Written by: Aaron Tate
Appears on: 40 Acres, Guild 3, Chronicles
Lyrics:
Sometimes I believe all the lies
So I can do the things I should despise
And everyday I am swayed
By whatever is on my mind
I hear it all depends on my faith
So I’m feeling precarious
The only problem I have with these mysteries
Is they’re so mysterious
And like a consumer I’ve been thinking
If I could just get a bit more
More than my fifteen minutes of faith
Then I’d be secure
My faith is like shifting sand
Changed by every wave
My faith is like shifting sand
So I stand on grace
I’ve begged you for some proof
For my Thomas eyes to see
A slithering staff, a leprous hand
And lions resting lazily
A glimpse of your back-side glory
And this soaked altar going ablaze
But you know I’ve seen so much
And I explained it away
Waters rose as my doubts reigned
My sand-castle faith it slipped away
Found myself standing on your grace
It’d been there all the time
See also: MusicBrainz, iTunes.
This song is written from the perspective of someone who realizes his own weakness in regards to his faith. Like all Christians, he struggles with feeling strong of heart one moment, and faithlessly succumbing to his own desires the next. By the end of the song, he has realized that the foundation for his relationship with God is not his own faith, which wavers, but God’s Grace, which doesn’t change.
References for some of the biblical stories mentioned in this song:
“A slithering staff”…Aaron threw his staff on the ground and it turned into a snake. (Exodus 7)
“A leprous hand”…Moses’ hand became leprous when God asked him to put it in his bosom. When he did it again, it returned to normal. (Exodus 4)
“And lions resting lazily”…Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6)
“A glimpse of your back-side glory”…When God allowed Moses to see His back on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 33)
“And this soaked altar going ablaze”…God answering Elijah’s prayer and consuming the soaked altar with fire. (I Kings 18)
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