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"Lean on You" by Jake MacAdam: When You Don't Have Enough, He Does


Jake MacAdam wrote "Lean on You" especially for dads, moms, husbands, and wives. Married for nearly six years with three boys all under five, Jake found himself face-to-face with a humbling truth - the call to be a godly husband and father is much bigger than what he can do on his own. What do you do when God asks more of you than you have to give? You lean! 

Jake MacAdam - Lean on YouThe lyrics are rooted in Deuteronomy 6, where parents are commanded to "teach them [His commandments] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Jake's lyrics trace that routine - morning devotion, words spoken along the way, evenings gathered at home, prayers at day's end. Each of these moments is an act of surrender. "Jesus be the treasure of my soul" is a way of life.

Jake's message is that your family doesn't need you to be Jesus. They need your example, they need you to "need Him". It's in the shift - from striving to depending - where freedom lives. The bridge drives this home with declarations of Christ behind, beneath, and beside us. God as our source of protection. Not being able to do without His sustaining grace. Cultivating a friendship with God Himself. 

Listen to "Lean on You" and may its message recalibrate your heart and your role as a parent. "I can stand if I lean on You."

(Related scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:13)

Background:

"These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

I've been married to my wife Megan for almost 6 years, and we have three wonderful boys, all under 5 years old! Lately I've been thinking a lot about how, in so many ways, I don't have IN me what the Lord asks OF me. The more I grow to know and follow the Lord as a husband and as a father to my kids, the more that I see how steep and high God's call on my life is to be a godly father and husband. There's no way I can be a perfect picture to my kids of what our Heavenly Father is like. There's no way I can be a fully accurate picture to my wife of Jesus' sacrificial love for His Bride (the Church) as displayed on the cross.

But my family doesn't need me to BE Jesus to them, I'm learning that they just need me to NEED Jesus.

The only way I can lead my family well and answer God's call on my life as a husband and as a dad is by leaning on the Lord and depending on His sustaining grace each day. That's what led me to write these lyrics: "I don't have the strength, but thank God You do, I don't have the means, but Jesus I have You... I can stand if I lean on You."

I hope this song encourages dads, moms, husbands, and wives to lean on the Lord and draw strength from His grace each day. My prayer is that this song would remind everyone who listens: "Do not be afraid, He's with you always, He's leading the way!"

Release date: April 24, 2026

Connect with Jake MacAdam

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