Passion (Feat. Sean Curran) – Bigger Than I Thought

Passion is a church-led worship band, much like Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation Worship.  Beginning in 1997, they released a staggering 23 live and studio albums!

Also, check out my reviews of Whole Heart, Holy Ground, There’s Nothing That Our God Can’t Do, Behold the Lamb, and Glorious Day.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Passion-bigger-than-i-thought-live-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

When we’re afraid and doubtful, we should take these things to God.  The Ruler of our universe is much bigger than Passion’s preconceived notions about how much He can handle.  For Passion, they know that God can assist, but trusting God through the process is often difficult.  Yet, when they choose to give God all their problems without bartering, they find peace.

This song diverges somewhat from traditional format, which includes an Intro, Pre and Post-Chorus, and Interlude.

Side note: For those who don’t prefer massive repetition, this song contains a lot of it, particularly, within Intro’s eight “find your freedom” (with a small reprieve in the middle), the quad “you understand me” within each Verse and pre-chorus, the quad “You’re bigger than I thought” within each Chorus and Post-Chorus, and the quad four-liner in Bridge.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

The entire song is Biblical.

[Intro]

Line 1: This line implies that there is freedom from one thing and to something else.  Passion explains this later in the song.

Lines 2-4: Repeats or essentially repeats line 1.

Line 5: This is the “to” portion of my commentary in line 1, that we should rely upon God.  After all, He is faithful (Numbers 23:19, Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalm 33:4, Psalm 91:4, Psalms 119:90, Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 2 Timothy 2:13, Hebrews 10:23, 2 Peter 3:9, and 1 John 1:9).

Lines 5-9: Repeats or essentially repeats line 1, with a slight Casper the friendly ghost reference.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1 and 2: Passion requests to hear from God when their groanings are too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

Line 3: This is so, because God knows all things (1 Kings 8:39, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalm 44:21, Psalm 139:4, Psalm 147:4-5, Isaiah 40:28, Matthew 10:30, John 16:30, John 21:17, Acts 1:24, Hebrews 4:13, and 1 John 3:20).

Line 4: Repeats line 3.

Lines 5 and 6: From Passion’s vantage point, their future is unknown (James 4:13-14).  They ask God for assistance.

Lines 7 and 8: Essentially repeats line 4.

[Pre-Chorus]

Essentially repeats Verse 1, line 4.  It also explicitly tells us that God is the One who understands Passion.

[Chorus]

Line 1: In obedience to Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7, Passion gives God their problems.

Line 2: This is so, because there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18), and God is love (1 John 4:8).

Line 3: This is more a statement about Passion’s perspective than how “big” God really is.  Yes, God is sovereign (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 4:39, Deuteronomy 10:14, Joshua 2:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 29:10, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Psalm 93:1-2, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 43:13, Isaiah 45:9-10, Isaiah 46:10, Lamentations 5:19, Daniel 4:35, Romans 9:19-21, Ephesians 1:11, Hebrews 1:8, James 4:15, Revelation 4:11, and Revelation 20:11); However, sometimes Passion puts unnecessary limits on God.  For example, that God cannot handle their doubts and fears.

Line 4: Essentially repeats line 3.

Lines 5 and 6: Passion no longer bargains with God.  After all, what can they negotiate with?  God owns everything (Psalm 24:1, Psalm 89:11, and 1 Corinthians 10:26) and demands Passion’s obedience (Matthew 25:34-40, John 14:15, John 14:21-24, John 15:10-14, 1 Peter 1:14-15, 1 John 2:3-5, 1 John 4:19-20, 1 John 5:2-3, and 2 John 1:6).

Lines 7 and 8: Repeats line 3.

[Post-Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Chorus, lines 3 and 4, in reverse order, with another Casper reference.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: That is, Passion intellectually acknowledges trust in God, but struggles to do it.  Quotes from Mark 9:24.

Lines 3 and 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 3, combined with a rewording of lines 1 and 2.

Lines 5 and 6: God helps Passion as the author and finisher of their faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Lines 7 and 8: Repeats Verse 1, line 3.

[Bridge]

Lines 1-4: This is clever wording that describes that Passion enters the Father’s rest (Hebrews 4:10) while giving God everything that doesn’t involve this rest.

Lines 5-16: Essentially repeats lines 1-4 with yet another call to Casper.

[Interlude]

Line 1: A rewording of Chorus, line 3.

Line 2: Essentially repeats line 1.

Line 3: Essentially repeats Intro, line 5.

Line 4: Repeats Bridge, line 1.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Despite its heavy reliance on Christianese language, unbelievers will see the thrust of Passion’s message, that they can throw their cares onto God.  Freedom from worry and that God understands them are attractive traits that might draw the unbelieving heart towards faith.

I’m uncertain if they will understand the seemingly contradictory “I have faith, but help me have faith” statement, along with entering God’s rest.  Both might require deeper study to comprehend.

Score: 8/10

4. What does this song glorify?

This song glorifies God as the One who takes our struggles and gives us tranquility.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Passion’s Bigger Than I Thought is Biblical.  It’s about trusting in God through life’s trials, allowing God to address it.  Through it, they enter God’s rest, bringing glory to God.  While unbelievers will find Passion’s main message easy to find, “enter God’s rest” may require additional study.

It’s not theologically deep, placing it within “milk” territory.  This is perfect for seeker-sensitive churches that don’t mind many repeats.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Bigger Than I Thought (Live) (listen to the song)

Artist: Passion (Feat. Sean Curran)

Album: Follow You Anywhere (Live)

Genre: Rock

Release Year: 2019

Duration: 7:13

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