Roll? I am not sure. I know something of his past, but let him without a past cast the first stone. Who knows? He might be doing things that make me cringe or shake my head. He might hold positions or do things that I really disagree with. You know who else that applies to? Me! Especially in the early days of my walk with God, when I was trying to figure it all out. Not that I have it all figured out now. Folks, I’m not holding this guy up as an example of how to live the Christian faith. I would never be that unfair to him. It seems to me, he might have a lot of things left to work out, as do we all. Maybe before we cast stones we need to look in the mirror.
What I Will Say
What I will say, is this man seems to be exploring faith and trying figure out what it means to walk with Jesus, and he’s part of a song that could be used to draw some people closer to God. He doesn’t seem to be holding himself up as an example either. What he seems to be is a man somewhere in the midst of a hard fought hallelujah. Maybe we’d be better off praying for him. Thanking God for the talents He invested in this man who calls himself Jelly Roll and asking God to continue to lead him into all truth, the same prayer we can make for literally anyone in the church and all those outside it as well.
Brandon Lake
Why the commenters are being critical of Brandon Lake for working with this man is even more inconceivable. Aren’t we as Christians supposed to serve the people we meet and build them up and encourage them, and love them? My dream for the arts is that Christian artists might come along side people who are searching and share these gifts and talents we’ve been given. That we would be encouraging other gifted people, even as we share the love of the One who gifted us. Further we should do all of that as we share the Gospel with the world using our gifts. That seems to be what’s happening here. Lake found an ultra-talented artist who writes songs like “Need a Favor” and started to work with him. Why wouldn’t he?
The Other Side of This
When I hear a song like Hard Fought Hallelujah, it resonates, and I praise God for what He has done for me. In that respect it’s a blessing, but I’m already convinced and so are most of the people who hear Brandon Lake on Christian radio. This song could be used by God to help people beyond the realm of Christian music. Through this collaboration, one that seems natural and authentic, Lake’s music gets a wider audience, which moves the strong message of this song to more people, some of whom might be searching for or living through their own Hard Fought Hallelujah. Ask yourself a question. This song, great though it may be, does it make it onto a mainstream show like American Idol without Jelly Roll. I doubt it, and it would be a shame for that many people to miss it.
At the End of the Day
At the end of the day, I think we Christians should be a little less eager to bash and judge and a little more eager to pray for people who seem to be seeking God. We need to praise God for the work He’s doing in people’s lives. People living a hard fought hallelujah don’t need hard hearted critics. They need people who trust the Lord enough to meet them where they are and pray for them.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In