'I'd Rather Have Jesus' Performance From Sounds Like Reign

In this acoustic performance of ‘I’d Rather Have Jesus,’ the lovely voice from Sounds Like Reign sings this beautiful song that is sure to bring comfort to your soul.

“I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold
I'd rather be his than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land
Yes I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands
Than to be the king of a best domain and beheld in sins dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today”

Lindsay Kirkland is the woman singing in this video, and her family has a YouTube channel called Sounds Like Reign. According to their page, Sounds Like Reign is a "sonic exploration of faith in God featuring sweeping soundscapes and passionate lyrics.”

Their YouTube channel also focuses on faith, family, and Jesus. Her husband, Brackin Kirkland, is a “multi-instrumentalist, composer, and sound engineer who has been saved by the grace of God and is compelled to draw others to Christ through personal story-telling and biblical narratives set to captivating music.” While Lindsay “has an angelic voice and brings a simple, grounded aesthetic to the music.”

The hymn ‘I’d Rather Have Jesus’ that she is singing first started as a poem written by Rhea F. Miller in 1922. This poem was left on the piano in the home of George Beverly Shea by his mother who wanted him to be impacted by the words.

The words to ‘I’d Rather Have Jesus’ inspired George so much and conveyed to him about his own goals and ambitions in life. He was so touched that he began composing music for the lyrics. His mother heard him singing the song and requested him to sing it at church. Years later, George Beverly Shea went on to work with evangelist Billy Graham and sang this hymn around the world.