Ryan Stevenson - In the Sun Lyrics
Lyrics
I've got scars that You're not seeing
I've got so many wounds, they're still healing
I've got a heart, it's having trouble beating
I'm losing the feeling, been broken so long
I've got eyes, their blood shot from crying
I've got thoughts caught between the truth and lying
I've got emotions built up and locked away
Pulling me in every direction, trying to escape
Through all of my storms, through every fire
I know you're the reason that I'm still alive
Standing in the sun
I feel like my life has just begun
Walking through the rain
There's just no other way that I could have changed
Well, it's easy to walk when the ground isn't shaking
It's easy to laugh when my heart isn't breaking
It's easy to see when I look through Your eyes
That I've been believing so many lies
I wanna find a place I can go
Where I can be free to let my heart show
I wanna be a person who dares
To love without condition, to love without fear
Standing in the sun
I feel like my life has just begun
Walking through the rain
There's just no other way that I could have changed
Because You make me feel so alive
All this time it was You, You were saving my life
Over and over
I keep going back in my mind to the moment
I realized that all this time I was trying to run away
Your love was chasing me, chasing me, yeah, whoa
Video
Ryan Stevenson - In The Sun (Official Music Video)
Meaning & Inspiration
Ryan Stevenson's "In the Sun," released as part of the *Yesterday, Today, Forever - EP* in 2011, is a profound testament to redemption and the transformative power of divine love. The song opens with raw vulnerability, detailing a heart burdened by unseen scars and persistent wounds, a struggle for breath and a pervasive sense of brokenness. Stevenson paints a vivid picture of emotional turmoil, where thoughts wrestle with truth and lies, and emotions are locked away, creating a desperate yearning for escape. This deeply personal confession of internal conflict resonates with the universal human experience of facing adversity and inner turmoil.
However, this darkness is not the end of the narrative. The pivot in the song arrives with the powerful declaration, "Through all of my storms, through every fire, I know you're the reason that I'm still alive." This is where the song transitions from personal struggle to spiritual deliverance. The imagery of standing "in the sun" becomes a potent metaphor for a new beginning, a life revitalized and infused with purpose, a stark contrast to the difficult journey of "walking through the rain" that led to this change. This isn't merely a change of circumstance but a fundamental shift brought about by an external, unwavering force.
The lyrical content deeply echoes biblical truths about our inherent fallen nature and the grace that redeems us. The initial description of being "broken so long," with "emotions built up and locked away," can be seen as a reflection of our separation from God due to sin, as described in Isaiah 59:2: "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." Stevenson's desire to "find a place I can go, where I can be free to let my heart show" and to "love without condition, to love without fear" directly aligns with the freedom and uninhibited love that Christ offers. Jesus Himself spoke of this freedom, saying in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Furthermore, the aspiration to "love without condition, to love without fear" mirrors the commandment to love God and neighbor, a love that casts out fear, as stated in 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear, because fear holds on to the punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
The song's turning point, where the speaker recognizes an external force as the source of their survival and transformation, is a powerful articulation of God's persistent love. The realization that "all this time it was You, You were saving my life" and that "Your love was chasing me" powerfully illustrates God's active pursuit of humanity. This echoes themes found throughout Scripture, such as God's faithfulness even when we are faithless, as highlighted in Romans 3:23, which states that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Yet, God's unfailing love is also proclaimed in Romans 8:38-39: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." The lyrical journey from despair to dawning hope, culminating in the radiant imagery of "standing in the sun," serves as an inspiring reminder that through Christ, new life and unburdened freedom are indeed possible, transforming our existence from the shadows into His glorious light.