scripture and prayer reflection
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Lyrics
There's a train leaving your heart tonight
There's a silence inside your head
You're running, you're running from it
Down the tracks on a midnight line
There's a red moon in the sky
And you're running, you're running from it
But I'm coming for you, coming for you wherever you go
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you wherever you go
Wrestling angels till dawn breaks through
There's a blessing in the wound
And you're running, you're running from it
When all the demons are at your door
It's a soldier they're looking
And you're running, you're running from it
But I'm coming for you, coming for you wherever you go
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you wherever you go
Across the sea, the space between everything you think you knowÂ
The things you keep and bury deep underneath the melting snow
I'll follow
Fathers and mothers don't always come through
But I'm never gonna stop following you
Prophets and lovers don't always hold true
But I'm never gonna stop falling for you
So, when your wine's all gone and your well runs dry
Open your hands and look into my eyes
For all that you see here you'll soon leave behind
So open your hands and look into my eyes
Cause I'm coming for you, coming for you wherever you go
Fathers and mothers don't always come through
But I'm never gonna stop following you
Prophets and lovers don't always hold true
But I'm never gonna stop falling for you
Ezekiel 34:11-16
11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
Matthew 18:12-14
12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Reflection
In light of Holy Week, it feels appropriate to next examine this song that meditates on God’s unfailing pursuit of humanity, in spite of our own tendency to run from Him. The singer speaks from God’s perspective, offering the listener the assurance that no matter where we go or what we do, He has not and will not abandon us. The repeated refrain toward the end of the song reiterates this truth again and again — for all of our running, we cannot escape Him, He will not leave us on our own.
This image of pursuit is found in the passages of scripture in which God uses the image of a shepherd and sheep. As the true and good shepherd, God pursues His foolish creatures and rescues them from the danger they fall into by their own folly.
The idea of God’s pursuit may seem lovely, but hard to take from head knowledge into our core beliefs out of which we live. We may intellectually assent that God continues to pursue our sadly wayward souls with His unfailing love, but we may still fear that He does so out of duty, increasingly frustrated with our failures as they continue to draw us away from Him. After all, we think, that’s how I would feel in His place. And herein lies a difficulty — our experiences with people can offer us pictures of God, but they are broken and tainted pictures, marred by our own and others’ sin. Because of our experience with the limited and conditional love we encounter in human relationships, we sometimes expect God to respond in similar ways. However, as the songwriter reflects, even if those upon whom — in human terms — we should have the most claim fail us, God will not abandon us, or cease to pursue us in His love.
Jesus’ parable makes it clear that His successful retrieval of even one lost sheep is worth celebration, and He does not begrudge us His love when we wander from Him. Rather, He seeks us out to restore us to the good that He has for us. In Ezekiel God describes His desire for His people to be at peace, provided for and protected by His presence. In order for that to be possible, we must stay with our Shepherd.
Take some time to sit with the notion that God is always pursuing your heart. May the repeated refrain echo throughout your day, reminding you in various moments to notice how God is with you. Set out to celebrate today His commitment born out of His limitless love that is so different than any other love we can experience.