Restless

As promised this week's song is by Switchfoot.  Did you ever notice how after you go to a concert, the people you went to see become your new favorite band because you feel like you know them better?  That has made this week's song choice the hardest ever.  Should I choose an older song or a less popular song from their new album so that you'll here something less current? Or should I go for an obvious choice, one of their current hits?  After days and days of debating in my brain, I finally settled for the obvious choice, Restless...perhaps their most frequently played song in recent weeks.  I just can't get over how poetic this song is...and again there is a UK connection. 

Not only did I get to see them perform this song in the UK last week, this song was written in the UK, last year I've heard.  When the band visited the UK, they of course experienced the rain that frequents this island.  Jon Foreman, the lead singer, looked at the rain and thought about the tenacity that each drop must have to find its way to the ground,  to the stream, to the river and ultimately to the ocean.  That got him thinking about things that he longs for in this life, things that he is "restless" for.

The interesting thing that I find about Switchfoot is that they never mention God or Jesus in any of their songs.  But He is definitely implied in almost every single one.  Their songs really make you think, you can relate to the words and there is always a positive message. 

What are you restless about?  For me, this song is about the restlessness to know God, to meet God, to see God in the world around us. I am restless for knowledge, wishing for answers to so many questions that still exist about God, heaven, life.  Restless to hear God's voice clearly, to feel His presence, His guidance...

There are lots of really interesting lyrics in this song...I like it when he relates this restlessness to a thirst:

I am the dried up doubting eyes, looking for the well that won't run dry

This makes me think of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, whom Jesus tells

whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

John 4:14

And then later in the song, when he meets God,

Where tide and tear and pain subside, and laughter drinks them dry

Isn't that a wonderful image for Heaven, all the pain and sadness are gone and replaced with laughter?

But I think my favorite words in the whole song are at the end when he sings:

I'll be waiting, Anticipating
All that I aim for, What I was made for

So we can be restless for our Lord, waiting for him anxiously....but in that pursuit we can find our purpose that God intended for us.  And for many people, including myself, that purpose still remains a mystery.  What was I made for, God?  Am I on the right path?  I believe that this restlessness, though uncomfortable, will lead us to do great things for God, for people, and the world, and therefore help us find and fulfill our purpose. 

To give you a little bit of the "concert" feel, I've included Switchfoot's official music video below. You'll be able to see the emotion in Jon Foreman as he sings, and get glimpses of what their performances are like.

May you recognize what you are restless about and use that feeling to do something wonderful.  I pray that we will all enjoy an end to our restlessness as we discover God's presence in this world and eventually get to meet Him face-to-face on day.