It is always a challenge when we try to and place God, the Eternal and Uncreated One, into our time-space continuum. The challenge lies simply in the fact that as humans we view earth in terms of time, giving us a history, a present as well as a future. From our viewpoint, these three are all distinctly different, no matter how we try and reason them. On the other hand, God exists and operates outside of this time-space continuum, since He has no beginning or end, and is ever-present in whatever moment of time.
If we were to have a conversation about the death of Jesus Christ today, for example, we would concur that Jesus died on the cross about 2014 years ago (according to an unreliable Roman calendar) and that roughly three days after that He was resurrected. However, in the framework of God's understanding the death of Jesus is not historical fact, a present reality nor a future happening - for God the cataclysmic event occurs in all three of our human realities. This means that before we were born Christ was on the cross, He is still there today for those introduced to this reality today, and He will still be there in future days for those reaching a reality (revelation) then.
The title of the song serves to remind us that the experience of the Cross and it's incalculable impact on humanity, was all the will of the Father; to ask for something, or to declare something in Jesus' Name is simply to ask/declare a thing/circumstance/situation according to the Divine will.
Since the Cross of Christ is central in the reconciliation plan of God all of creation hinges on this event. The cross symbolizes love, grace, victory, mercy, and much more. This means that before we were even born God had a plan on how to fight for us, not only to keep us from harm, but also protect us in whatever troublesome situation we may find ourselves. So, while God "fought" for us, He is still "fighting" for us today, and will still be in His protective role in the future. Hence the opening lines of the song,
God is fighting for us
God is on our side
He has overcome
God is fighting in our present circumstances because He prepared for this eventuality in our past - He has overcome.
The next lines speak clearly and directly to our present reality and experience,
We will not be shaken
We will not be moved
Jesus You are here
Continuing in the "present" frame of reference we are reminded that Jesus is continuing the work of the Cross, i.e. what was accomplished then is now a very real and present experience,
Carrying our burdens
Covering our shame
He has overcome
Again we see that while the burden for us was "carried" on the Cross, in our experience (after the historical fact) and within the reference of an Eternal God, our burdens are continually being carried. Here we need to remember the distinction between a time-space continuum and an eternal reality.
I will live, I will not die
The resurrection power of Christ
Alive in me and I am free
In Jesus' Name
The refrain in this song is a celebration of the central theme in Christianity - that we exist spiritually as a result of a rebirth, and as a result of that awakening we now live eternally. Obviously we bear in mind that this is a spiritual reality and is therefore removed from the physical death we all experience. This is further strengthened by the words,
I will live, I will not die
I will declare and lift You high
Christ revealed and I am healed
In Jesus' Name
Here again we join in a celebration around the reality of the Cross, and the fact that because of the brokenness experienced by Jesus we are truly made whole (healed). The title of the song serves to remind us that the experience of the Cross and it's incalculable impact on humanity, was all the will of the Father; to ask for something, or to declare something in Jesus' Name is simply to ask/declare a thing/circumstance/situation according to the Divine will.
We see the duplicity of viewpoints again in the second verse, where God is fighting for us by pushing back the darkness; interestingly, darkness (here referring to those powers and principalities that are against God) was totally overcome at the cross, yet in the spiritual dimension it is a 'recurring' and constant 'event'. It is the defeat of the enemy forces that allow the Kingdom of Light to be revealed, and again, all in the will of the Father.
The modern songs of praise we use to celebrate God often 'struggle' with the marriage of earthly and heavenly viewpoints. At the end of the day, I believe, the message gets across and impacts our hearts, even if we do fail intellectually to understand fully and existence outside of time. But then again, Paul did remind us that we can now only see things in part, but one day all will be revealed. And this too is in Jesus' Name!
