Chosen Road

Sometimes a songwriter pens words that you would want to say yourself. These lyrics from ‘Desert Road’ by Casting Crown speaks to me in real ways. I do feel this way at times. This is not the path I would have chosen – on this desert road.

I don’t wanna write this song
I don’t want this pain to be my story
I don’t want this desert road
Are you sure this is the plan that You have for me?
Out here in the dust and clay
God, if there’s a bigger picture
It’s gettin’ hard to see today

The desert is a hard parched place. There are times you feel thirsty, you want more. You plant and you see no results. Your labor seems in vain. You invest in people and things and there seems to be no return on your investment. You wonder why you even bother. Loyalty and commitment cause us to keep our hands on the plow. Even on this desert road, there are others who are depending on us. Sometimes we are scorched and withered within and no one seems to even notice or care. So, we keep going for the sake of the call. We see that frequently among those who care to a fault. You want to ‘not care’ sometimes but don’t know how to get to that place. You stay, you love, you give, you pray – hoping for a bit of respite.

We don’t always get to choose our path. What we get is to choose our response. The older I get the more I understand that certain paths are chosen for me. Some, if given the option, I would never have selected. Those pathways may take us through painful places – difficulties that cause us to bend to the point of breaking. Like the palm tree miraculously we bend but never break. It is then we realize that there’s purpose in the bending. So we say ‘where You lead I will follow’. I trust Your hand never to lead me wrong.

The desert road can be lonely . God at times purposely isolates us – call us away from the noise. We don’t always understand why He does the separating. People and things are stripped away and we are left with a sense of loss. It’s in these moments when we begin to see and hear clearly. Our perspective shifts and we begin to see what truly matters. On the desert road we recognize our need for a God who is bigger than our problems and our fears. It’s here we find the faithfulness of a Father who never leaves us alone. Even in this dry and thirsty land – He holds our hand. When others leave, He stays. So we embrace our desert road; we stay committed to the process. There’s a stronger me – a stronger you awaiting at the end of this road chosen for us.

I don’t know where this is goin’
But I know who holds my hand
It’s not the path I would’ve chosen
But I’ll follow You to the end
Lord, as long as I am breathin’
I will make Your glory known
Even if it means I’m walkin’
On this desert road [Desert Road – Casting Crown]

***Thanks for reading- I pray you will find peace on your desert road.