Jesus Culture - Not Afraid Lyrics
Lyrics
I have this confidence because
I've seen the faithfulness of God
The still inside the storm, the promise of the shore
I trust the power of Your word
Enough to seek Your Kingdom first
Beyond the barren place, beyond the ocean waves
[Chorus]
When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome
When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
You keep the promises You make
There isn't one that is delayed
So I will not lose heart, here, I will lift my arms
And start to sing into the night
My praise will call the sun to rise
Declare the battle won, declare that it is done
When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome
When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame
I'll stand before the giant, declaring victory
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
Before me, behind me, always beside me
No shadow, no valley, where You won't find me
No, I am not afraid
Before me, behind me, always beside me
No shadow, no valley, where You won't find me
No, I am not afraid
I am not afraid
When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome
When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame
I'll stand before the giant, declaring victory
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
[Spontaneous]
No fear with You, Jesus
I can stand with confidence and sing
You're the One who always saves the day, Jesus
You never let me down, no
No place for fear, no place for worry
I stand in Your confidence and I know
I know You are the One who has me, who holds me
You go before me, You prepare the way in front of me, Jesus
Guiding every step along the way
You are the One who goes before me, You are the One who stands behind me
You are the One that's all around me, surrounding me, Jesus
I know, I can trust You, Jesus, yeah
[Bridge]
Before me, behind me, always beside me
No shadow, no valley, where You won't find me
No, I am not afraid
Before me, behind me, always beside me
No shadow, no valley, where You won't find me
No, I am not afraid
I am not afraid
When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome
When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame
I'll stand before the giant, declaring victory
My God will make a way, so I am not afraid
Video
Jesus Culture - Not Afraid (Live)
Meaning & Inspiration
I still remember the heat. Not the "worship service" kind of heat, but the kind that strips the paint off your walls and leaves you shivering in the ash pile. When Jesus Culture sings, "When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame," it doesn’t hit me like a line from a stadium anthem. It hits me like an accusation and a lifeline all at once.
Truth is, I’ve felt every flame. I’ve been burned down to the studs. So, hearing that line makes me want to argue. I felt it, I think. I felt the blister, the sting, the way my own bad decisions singed my hair and left me smelling like a dumpster fire for months after I came crawling home.
But then I look at Daniel 3, and I realize the promise isn't that the fire doesn't exist. It’s that you don't come out smelling like it. Or, maybe more accurately, the God who walked into the furnace with those boys didn't ask them to stop shaking. He just made sure the fire didn't have the final word.
There’s this other bit: "No shadow, no valley, where You won't find me."
I spent a long time hiding in the shadows, convinced that if I just walked far enough into the dark, I’d be safe from the light that kept demanding I be something I wasn't. I thought I was losing God. I thought I’d successfully ditched Him in some ditch outside the city limits. But the reality that keeps me up at night—the one that actually gives me some kind of peace—is that He was there the whole time, just waiting for me to run out of road.
He didn't just meet me at the gate when I finally turned around. He was the one walking in the shadow with me while I was still trying to outrun Him. That’s a scandalous thought. It means my rebellion wasn't as private as I liked to pretend. It means He was watching me make a mess of things, not with a clipboard checking off my failures, but with an open hand, just waiting for the exact moment I stopped running.
I’m still dusting off the soot. My hands are still rough from the life I lived out there. I don’t know if I have the "confidence" they’re singing about, at least not the kind that feels like a steady hand on a steering wheel. Most days, my confidence feels more like a nervous prayer. But I’m here. And I’m breathing. And if He can find me in that valley, maybe the fire wasn't meant to kill me after all. Maybe it was just meant to burn off the things that were keeping me from the only thing that actually matters: the fact that He never stopped looking.