Life gets overwhelming. With all the atrocities taking place in the world today, it’s not difficult to feel a little hopeless. This reality is something that makes me appreciate good music—good music that touches on very real problems and fears. “Wasteland” by Needtobreathe is a song that does just that, in both lyric and sound.
The group is an American Christian rock band with a folky edge, and their music is always on fire. In “Wasteland,” they simply explore the difficulty and complexity of life. They transparently face their own brokenness as people who live in a broken world that seems to be deteriorating on a daily basis - a daunting thing to ponder. But in the midst of this dreary acknowledgement, they focus on the only thing they have to hope in:
Oh if God is on my side
Oh if God is on my side
Oh if God is on my side
Then who can be against me
The hook is the very essence of the whole song. It moves me at my very core. Despite all of our brokenness, despite of the terrible and terrifying things that are happening today, the Christian can have peace and hope because God is for them. Bear is saying, “I am completely protected, no matter how messed up I am, no matter how messed up the world is, no matter what happens to me.” Why? Because, to Needtobreathe, God is faithful and all-powerful, and He has not lost control.
The words of main singer Bear Rinehart speak peace and hope in a seemingly hopeless world.
Yeah 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
This world is indeed beginning to feel more and more like a wasteland. From mass shootings, to terrorist attacks, to violence between police and the ones that they’re meant to protect, things seem to be spinning out of control. Just one thought of what people are doing to one another—what we're doing to one another—instills fear in one’s mind and heart in an instant. But with his unique voice coated in weariness and desperation, Bear Rinehart encourages us and himself to set our gaze on the small yet powerful glimmer of good and promise that steadily peeks through all this chaos.
So, when one thought of the world sends you into a state of fear and defeat, play this song. Simply listen, and have peace.
