“In the world that we live in, especially in the past year and a half, a lot has changed,” GRAMMY® award-winning artist Francesca Battistelli acknowledged, while talking about her latest project, God’s Not Dead: We The People. The film, which she’s featured in, addresses some of those changes which are near to her heart. “We are kind of heading on a slope that is a little too slippery for my liking,” Francesca admitted, calling the film timely.

A Film For Such A Time As This

“My husband and I have 5 kids and one on the way and we homeschool,” she reveals. Rebecca, who Francesca plays in the film, also homeschools. But when Rebecca and other homeschooling families receive an impromptu inspection from a local government official, they find themselves fighting for so much more than homeschooling. They’re forced to fight for their faith, freedom, and ability to choose what’s right for their families.

“Some people may not really care about the educational component of the film because they don’t homeschool so it’s not something that matters to them, but the rights of Americans being stripped away so matter to all of us,” Franscesca emphasizes. “For some people, the film is going to push all the buttons they’ve been feeling for a year and a half,” the singer-songwriter stated.

“Homeschooling has actually been banned in several European nations. France just banned it in the last month or two and I think it’s something that could very easily be challenged here in the United States,” she continued. “But I also know that others are going to watch the film and feel like ‘what,’ but I hope it makes everybody think and ask more questions.” That’s exactly what the film does.

As Rebecca and others fight for their rights, they find themselves in a David and Goliath type battle. The odds are stacked against them. Their voices don’t seem to be heard. Their faith is mocked and questioned. But as their backs are up against literal, spiritual, and financial walls, they’re left to stand on two important truths: God is good and if God is for them, who or what can stand against them. Those watching the film will be reminded of the same truths as Francesca’s song, “God Is Good,” follows the film’s narrative, reminding us that “joy comes, tears fall/…there is beauty in it all…”

Trusting In The Goodness of God

“I actually wrote “God Is Good” for my last album right after a good friend lost his wife and was really going through a hard time. “It was just an encouraging song, so we recorded it. It was ready to go but when it came time to sequence the album, I just couldn’t fit it anywhere on the album and I felt like the Lord told me to save it.” So she did. But on the last day of filming, the director asked her to write a song for a scene in the movie and “God Is Good” was a perfect fit.

“I kid you not,” Francesca reminisced, “the song he was describing was “God is Good” harmonically and thematically. It really couldn’t have been more perfect timing.” And even though the song was played for one specific scene in the film, God’s goodness is woven all throughout the film’s narrative, reminding us that if God is for us, who can be against us.

Since God Is For Us

“I’ve had so many moments in this season of life where I’m like, ‘what about this Lord,’ ‘what if this happens,’ and ‘Lord, the world is going crazy,’ Francesca reveals, but remembering that God chose me and my children for this time in history helps me remember that if I lean into Him, he’s going to equip me.”

“We have to remind ourselves to feed ourselves on the Word of God and be honest with Him. Tell Him you need help and know that He is always faithful. I think being strong in the Lord and being strong in the Word is going to be so important.”

“I don’t think the church is going to be persecuted less. I think it’s going to be more. So something that has really been on my husband and I’s heart lately is finding our covenant community. You know, people that you can really do life with. Finding strength in His Word and in each other is what we’re going to need in this season. We’re leaning into that. We’re praying and having the perspective that whatever the Lord has for us is better than what we could choose.”

As we face an ever-changing reality, we must remember these important truths from the film:

• God’s not dead
• We the people have been made free by the blood of Christ and whom the Son sets free is free indeed, and
• If God is for us, who can be against us

And since God is for us, we the people, should as Romans 12:12 reminds us, be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV).

Our God is not dead. He’s surely alive/He’s living on the inside/roaring like a lion. So let heaven roar/and fire fall/come shake the ground/with the sound/of revival.

You can watch Francesca Battistelli in God’s Not Dead: We The People on PureFlix or you can purchase the film on Amazon.