Casting Crowns is arguably the most popular and influential Christian rock band making music today. With more than 8 million albums sold, and 3 Grammy awards to their name, the group, led by Youth pastor Mark Hall, has successfully combined a strong message of faith with a powerful rock sound. Their 2007 hit, East to West, offers listeners a clear illustration of the way we can come before God- with heart laid bare before him, admitting our need for his constant, faithful presence.
East to West Lyrics-By Casting Crowns
Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way
Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way
I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me
Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other
Lyric Meditation:
It's easy to think that once we discover Jesus and invite him into our lives we will have all the answers, that life's difficulties will fade away. But the world doesn't change right away just because you see it differently now. Your sin may have been washed away but there will be more opportunites to revisit it every single morning. I remember, after I was saved, feeling as if I'd been punched in the stomach the first time I felt old emotions stirring in me. I thought being washed clean extended to all areas of my life. That it would be easy now to do the right thing, the "Christian" thing, at all times. I was shocked to discover that, though my heart had changed, my sinful nature had remained. I thought I'd found the secret to perfection, didn't yet realize that I had it backwards. Choosing Jesus means admitting how far we are from perfect, and how completely He is.
God never promised to make us perfect human beings, He's only created one of those. But that's the good news: We can turn to that one human, the one who experienced every single aspect of human nature and remained sinless, to show us the way. What a relationship with Jesus offers us is the protection of knowing that we can look to Him when those old ways surface. We can let Him be our guide on the days we awaken feeling far closer to whom we were before than whom we are becoming in Him.. When we're not sure we can trust our "feelings", we can trust the word and the truth of the one who saved us. When we grow tired in our journey we too can lean into his mercy and "find rest." And on the days we feel far closer to our East than our West, or halfway in between them with uncertainty about which road to travel, He will meet us there and show us the way Home.
Final Thoughts:
What Casting Crowns has done, and continues to do in their recent work, is point the way. Just as David did in Psalms, these songwriters use the written word to show how struggles and faith go hand in hand. The honesty, openness and humility with which their songs are written, gives a shining example of the variety of avenues that can be used to show others the freedom that comes in Christ. The song, East to West, is a meaningful reminder that once we find Him, we will always be safe in His hands, however blessedly scarred they may be.
"The Truth" Romans 6:4 ESV-We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Related Post: 101 Best Christian Songs of All Time
Resources- ESV Holy Bible, Youtube, photo credit: jus10h via photopin cc
East To West Lyrics by:
Writer(s): Bernie Herms, John Mark Hall
Copyright: Banahama Tunes, Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, Word Music LLC
