Group 1 Crew ‘Power’

Written by: Laura Chambers (7/23/2016)

The heartbreaking events of the past few months have led many to feel powerless to control anything about their lives. Reeling from the aftermath of tragedy, old fears we thought we’d conquered arise again; things we never thought twice about doing now fill us with dread.

While living in terror isn’t what God desires for us, it is sometimes only by having the ground crumble beneath our feet that we realize that we were never in control, and we are powerless alone. Instead of looking within, we search around for someone we can rely on or something we can use to regain the advantage we thought we had. Building our lives on the solid ground that is Christ and trusting that He alone infuses us with His power is the only way to live. Group 1 Crew’s Power encourages us to tap into the Source of all strength daily, knowing His promises will never leave us empty.

“Power” energetically encourages us to seek the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We can receive it when we surrender ourselves to God, which runs counter to the popular belief that we only experience power when we’re in control. “Phenomenal” contrasts our shallow quest for affection and worth by acquiring material goods with the true source of perfect love. Disillusioned, we may be tempted to give up on love altogether, but we must not lose heart. “20/20” shows us that God looks at us as something wonderful He made,  instead of seeing our failures and shortcomings. Our vision can be blurred by a negative self-image, hindering us from living in the freedom He desires for us. “Download” uses computer metaphors to depict our need to constantly draw from God for wisdom and a pattern for our lives. It‘s easy to become sluggish and ineffective when we embrace wrong thinking, perceiving our situation to be different than it is. But when we tap into His grace, we never have to search anywhere else for refreshing. “Wake Me Up” calls on God to remind us of who we are and who we’re called to be. Instead of falling back into old routines of self-reliance, we need to reach for Him, recalling that we have been changed from who we used to be and can no longer live as though we’re still lost.

“Bad Day” paints a tragic picture of two people who share responsibility for a relationship that crumbled. It’s actually kind of refreshing to see a song’s protagonist take an equal share of the blame, not to mention hold up God‘s love as the ideal we ought to aspire to. (“This ain’t the way that people should be/Love should resemble the beautiful truth that is found in our God”) The track ends with the hope that the two people can put the past behind them and move on. “Take It All In” bemoans all the little things we fail to appreciate when we’re distracted by our worries. We should never be so preoccupied that we miss out on God’s creation and His many mercies. “Burn” paints two seemingly hopeless pictures; a couple that seeks love in illicit affections with each other, and a child and her mother feeling abandoned by a husband and father. But in spite of it all, this is not where the story has to end. God is an ever-present hope, and He promises that we can start over, letting our old life burn away for good. “Mona Lisa” is a shout-out to the envious and haters of the style of music G1C does. It can be easy to judge someone whose genre is often a vehicle for lewd and violent speech, or to believe that they’re being holier than thou by preaching a different version of truth than the listener is used to. You need to speak the language of those you are trying to reach. Jesus did; instead of just staying in heaven and shouting down to us below, He came and lived among us. And it‘s not as though by following a set formula, music becomes more holy; that‘s creating a religion of your own. (BTW, not sure what Mona Lisa has to do with anything, but as the chorus says God will be “my Mona Lisa”, all I can think of is that He smiles on us.) Unlike romantic relationships, which can often be “On Again Off Again”, God’s love doesn’t waver or change like the weather. He loves us faithfully and not because of anything we’ve done to earn it. The song asks God to guard our hearts and save them for somebody who loves Him as we do. It’s hard to settle for anything less once you’ve tasted His love.

“I Know” goes back to the issue of haters, resolving that as long as you remain focused on God’s presence, you don’t have to worry about anything else. Rappers get a lot of negative attention from people who accuse them of living a flashy lifestyle, or being proud, or moving too quickly. We have confidence not in what we have or who we are, but who He is, and if we follow His lead, we can‘t go wrong. “Set Sail” uses sailing imagery to picture the course of our lives. In this song, Jesus is promising us that He can calm the storms and walk on water, so we ought to turn to Him to keep us secure when we are in peril. “Inevitable” speaks of one’s knowing that they‘re meant for bigger things and dream of better possibilities. Unless we risk it all and step into our moment, nothing will change. We can‘t let anything stop us from doing what we were made to do. Eventually, we will have a moment of destiny; will we take it or miss our opportunity?

“People Of A Second Chance” asks a tough question; now that we’ve been redeemed, what are we doing to make a difference? Since we have been given so much, how can we now ignore those who are trapped like we once were? It’s often the young people who have a vision for the world, but they keep being discouraged by those who doubt their motivation. We were given grace to give it out. “Best Is Yet To Come” encourages us that as good or bad as the present seems, there are brighter days ahead. For now, we can thank God for His gifts and our trials alike as they refine and bless us. Ultimately, we will rejoice in the kingdom to come, where no pain or tears will ever mar our joy; we can handle anything with that to look forward to. “Hold Back The Rain” finishes this album with a prayer asking God to defend us from Satan’s attacks. We can have confidence that the same God who rescued us once before will come to our aid. It gives us the boldness to stand defiant against our attacker and remind him that he has been forever defeated.

Everybody wants power. And it can easily become the focus of our lives; obtaining it, often by stealing it from others, and asserting it even to the point of abuse. What we fail to recognize is that in doing so, we completely miss out on the power of God, which is far greater than anything we seek apart from Him. When we draw our power from God, it calls us to greater things and gives us the strength to withstand trials. Power consistently points upwards with a hand steadied by the peace of God and a heart overflowing with love and grace.

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