"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world," wrote C.S. Lewis in the book Mere Christianity.

 

God uses our trials to remind us to rely on Him. He wants to deeply know each and every one of us. Sometimes we need to sit at His feet and rid ourselves of distractions. When you spend time with just Him, you can’t walk away unchanged. For anyone who feels like they are far away from God, take some time to pray along with this song the way that David prayed in the Psalms, without any technology or distractions. There isn’t anywhere we can go to flee the presence of God. That’s what this beautiful new song is all about.

 

With the release of her sophomore album, Time for the Show, Kerrie Roberts addresses themes of empowerment, strength, encouragement and joy. This is one of the most worshipful and fun albums I’ve heard this year.

"I want every song to leave people with a sense of purpose—a call to action, a realization of a truth, a promotion of hope and healing," Kerrie said. I had the great opportunity to interview her about her compelling ballad, "In Your Sight."

Please tell me about the background story behind the song.
 

There were a batch of songs I wrote several years ago, and "No Matter What" and this song were in that batch. Before I was signed to a recording contract, I had written this song as an independent music artist living in Florida. I’ve had a relationship with this song for years. I wrote it hoping it would be on my first album. It didn’t make it. There are so many things out of your control as an artist. For the second album, I said this song has to be on the album. We couldn’t leave this song behind.

 

In looking through my journal, I realized that the message of this song is still really hitting home for me. I went into the writing session, and had the line, "I wish... I could have the wisdom of a broken heart without all the pain." Everyone agreed with that sentiment, and we knew we had the start of a song. We wanted to write a song about how Jesus sees us through everything. In a way, it ties into the message of "No Matter What," which is one of my big themes.

Even though God is watching you doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to spared from living on this planet. You need to live in faith and have peace because you have the ultimate promise that you are in His care. Whatever does happen to you on this earth, you’re going to go beyond that when you live with an eternal perspective. The awful things that have recently happened are reminders that we live in a fallen world. Yet, we have the privilege to live in faith and say, OK God, I know this is just a blink in His eternal timeline. One day, we’re going to rest.

 

Psalm 139:1-10 (NKJV): "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me."

 

...Psalm 139:13-14 (NKJV): "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well."

 

...and Psalm 139:17-18 (NKJV): "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You."

What do consider to be the take-away message for listeners?
 

The bridge is connected to Psalm 139. There is nowhere we can go that we aren’t in God’s presence. God makes darkness light, and so many things beyond our comprehension. That’s what we trust, because we know that He can see us. It’s very thrilling that this song is finally seeing the light of day and I hope it ministers to people. I’ve seen that it does when I’ve sung it live.

Some of us are in great parts of our lives, which is wonderful. A lot of us aren’t, though; we’re hurting, and this message brings comfort. We need to be reminded that we can rest and have peace in His power and His grace. The meaning of this song evolved again for me when I survived a terrible car accident. I survived by the grace of the hand of God. Sometimes we have doubts. We know we’re on this earth and God loves us, and we’re not sure to what degree God is involved in our lives. I have a moment I can point to and say I know God really was intervening in that moment. That’s really special. My biggest fear is failure, which I also address in this song. 

 

For me, the over-arching word to sum up the message of this song is peace. As we struggle in this life with something that happens to us, or our own internal perceptions, fear and anxiety is powerful and can tear you down emotionally and physically. You can get paralyzed. This song is a reminder and calibration that no, it’s not about us, our perceptions or failures. We need to rest in the arms of our Savior, and find our identity in Him. It’s a hard place to get to. Once you are there, you’ll find freedom. You’ll just want to sit in God’s presence and praise Him and know that He’s God. I know I’m not that important. I’m important in God’s sight, but I need to lose the sense of self-importance—focus on what He’s doing, and have an eternal perspective. Life is just a flash, and at the end of your life all that matters is did you love Jesus, and did you love others the way that you should.

 

 

As Christians, we all need to remember that we are just "pilgrims" passing through. Earth isn’t our permanent home. Freedom from the pain of this world will come when we enter the true rest that can only come from living eternally with Jesus Christ. As St. Augustine put it so perfectly, "our hearts are restless until they rest in You." 

 

God wants all of us to pray these words to Him: "And I've lived in fear of failing, But that's just my pride, And I know it's not about me, 'Cause I've given You my life." God knows every detail of our lives, and He already knows we feel this way about ourselves. That’s a lie that the enemy is telling us. Worrying about measuring up, and trying to be perfect are natural feelings. We’re supposed to have imperfections to remind us of our need for our Healer and our Redeemer, Jesus.

 

"In Your Sight" is totally inspiring and is a great reminder as Kerrie prays, "And I will rest knowing You are holding me, I believe You will never say goodbye, I close my eyes, Unafraid of what I cannot see, 'Cause I am always in Your sight." When I listen to this song I am challenged to trust God’s Word completely "no matter what" my circumstances, worries and fears. The bridge has a comforting reminder: "Where could I go, What could I do, There's no place I know, Apart from You." 

 

We need to have that type of faith that Jesus describes in the Bible, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Being a Christian means that you walk by faith, not by sight. Remember the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Amen.

 

(You can watch Kerrie sing the song here.)