Brandon Lake Shares What Inspired His Song with Lainey Wilson ‘The Jesus I Know Now’

Country music is best known for singing songs born from real-life experiences. That’s exactly the case with Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson’s collaboration, “The Jesus I Know Now.” In a recent interview, Lake opened up about the inspiration behind the track, giving fans a glimpse into the story that shaped it.   

Lake said that the inspiration behind the song sparked during a conversation with Wilson during a writer’s retreat. “The Lord's just been opening up crazy doors, just to collaborate with a lot of country artists,” the 35-year-old singer-songwriter recalled. “I sat down one day with one of my new, really great friends, now - I'm proud to say that...She is the realest deal. She was telling me her story, and she mentioned something, she goes, ‘You know, the Jesus I know now isn't really like the Jesus I grew up being taught about’”.  

The single had Lake and Wilson singing about how they changed their perception of Jesus when they got to know Him better, compared to what they were taught about Him.   

The first verse goes, “I was told He was angry / And He hated the music up too loud / I was told He would save me / If I showed up to church and I shut my mouth / If I smoked, if I drank, if I cussed, I'd think / I was on a long black train to Hell / Yeah, I thought I knew Him / 'Til I met Him for myself.”  

The chorus described how Jesus is far more understanding, especially to those who need forgiveness. “But the Jesus I know now / Ain't shakin' a fist, ain't raisin' a brow / Yeah, the Jesus I know now / Ain't runnin' away from a party crowd / I found a friend / Who hangs with the misfits, listens, forgives, then forgives again / Can't believe I was missin' out / On the Jesus I know now.”  

Listen to the track below.