I wanted to include part of a song in our Bethel Camp column this week that sums up my thoughts for the week. In our church we often sing the chorus of this song as a hymn, so when I heard this song by Josh Garrels, I was immediately interested. You can read a partial selection of the lyrics here and go to your computer and look up the rest of the lyrics if you want to. I think the second verse is almost better than the first verse.
Farther Along (chorus)
Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by
(verse 1)
Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both
We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I’ve seen
Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin’ that line back home
So much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alright.
The song shares the emotion that many of us feel as we strive to obey Jesus in our daily lives and often need to remind ourselves that though there is pain and suffering here on earth, we’re looking forward to a “home” in heaven. In that “sweet by and by” we will look back on our lives and see clearly the reason behind the trials we are now experiencing.
I also like the metaphors used in this song to describe the seductive voice that is attempting to pull us away from faith in Jesus. He’s like the pied piper who “stole” the hearts of the children. We must deliberately choose to reject those lies and walk back home to a father-God who waits for us with open arms. He offers us joy as if “you struck gold” when we experience true forgiveness.
From what I understand, Josh Garrels felt God urging him to give this album away to anyone who wanted it. You can get a free download of the entire 18 song CD at www.joshgarrels.com. I’m always skeptical about “free music” because usually its quality is low. This is not the case with this new album. It is in my top-10 albums of all time.
Just a quick note about Bethel Camp and its longing for the return of campers. The fall retreats in October saw much use of a swing we made so that we could “swing into a pile of leaves.” It was positioned so that a person could jump off an old stump, sit on the swing and then “swoosh” through the pile of leaves. There are quite a few pictures of campers enjoying the swing so I’ve included one of them here. Now at the end of November the space around the swing is quiet and the leaves are wet. In my mind they (the swing and the leaves) are longing for the campers to return and fill this space with joy.
