TIS: Plan B – Prayin’

Sometimes I am wrong.

I’ll give you a moment to recover.

I only recently became aware of Plan B (aka Ben Drew) with his single ‘She Said‘, and I think  my words at that time were most unfavourable. However, it is ‘a grower’ and I’ve come to appreciate his vocal stylings much more.

The other morning whilst listening to the radio on my short journey to work I heard Plan B’s latest effort and was blown away. The sound seems to be heavily inspired by Motown – a trend that appears to be growing – and this alone earns massive bonus points with me (and that, after all, is what musicians and artists should be most concerned with…).

Motown aside, Drew’s lyrics are what really captured my attention and the video only helps to add to the effect (with the exception of some  inexplicable and awkward-looking West Side Story moves around the 3:42 mark).

The song tells the story of a young lad in prison who finds himself cornered by two would-be attackers. He strikes one and kills him, and a stranger strikes the other to protect him. As fear grips the protagonist, the stranger tells him to run away and let him take the blame for both deaths.

So he does.

However, finding himself wracked with guilt he prays to God for forgiveness, for a removal of guilt and blame.

The whole song is impressive in spiritual concern, yet the line that struck me most is delivered as the young lad realises that what he has done needs to be squared with God before he meets his end:

“We got some dealings to do before the day I’m dead”

I’ve never murdered anyone. Not even a bit of manslaughter. Yet I still feel the weight of the things that I’ve done wrong – my sin. I think most people do. The fear that we may actually be called to account for all that we have done – even the things that no one else knows about – pervades all humanity.

Our response can be much like Plan B’s prisoner; we think that we will be able to cut a deal with God. Perhaps we could buy him off with all the good things we have done, or maybe we could convince him that we’re not really to blame.

It won’t work! Jesus said that the world stands condemned. Every last one of us (John 3:18). That sounds depressing (and in truth, it should concern you), but the good news is that Jesus offers rescue to the condemned.

In the song, a random prisoner takes the protagonist’s place. He takes the blame. For those of you familiar with church language, that might sound a bit like what Jesus did. Well, almost, but not quite. I’d like to offer three differences:

1. The stranger in the song takes the blame because he already has a long life sentence hanging over him anyway and was, in part, to blame for the deaths. Jesus, on the other hand, was guilty of no sin or wrongdoing (Hebrews 4:15). This is possible only because Jesus is fully God as well as fully man.

2. The stranger takes the punishment for the lad’s attack on a third party. All sin is actually sin against God (as David proclaims in Psalm 51:4), and at the cross we see God, the offended party, taking the punishment for sin.

3. The stranger’s kindness is not effective. The man still feels his shame, despite being urged by the stranger to “Go right now, don’t feel ashamed”. In contrast, Jesus acts as both judge and justifier when speaks to a woman caught in adultery, telling her “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11).

Whatever we attempt in order to ease our guilt, there is only one solution: Jesus.

Jesus death and resurrection is effective. For those who believe, he offers forgiveness and freedom from sin, guilt, and condemnation.

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You can catch the previous Truth in Sound here.