You may have seen her on the hit CBS reality show Survivor, starring in Season 29 with her mom. New Fair Trade Services artist Baylor Wilson is a singer to watch. In the past few months, she’s gained the attention of music fans and critics alike with her standout debut hit single, “Jesus Happened.”
Baylor has the gift of encouragement, and her song is uplifting. She has an infectious and upbeat musical style, layering her strong and distinguished vocals over the catchy melody. Baylor has emerged as a great role model for girls. You can practically hear her smile as she sings.
Baylor’s songwriting is real, positive, and vulnerable, and her upbeat song is a great way to celebrate our freedom in Christ. Her biblically-inspired lyrics represent how true happiness and her identity comes from her relationship with God. I had the chance to speak with Baylor about her autobiographical song, “Jesus Happened.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
In 2017, a year after I graduated college, a friend invited me to a worship service at, of all things, an auto body car shop. Having grown up in church, I was happy to tag along.
When I walked into the car vinyl wrapsshop, people were worshipping and singing. It was the first time I felt free to worship. I felt God’s tangible presence fall over me for the first time. I was weeping and weeping, realizing I didn’t want to live the way I was living anymore.
I thought I was living the dream from what I knew to that point in my life. But, I was wrong. All I knew was that I didn’t want to fill my life with things like partying, drinking, and dating the wrong people anymore. At the worship service, I felt profound peace. Later, I found out it was because I met the King of kings.
I hadn’t sought out an encounter with God. I hadn’t considered my friend’s life was going down the wrong path. But, after that life-altering worship service, I could concentrate on little else but her newfound love for Jesus.
I’d have co-writing sessions with country songwriters, and I’d be testifying to these people who used to be worship leaders. They didn’t know what to think. But, my mind had been renewed. I’d had supernatural brain surgery. God was all I wanted to talk about.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV): “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
John 17:3(NKJV): "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
2 Corinthians 5:16-19(NIV): "So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
John 15:4-5(VOICE): "Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing."
Romans 12:2(VOICE): "Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete."
1 John 4:18(NKJV): "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
What is the takeaway message?
“Jesus Happened” is my story of meeting Jesus and being changed from the inside out. Every part of my life’s been changed; I’m a country artist who got saved. I sing sanctified country music.
After my encounter with Jesus, people would see me and say, ‘What happened to you?’ I figured out the easiest way to explain it was to say that Jesus happened.
I’m about four years into my journey with Christ as my savior. And, I know He’s been walking with me all the time. But, it was the church event at the auto body shop when I woke up to the reality of Him as my savior.
I hope my song is an invitation for people to come to know the Gospel. There’s an assumption from people of my generation that if you give up your life for Jesus you’ll sit in a dark room and read your Bible all the time and stop having fun.
Something I pray that I live out forever until I get to heaven is the joy of my salvation. Before I went into that worship service, I loved my life even though I hadn’t tasted true joy or true peace. I was a happy girl my whole life, even in trauma, and my parents getting divorced.
I was raised by a single mom who was always a positive person. So, it’s in my nature to make the most of my situation. This world is a dark place. And, I was a girl who believed I was a Christian. But, I was missing out on a personal relationship with Jesus. I needed to be born again.
When you experience the presence of God, you realize that the world isn’t attractive anymore. You know that it doesn’t compare to the peace and joy of living in relationship with Jesus. All things have become new.
Lyrics
What happened to you I hear it all the time They tell me somethings different In my words and in my eyes
What happened to you They see it on my face They’ve got a million questions All that I can say is
Jesus happened In a blink of an eye Every part of my life was changed Jesus happened Like a thief in the night He started taking the lies away
And all my sin was forgiven The moment I met His grace That’s when I started living And all that My heart can say is Jesus happened
What happened to you I smile every time I tell them it’s a miracle Like water into wine Cause everything’s new, oh The old is dead and gone Redemption is my story Resurrection is my song
Jesus happened In a blink of an eye Every part of my life was changed Jesus happened Like a thief in the night He started taking the lies away
And all my sin was forgiven
The moment I met His grace That’s when I started living And all that My heart can say is Jesus happened, oh
The grave gave away To life everlasting I’m found, I’m free Raised up from the ashes
Jesus happened In a blink of an eye Every part of my life was changed Jesus happened Like a thief in the night He started taking the lies away
And all my sin was forgiven The moment I met His grace That’s when I started living And all that My heart can say is Jesus happened Jesus happened
And all that My heart can say is Jesus happened
Closing Thoughts
After repeated listens, “Jesus Happened” gets deeper with comforting messages of the Bible that God is love. You can have joy and worship loudly about the love of God in your life. When you’ve encountered the love of God, you won’t be the same.
This song celebrates the freedom we’re promised in God's Holy Word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Christians are new creations on the inside.
God wants us to believe in the freedom that we have in the cross of Jesus. We're free from our fears, addictions, insecurities, and perfectionism. Jesus came to die for us so that we can live in Him—and, yes, be free.
This song celebrates the day God saved us from our sins. It also creates awareness for listeners to reflect on and celebrate their salvation experience. My story of grace when “Jesus happened” for me was in November 1999.
I was in my car listening to a Christian music album. And, at the end of the album, the artist shared his personal testimony. It turned out, his story was also my story. I admitted to myself and to Him, “God, I’m a sinner and I can't save myself.”
I pulled over to the side of the road and sobbed, as God invited me to join in and say the sinner's prayer. I confessed my sins, begged for forgiveness, and accepted Jesus as my personal savior. I felt the presence of God there with me in my car. Since then, I've never been the same.
“Jesus Happened” has become my personal anthem. I sing along at the top of my lungs the sincere and emotive lyrics of submission. Know that you can't earn your way into heaven. Jesus already paid that price.
God's mercy and grace is new each day. And, it’s not based on your performance or what you can do for God. He pours out His mercy despite what you've done. There's nothing you can do except to trust in His son, Jesus.
This song does an excellent job of explaining what grace is about. My pastor uses the phrase, "God's riches at Christ's expense" to define grace. The irrefutable argument we have as believers is to share our story of grace.
Jesus is the answer to all that we want and need. We're all in need of God to fix our beautiful messes in some way. The beauty of grace is that it's freely given, not something we deserve or earn.
The Holy Spirit gives us a new life. We don't have to live anymore with guilt, fears, or worries. We're born again. Our old life is dead.
Believing the words of this song is a great way to work on the disciplines of self-examination and prayer. Faith is when we are empty of ourselves and filled with Him and His Holy Spirit.
“Jesus Happened” is about our savior, Jesus, who overcame the grave. It's about submitting ourselves to Him and His goodness. It’s about allowing His blood to cover us and run through us.
When you’re feeling alone or confused about the world. When you feel like life is overwhelming. Step out in faith, lean on God for help, and know that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
His love for us will never change, and nothing can separate us from it. We were dead in our sins and by grace we were saved and made alive in Christ. That’s reason to celebrate and sing, “And all my sin was forgiven/The moment I met His grace/That’s when I started living/And all that my heart can say is Jesus happened.” Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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