Taylor Swift and Signs from God
We like Taylor Swift, like most girls, but neither of us have ever been decoders.
We mean the detective-level fans who count the number of “i’s” she uses in a caption to find a clue or research Morse Code to understand Taylor’s tapping signals. We mean the fans who analyze the hidden meaning of why her song “Cancelled” is spelled the British way instead of the American way.
Now, to be clear, Easter Eggs have been around forever! The Beatles were even known to drop some now and again. But Taylor Swift has a special love for it.
We didn’t even know how big it was until Danielle had the idea to make it into a YA mystery podcast (listen here!) and she started really going down the rabbit hole for research.
Fans aren’t crazy. Taylor Swift herself confirms deliberate clues. She is trying to say something subtle all the time–and those who love her enjoy paying close attention.
And while it could be easy to dismiss this kind of fervor, it’s nothing new. We all have an innate desire to speak to and hear from someone greater.
After all, Paul says in Acts 17:27 that God created us so that “...they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Fans love Taylor Swift like people love prayer. Being made in the image of God, we want to talk to God… And the good news of the Bible is that God wants to talk to us!
In Isaiah 30, God describes the misery of those who have stopped listening to him. But in verse 21, He promises: “As you go right and left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
If you’re a decoder, for Taylor Swift or other meaning-making endeavors, the Bible is actually saying: you should take seriously your desire to read symbols and messages! Because God wants to talk to you day to day!
Jesus reiterates this promise in the New Testament:“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 15:27)
In this passage, Jesus is saying it matters to know God’s voice as distinct. But… how can we do that?
Well, hilariously, a good choice might be to learn from the Swifties. They study. They keep her voice in their ear. And… they do it all in community!
Fandom communities are nothing new, but the internet has taken it to a whole new level. Taylor Swift was able to create a complex puzzle involving doors in twelve different cities with shuffled clues. By their collective efforts, they were able to “open” each door and unscramble a phrase that was hidden in all of them. In fact, “opening” the doors required millions of “knocks” or attempts. This had to be a global effort.
This is a kind of amazing metaphor for what it looks like to join a global community of people who love Jesus and who are trying together to listen to His words and decipher His messages! Think about all the knocking and seeking of generations before you! Think about the pieces of the message other parts of the church might have!
Do you love Jesus enough to study? To keep His voice in your ear? To collaborate with a global community to try to hear Him?
He loves you much more — and is a far greater mastermind, with even greater means — than even Taylor Swift! How much more, then, should we expect Him to send us coded messages?
“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.”
Acts 2:17
What’s He saying now?
