Wasteland

I love music. I enjoy a variety of music with some of it lasting a little longer on the radio than others. To the degree that I love music that tells a story, I have always been drawn to more of a country style of music. In music I love honesty; the pain of a broken heart, the hope of a new beginning, and some of the dogs and pickups in between. I also love music that speaks of the goodness of our Savior, Jesus. I love music that talks about the goodness of God and the great mercy that He has shown us. I love music that talks about the strength, honor, and glory of God: as the Psalmist would say, “these things are my shelter, my rock, and my hope.”

For these reasons I am always excited when I find music that tells man’s story with the hope and power of God as the background that makes all things possible. I do believe that much of what passes for “Christian” music today spends a lot of time talking about what we are doing right, good, our effort, etc. For the past several years I have been encouraged by NeedtoBreathe and their music.

I can still remember driving down Memorial Dr in Waycross when I heard Washed By the Water for the first time. Their style fit me, and their sound was pretty incredible. So, for the last several years I have listened to anything they have recorded, enjoying it to variable degrees. Their last CD, The Reckoning, hadn’t been my favorite so I had debated whether or not I would buy their newest release, Rivers in the Wasteland, when it was released. Well, I finally bit the bullet last week and plunked down my $8.99 and sent all of those tiny bytes scurrying through a digital playground to land on my various devices.

So, as I headed out to pick up Landon from school last week I plugged in my iPhone and gave Rivers in the Wasteland a tour. Well, I should probably say that I gave Wasteland a tour. Song 1 on the CD spoke to me in a way that only a few songs have in the last few years:

In this wasteland where I’m livin’
There is a crack in the door filled with light
And it’s all that I need to get by
In this wasteland where I’m livin’
There is a crack in the door filled with light
And it’s all that I need to shine

Too often I find myself focusing on the fact that I’m able to “get by.” Yet, Jesus said He came that I might have life more abundantly. I believe that those lyrics above embody this thought – ALL of our sufficiency is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And He said to me, “ My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Oh, and if you have a minute, listen in to the guys from NeedtoBreathe: