Lyrics
The rain falls on the righteous and the wicked
Mine is not to reason why this is
In this I rest in this I find my refuge
That my thoughts and ways are not His
I spend my life on looking up the answers
It's rare that I can't find a reason why
But reasons fail at children without mothers
His plan is more than I can know
Have you ever held in doubt
What this life is all about
Have you questioned all these things that seem important to us
Do you really wanna know
Or are you a little scared
You're afraid that God is not really exactly what you'd have Him be
What should I hold to and what should I do
How do I know if anything's true
I'm somewhere in-between Canaan and Egypt
A place called the wilderness
I'm not one who always trusts their feelings
I don't believe in what you'd call blind faith
But faith that you can do all that you promised
And you said it all works for good
It's safe to say I don't see the big picture
I can't see the forest for the trees
And if five hundred lives
Were mine to get to know
You all could be spent on just this
God do you really understand what it's like to be a man
Have You ever felt the weight of loving all the things you Hate
Have You struggled have you worried
How can You sympathize
I have spoken too soon put my hand over my mouth
I can't contend with You
Your ways are so much higher
And we pass through the fire that Christ endured before us
When You were in the wilderness
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Wilderness” examines faith when suffering resists easy explanation. The lyric begins with rain falling on both righteous and wicked people, then admits that reason can fail before grief and injustice. Questions about doubt, truth, and God’s understanding are not hidden. Instead, the wilderness becomes a place between bondage and promise, where limited human knowledge meets trust in God’s character.
The song directly echoes several biblical passages. Matthew 5:45 says that rain falls on the just and unjust. Isaiah 55:8-9 describes God’s thoughts and ways as higher than human thoughts and ways, while Job 40:4 records Job placing his hand over his mouth after challenging God. Hebrews 4:15 answers the question of divine sympathy by presenting Christ as one who can sympathize with human weakness. These references frame the closing confession: uncertainty remains, but Christ has entered suffering and provides a basis for persevering faith.
Related Scripture
- Matthew 5:45 Jesus says rain falls on both the just and the unjust.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 God’s thoughts and ways are higher than human thoughts and ways.
- Hebrews 4:15 Christ is able to sympathize with human weakness.