It’s easy to sometimes read the Bible as just stories and not realize how we are the story. We can read the Old Testament and be astounded at how foolish the Israelites can act without realizing we’re actually calling ourselves foolish because we act in the same way.

This song is about finding ourselves with the Israelites in the wilderness. God has just freed them from their slavery to an evil king so that they might experience life and freedom under a good King. The problem is that they find every reason to complain and ask to be back in bondage in Egypt because living in the wilderness is hard for them. Even though God is providing and caring, it’s still hard. They have a wonderful beautiful land that God has called them to (and which they will ultimately possess) and yet the author tells us over and over again that Israel “grumbled.” They were not content.

And here we find ourselves. If we are one of Christ’s, we are in the wilderness, set free from the bondage and slavery of sin, looking and yearning for the promised land. And living in the wilderness can be rough. We want to go back to those things that enslaved us, even if just for a second in our minds, because we think that thing offers comfort or control or whatever it is that can really only be found in God, the One who is now graciously providing for us in the desert wilderness.

This song is meant to be an affirmation of how hard this wilderness can be, but also a hopeful encouragement to not look to those chains that once bound us, but hope for the freedom of the promised land. That kind of hope aches- it is not easy to hope. It is dangerous and takes us to places we would rather keep locked up. And that’s one of the reasons I even attempt to write songs.

To Those Wandering

download this song

And here’s the lyrics:

To Those Wandering
We’re all crippled darkened souls
Trying to find something that works
And we hold on to it tight
Even if it’s not something that works

We are used up and are beat up
Can we find our way again
To the place far away
From abuse outside and within?

Oh, we all want to find our way home

The dreams we have they mock us
They throw sand in our eyes
Did we escape to the desert
Only so they could watch us die?

There is a hope to redeem
To what was or could have been
I can’t buy that it’s a lie
This whole life that we live

Oh, we all want to find our way home

To our chains
Don’t look back
Oh look on
To the hope we have

Don’t look back
To the chains
That we all
Used to have

But look on
To the hope
That will be
Our promised land