"Rise" by Extreme

Extreme's "Rise" is a song about the seduction and eventual disappointment of fame and popularity. It describes the promise of being lifted above the ordinary, of becoming somebody special, of finding something more exciting and meaningful than the life we have. But there is a catch. The same force that promises to lift us up will eventually rip us apart. There is something rather revealing about that progression, and it offers an opportunity to think about the nature of idolatry and the false promises we so often embrace.

The song begins with an invitation to leave behind the little town and the decay that supposedly defines it. We are invited to come along, join in, and take a walk in the middle of the madness. There is the promise of a new experience, of having our minds blown and discovering something beyond the limitations of ordinary life. The pre-chorus takes this further. We are told to take a bite of life, not waste it, ride the lightning, and recognize that we are the chosen ones. It is an appealing message. Who doesn't want to believe that life has something extraordinary to offer, that we are special, and that there is something more waiting for us?

The chorus, however, reveals the problem. The promise is to lift us up, raise us to the top, and let us rise. But the same voice that makes these promises also announces that it will rip us apart. The song captures something of the way false idols operate. They offer us something we genuinely desire, perhaps even something good, but they cannot ultimately deliver what they promise. They give us just enough to keep us pursuing them, while leaving us increasingly dependent on their approval and rewards.

Fame and popularity are particularly good examples. We want to be recognized, appreciated, accepted, and loved. We want our lives to matter and to know that other people value us. These are not inherently bad desires. They are part of what it means to be human, created for relationship and to find our identity in God. The problem comes when we look to the approval of other people, or to the attention and admiration that fame can bring, to satisfy those desires. We begin to measure our worth by the attention we receive, and our sense of identity becomes dependent on something we can never control or permanently possess. The more we receive, the more we need. The approval that once seemed so satisfying becomes something we must continually pursue and defend.

This is the nature of idolatry. An idol is not necessarily something obviously evil or unattractive. Often it is something good that we have elevated into something ultimate, something we expect to provide what only God can give. The problem is that created things cannot bear the weight of our deepest desires. They may provide temporary pleasure or satisfaction, but they cannot give us lasting fulfillment. As Paul explains in Romans 1:25, humanity exchanges the truth about God for a lie and worships and serves created things rather than the Creator. We turn away from the source of life and expect the things He has made to give us what we need.

The gospel offers a very different answer. Jesus does not promise to make us famous, popular, or admired. He doesn't invite us to climb to the top or establish our own significance. Instead, He calls us to Himself. He offers living water to those who are thirsty and identifies Himself as the bread of life. He invites us into a relationship with the God who knows us, loves us, and gives us an identity that doesn't depend on the shifting opinions of others. We don't have to manufacture our own worth or continually prove that we deserve to be loved. In Christ, we are reconciled to God and brought into the life for which we were created.

There is a profound difference between the world's promise to raise us up and the hope of the gospel. The world offers exaltation, but its rewards are temporary and conditional. Jesus offers something far greater, though it comes through humility, repentance, and surrender rather than self-exaltation. We don't need to spend our lives trying to become somebody in the eyes of the world. We need to recognize who we are before God and find our life in Him.

The false idols of this world will always promise to lift us up. They may even deliver a little of what they promise. But they cannot satisfy the desires they exploit, and eventually they will disappoint us. Only God can fulfill the needs He created within us. The invitation of Jesus is to stop chasing the empty promises of idols and come to the One who truly gives life.