Hope you’re all well. I thought i’d follow up my Facebook post about a car ride into the city worshiping with Bruce Springsteen with a longer blog post here.  not sure if anyone has the new Bruce record “Wrecking Ball”  yet but it’s outstanding.  He tackles a lot of different things and this isn’t going to turn into a record review but i wanted to focus on 2 songs, tracks 9 & 10.  “Rocky Ground” and “Land of Hope and Dreams”.

Not sure if anyone else does this, I actually hope you do, but I’m a big fan of worshiping in the car on the ride into work every day.  i’ve got about a 45 minute commute each morning & try to find different ways to worship each day.  some days it’s music, some days it’s listening to readings of the bible, some days it’s listening to sermons from various preachers.  this particular morning it was worship with Bruce Springsteen.  let me give you some lyrics to these 2 songs:

Track 9: Rocky Ground:

Rise up shepherd, rise up,  Your flock has roamed far from the hills
Stars have faded, the sky is still, Sun’s in the heavens and a new day’s rising

You use your muscle and your mind and you pray your best
That your best is good enough, the Lord will do the rest
You raise your children and you teach them to walk straight and sure
You pray that hard times, hard times, come no more
You try to sleep, you toss and turn, the bottom’s dropping out
Where you once had faith now there’s only doubt
You pray for guidance, only silence now meets your prayers
The morning breaks, you awake but no one’s there

We’ve been traveling over rocky ground, rocky ground,  There’s a new day coming

(c) 2012 Bruce Springsteen

and Track 10: Land of Hope and Dreams:

I will provide for you, And I’ll stand by your side
You’ll need a good companion now, for this part of the ride
Leave behind your sorrows, Let this day be the last
Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine, And all this darkness past

Big wheels roll through fields, Where sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams

This train, Carries saints and sinners
This train, Carries losers and winners
This Train, Carries whores and gamblers
This Train, Carries lost souls
This Train, Dreams will not be thwarted
This Train, Faith will be rewarded
This Train, Hear the steel wheels singin’
This Train, Bells of freedom ringin’
This Train, Carries broken-hearted
This Train, Thieves and sweet souls departed
This Train, Carries fools and kings
This Train, All aboard

(c) 2012 Bruce Springsteen

Both songs speak of hope and clearly speak of faith & speak of new days coming.  Yes, these are very universal themes, themes that can be taken in many different ways but on this particular day, in my car, with the sun shining and the windows down, as i looked over the Hudson River…Bruce was preaching to me.  Feeding my soul.  Bringing me a little closer to the God that i believe in.  The God that looks down and says, “I’m here”, I’m the One that will see you through the rocky ground, i’m the One that will be here when all else fails.  I’m the One that will bring you to the land of hope and dreams. I sent my Son to do nothing else but that, provide a way for you to enter the land of hope and dreams.  I sent my Son to die for you so that you could get on that train and live with Me forever.  Your faith will be rewarded, your broken heart will be restored, your hurt will be replaced with joy.  Pain will be overcome by goodness and hope will come.  No matter what, hope will come. Hope will prevail.  Whatever you’re going through, know that.  Our God continues push hope through the darkness.

I needed that that morning.  I needed this & God came through.  Who knows if Bruce knew that when he wrote those songs he’d be leading worship on that Wednesday morning.  It doesn’t really matter.  All i know is that when God wants to speak to you, don’t wait for the voice from heaven to come booming down.  Turn on a little Bruce Springsteen. The Real Boss used the other boss to speak to me that morning.

Here’s “Land of Hope and Dreams” from a performance in New York City:

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Dave Pettigrew in Musings