Happy Holy Week, friends, and welcome to another fandoms-as-Gospel truth post from yours, truly. I keep coming back to this song, especially at this time of year. It speaks super powerfully to our need for a Savior and the fact that we have one who is willing to stay with us, no matter how many times we fail Him. Hope you enjoy Imagine Dragons Next to Me!
Fandom: “Ohhhh, I always let you down/ You’re shattered on the ground, still I find you there, next to me/ And ohhhh, stupid things I do/ I’m far from good, it’s true, still I find you next to me.” – Imagine Dragons “Next to Me”
Verses: Isaiah 64:4-6, Romans 8:38-39, Romans 3:22-24, Matthew 5:4, Romans 5:6-8
Truth: God sent His Son to rescue us when we were habitual sinners incapable of saving ourselves. When we commit ourselves to Him, He forgives us of all of our sins and promises that nothing can separate us from Him again.
the Fandom
This song is so lovely. I’ve listened to it on repeat more times than I can count, and still never get tired of it. The slightly offset beat and soulful vocals give it this super poignant and vulnerable feel that’s perfect for this time of year. Describing the feeling of wonder that his beloved person is still around after all the times he’s failed them, “Next to Me” is an almost perfect parallel with my own feelings of wonder at the faithfulness of Jesus in spite of all the things I’ve done wrong. Just look at the chorus:
Ohhh, I always let you down You're shattered on the ground, still I find you there next to me And ohhh, stupid things I do I'm far from good, it's true, still I find you next to me
No matter how hard I try, I will always let the Lord down. The truth is that none of us can ever be enough on our own, born into the church (like me lol) or not. Just like the singer here, we will always let our people, and our Lord, down, over and over again. It’s the nature of being human, stuck for now in an imperfect world.
In a previous post about this song, I reflected a bit more on what it means to mourn over our own sinfulness. Check it out here if you’re interested!
But today, I’m thinking about the other side of the story. The side of the love interest/spouse in this song, who is described more in the verses:
There's something 'bout the way that you Walked into my living room Casually and confident, Looking at the mess I am And still you, still you want me... Something 'bout the way that you Always see the pretty view Overlook the mud and mess Always lookin' effortless, and still you, still you want me...
This person that the song is describing is a human (most assume it’s the wife of one of the band members), but again I can’t help but think of Jesus. The fact that He sees all of my sins and my failures and my mess, and still wants me, still loves me, still chooses me… It’s absolutely mind-blowing. And it goes even further than that! Not only has God completely erased all of my sins because of Jesus, He’s also given me the blessing and favor and relationship and unconditional love that only Jesus could earn. He sees me now, as a follower of Christ, as though I were as pure as He. As though I had always obeyed Him. He sees the “pretty view” that is who I am in Christ. Even though I’m still an imperfect human, even though I still sin and fail Him, that sin can no longer permanently separate me from Him. Nothing can. Praise God!
the Verses
For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, [We continued] in our sins for a long time; Yet shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
Isaiah 64:4-6
This passage was originally written to Israel, God’s chosen people, as a reminder of the depth of their sin and rebellion against Him. It speaks more generally to the sinfulness of all humanity, as “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment”. There’s an *interesting* insight as to what exactly is intended by the phrase “filthy garment,” but I’ll let you look into that for yourself if you wish. The point is that nothing we could do, even all the “righteous” things that we try to hold up to ourselves to try and clean ourselves up, is enough to save ourselves. Only Jesus can (and did!).
…but [it is the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…
Romans 3:22-24
I memorized Romans 3:23 long ago, but I don’t often look at verses 22 and 24. Yes, we all sin, and that is a fact that can’t be ignored. But there is hope surrounding this truth about us: in Christ, as we submit ourselves to Him and give our hearts to Him, He justifies us “as a gift by His grace” and bestows on us the righteousness of God. Thank You, Jesus!
For while we were still helpless, at [the] right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8
Christ died to end the separation between us caused by our sin. And just like I imagine the person being sung to did in “Next to Me,” He did it out of love and faithfulness. He did it because He sees the good in us, even when we can’t. And He calls us to choose Him, to let Him define us by His righteousness instead of our own.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Ever. Period!
connecting Imagine Dragons Next to Me with the Gospel story
I believe that the Gospel message, or the steps of becoming a believer and receiving the gift of salvation, can be broken up into three parts:
- I am. Who is God? What is He like? Who are we, and why are we here? Is there more to life than just the time between our birth and our death?
- God is the Creator and Lord of everything that we know. He is light, He is absolutely perfect, and He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is also love, and He created each and every one of us to live in relationship with Him. We, on the other hand, are hard-wired to resist that relationship. Because of the rebellion of the first humans, our nature is to resist God’s rule, and we are therefore separated from Him. This separation is called sin. Our sin causes us to feel a void or emptiness that we try to fill with other relationships or pursuits (like pleasure or success), but that can only truly be filled with the relationship with God that we were meant to have. For more thoughts on this, check out this post.
- With you. How can I “fix” my sin problem and find joy, peace, and a relationship with God?
- There is only one way to restore the relationship that we were always meant to have with the God who created us, and that is Jesus. As we already discussed above, Jesus, the Son of God, came as a human to rescue and restore us while we were weak, helpless to fix ourselves. He showed the love of God for us by subjecting Himself to all of the indignities and suffering of the Cross, and died a criminal’s death, even though He had done no wrong. Because of His perfect sacrifice, Jesus was able to end the eternal separation between us and God, and now gives us the choice to receive His gift of salvation and eternal life. For more thoughts, see this post.
- Always. God shows His faithfulness and steadfast love for His people (originally Israel, now including all who believe in Him) throughout Scripture. He will always be with us, and gives us reminders of His presence and His truth through Holy Spirit, who inhabits every believer. Through Him, we have eternal forgiveness of sin, access to His throne room through prayer, and the ability to grow into the people we were always meant to be, free from the power of sin. After we die, we have the promise of Heaven, where we will see our Lord face to face and never have to suffer or be separated from Him again. For more thoughts, see this post.
This fandom Imagine Dragons Next to Me speaks to the “I am” and the “with you” parts of the Gospel story. It reminds us of our need for a Savior and the fact that, even as believers, we still let the Lord down. The good news is that He will never let us down. He will never leave us or forsake us, and He already paid the ultimate price so that nothing can separate us from Him. “Next to Me” calls us to thank the Lord for His grace and His faithfulness, and to ask for His forgiveness when we fail. If you have never done this before, I invite you to right now! When we commit ourselves to the Lord, He promises to forgive our sins forever, period. Simply ask Him to save you and become the Lord of your life, and you’ll never have to worry about earning your keep again. He’s already paid the ultimate price to redeem you, and He promises never to leave you or forsake you. You are loved, known, and worth saving!
Here’s a simple way to ask Jesus to be your Lord and savior:
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10 Period! That’s literally all it takes, friend. Why not now? What do you have to lose?
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed and were inspired by this post on Imagine Dragons Next to Me for Holy Week 2023. If you aren’t a believer in Jesus, I hope and pray that you’ll consider what we’ve talked about today. If you are a believer, how does this song/this truth affect what you believe and how you apply it IRL? Who can you start a conversation with today?
Happy fangirling!
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