"I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons
If you do a quick search on the internet for the meaning behind this song you’ll get many different interpretations, some Christian and others not. Some say the song is about the challenges of a relationship or generic hardships of life. Others are quite convinced this it’s meant to be a spiritual journey and is clearly about the second coming of Christ. Mumford said this when asked if this song (and album) was a statement of their faith:
“We don’t feel evangelical about anything. Really. Other than music. […] Spirituality is the word we engage with more. We’re fans of faith, no religion. We’re just writing songs that ask questions. Sometimes the best way to go about exploring a question, things we wouldn’t necessarily talk about in conversation, is by writing a song.”
When I first heard this song 10 years ago my mind didn’t immediately go down a Christian path, but I can see how some might. Christian or not, I can hear the deep rumblings of a craving for closeness and longing for what will be to be. These are human desires, not just Christian desires. We have all gone through seasons of life where we are waiting for something - a house, a job, a spouse, a child, a diagnosis, a change, etc. And that waiting can be exhausting. We find ourselves either continuing to talk about what it is that we’re waiting for to anyone who will listen or have become so numb to the waiting that we’ve ceased to acknowledge the pain of it to anyone except the little voice inside our head. And like the pre-chorus of this song, in these moments I find myself kneeling down and reminding myself that all I can do is wait.
Now I'll be bold
As well as strong
And use my head alongside my heart
So take my flesh
And fix my eyes
A tethered mind free from the lies
The bridge of this song brings a glimmer of hope to the waiting of it all. There are certainly times in waiting seasons where I’ve felt like I had nothing else to fight with, no strength left to hope that the end of my waiting was near. But sometimes I needed a small kick to continue being patient and offer up what little strength I had to God. These lyrics remind me of those times on my knees, hands open, offering what I had left so I could continue on. While Mumford might not have had any Christian intention behind these words, I can hear that same human desire for someone to walk alongside and to have strength to continue the journey.
I was scrolling through Reddit to see what people had to say about this song and one comment got me thinking. The user commented this:
"I will wait" ...ya know what Mumfy, sometimes you just have to walk away. Waiting for someone who doesn't want you isn't going to make you feel better.
I agree. Waiting for someone who doesn’t want you really isn’t going to make you feel better. But what if the person we were waiting for did want you? That’s what we are waiting for in this Lenten season - a God who loves us so much he died for us. And we wait for the joy of celebration on Easter. In these last few days of Lent I pray you continue to hope in the waiting, whatever it is you’re waiting for, and find peace in the God that wants you.
Well I came home
Like a stone
And I fell heavy into your arms
These days of dust
Which we've known
Will blow away with this new sun
But I'll kneel down
Wait for now
And I'll kneel down
Know my ground
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
So break my step
And relent
You forgave and I won't forget
Know what we've seen
And him with less
Now in some way
Shake the excess
'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
Now I'll be bold
As well as strong
And use my head alongside my heart
So take my flesh
And fix my eyes
A tethered mind free from the lies
And I'll kneel down
Wait for now
I'll kneel down
Know my ground, woo
Raise my hands
Paint my spirit gold
And bow my head
Keep my heart slow
'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
What is something you have been waiting for? Have you shared this with others? Reflect on why or why not.
Spend some time meditating on Psalm 130.
How can you be strong in a season of waiting?
Songs of Lent is a group of people from Christ’s Community Church in Fishers, Indiana wanting to experience the fullness of Lent through music that connects us with the universal human longing for the divine.
ncG1vNJzZmiklaPBtLvNoKpnq6WXwLWtwqRlnKedZL1wtYywoKWkXayuqsCMm7BmpaWis7C%2Bw2aYp5xdqLyvvw%3D%3D