Hillsong's Ben Fielding on "Who You Say I Am"

Every night when I put my boys to bed, I tell them what I love about them and that I am proud of them. We also play a little ‘game’ where we each say something we love about each other. Let’s be honest, two small brothers can be quite creative in finding new ways to taunt one another during the day. So, we have tried to instill in them the power of our words to be used for good, for building one another up. I tell them who they are and who they are becoming, and that they will always have a special place in our family.

I would like to think that, as they get older, when their little identities are challenged by competing voices, that mine, and my wife Karalee’s voices – with words of life and encouragement – and even the kind musings of their siblings at bedtime, would ring louder in their ears.

I imagine God the Father holds that same desire for us and for the little people in our worlds. He wants our understanding of who we are and where we belong to be determined by His voice.

Jesus put it like this, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)

God wants us to know that we are free and that He loves it when we embrace the freedom He has won for us. He also wants us to know that we have a permanent place with Him - not as a guest, but as a child - a family member. The way we think God sees us changes so much of the way we see ourselves and others. If God is for us and not against us, we can live from that security and approach others in the same way.

My kids sing "Who You Say I Am" at kids church most weeks. As a dad, there’s nothing better than hearing them walk around the house singing the lyric: “Who the Son sets free, oh is free indeed! I’m a child of God, yes I am!” It reminds me how necessary it is that our children are constantly hearing how much they matter to us, but even more importantly, how much they matter to God. I think songs have a unique way of capturing the hearts and memories of little ones. I remember so many of the songs I sung when I was little - they taught me the Scriptures, and created a picture in my mind about who God is and what He thinks of me. I pray that the things that all of our children hear and sing when they are young would ring loud in their ears throughout their lives. That they would remember that they are chosen, loved, thought of, and protected by the hands of a God who is always on their side. I pray that they would constantly be reminded how valuable they are in the eyes of their Heavenly Father, and that when their identity is questioned or their confidence challenged, a little melody and lyric might return to mind.

Watch the lyric video for the Hillsong Kids song "Who You Say I Am":