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Lainey Wilson and Brandon Lake Open Up About Who They Wrote ‘The Jesus I Know Now’ For: “They All Have a Story”

October 19, 2026 4:26 pm GMT

After Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson won the 2026 GMA Dove Award for Country / Roots Recorded Song of the Year with their moving duet, ‘The Jesus I Know Now’, it's important to revisit Lake and Wilson's intention behind writing this track in the first place.

While accepting the award, Wilson opened up about how her relationship with Jesus has changed over the years, admitting that, when she was younger, she was taught about Christianity in a way that focussed on fire and brimstone, rather than love.

When Lake and Wilson released the song back in April 2026, they shared a brief but telling snippet, in which they both touched on the creative impetus behind the heartfelt duet.

Lake begins by reflecting on how many people grow apart from Christianity, “There's a lot of people that have a bad taste in their mouth around Church, around God Himself”.

Wilson then stresses that her experience was similar, before explaining how, as she's gotten older, she's learned that Jesus loves her for her, and He isn't the formidable, unforgiving character that she perhaps perceived him to be when she was younger.

The ‘4X4XU’ hitmaker candidly reflects, “People who don't follow the Lord anymore, they all have a story. But like, the Jesus that I'm getting to know now, it ain't the one that...”, with Lake finishing the sentence, “...I was taught about growing up”.

Lake concludes, “It is different when you get to know Him personally. I hope this song redeems like a lot of people's stories, and really shows them who the true Jesus is”.

It ties in with Wilson's words on the GMA Dove Awards stage in Nashville earlier this month, when the Louisiana native mused, “I feel like I've learned so much from the people I get to sit in a writer's room with, and write songs with, and I remember that day, walked in, and immediately we were just talking about our relationship with Jesus. I said, ‘I feel like the Jesus I know now is not the one that I grew up knowing, the one that was shaking His first, and the one I was, like, scared of’”.

Wilson went on, “And it's because of folks like that, who have continued to pour into me, that I feel like I am finally starting to have an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. And yes, I'm learning a lot about identity, and there's a line in the song that says, ‘He says who I am, and it's not what I do’. And so I just want to remind all y'all creators in this room, like, we're not just singers, we're not just songwriters”.

Wilson then heartwarmingly referenced one of her musical mentors, the legendary Dolly Parton, “We are connectors, and that's what we're supposed to be doing. Just like Dolly Parton did, we are supposed to be loving on people and lifting them up”.

In the comments afterwards, Wilson paid homage to Lake, with the ‘Heart Like a Truck’ crooner warmly gushing, “So honored to celebrate this with my brother @brandonlake”.

Their friendship really feels like that of siblings, with Lake even calling Wilson his “sister” after their spellbinding performance of ‘The Jesus I Know Now’ at the GMA Dove Awards.

With Lake teasing another couple of collaborations with Wilson, ‘Lost Sheep’ and ‘The Voice Of Jesus’, ahead of his new album, we're hoping this isn't the last time we get to hear them together. They tell a story that so many people can relate to on ‘The Jesus I Know Now’, and it's admirable that Wilson speaks so openly about how her relationship with Jesus had soured, and how it is now stronger than ever.

Often, in both the country music world and the Contemporary Christian Music sphere, people online will latch onto the slightest misstep when speaking about religion, so it takes courage for Wilson to be honest in that her faith has not always been perfect.

We're glad that she was given the space to express this on ‘The Jesus I Know Now’, and that Lake and the other co-writers felt inspired to build the song around her story.

It is clear from the streaming numbers and reactions online that this enchanting duet is already serving as a beacon of light, hope and comfort to listeners around the world.

Written by Maxim Mower