Out of the Dust · Track 1
A Redeemed Country song for anyone walking the road alone
The question behind the song
What do I do with the hurt I've been guarding? Give it to God, too. Surrender isn't complete if it stops where the pain starts. He uses the hurt we hand Him to grow us, and He never leaves us on the lonely road.
On every major streaming service. Spotify · Buy the song
Paul reminds the Philippians that following Christ is never a solo effort. Both the desire and the strength to obey come from God:
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Philippians 2:13That's the song's last verse in a single line: “In my own strength, I could only fail. But by His grace, out of the dust, back on the trail.”
The song begins on “a lonely road, goin' nowhere.” Then comes the day of salvation: “But God didn't leave me there… Forgiveness received, in Christ, I believed.” Paul describes the same turn:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"
Colossians 2:13Dead in sin, made alive, and forgiven: “No longer a dead man wanting, forever a live man, walking.”
The whole road, from the wandering to the way home, is written in Psalm 107:
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; … They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation."
Psalm 107:2, 4–7“This my story, this my song” is the redeemed saying so.
Real surrender places all of us on the altar, including the parts that hurt:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Romans 12:1This song is my story. It's the first track on the album because everything else grows out of it.
I grew up in an unstable home and gave my heart to the Lord young. But the road was rough. As a teenager I was often on my own, and I learned to rely on myself. You could say my heart was that of a maverick: independent, defiant. I could walk this road myself. I didn't need anyone.
After Bible college, I answered what I believed was a call to preach. Twice I tried to lead a church, and both times it ended over differences in direction, leaving me wounded and disillusioned. I decided I was done. People couldn't be trusted, even in the church.
By God's grace, life became good: a loving wife, children, a peaceful home. But deep down, the maverick was still on the road. Watching my back. Guarding my heart. Trusting no one but myself.
That's what we do when we're hurt. We pull back and build walls around the wounded part of us. For me, it was my heart. I thought those walls would keep me from ever being hurt like that again. What I didn't see was that they also kept God out. I was willing to serve Him, but only on my terms, and only as long as He didn't touch the pain.
It's a lonely road that goes nowhere, and praise God, He never lets us stay there. Through the faithful preaching of His Word, He brought my wandering heart home, healed the hurt I'd hidden behind for years, and gave me a new song to sing.
He also showed me what surrender really means. Surrender on my own terms isn't surrender at all. The moment pain is involved, we climb down off the altar to tend our wounds. True surrender means giving Him the pain too, and letting Him use it for His purposes. That hurts, and it's meant to. Pruning hurts. Discipline hurts. But where would we be without them? That's what grows us and makes us strong in Him.
In my own strength, I could only fail. But by His grace, I'm out of the dust and back on the trail, praising Christ my Savior as the road goes on.
Few wounds go as deep as being hurt by God's people: a church split, a leader who broke trust, gossip, rejection. Many believers respond the same way. Whether they keep coming to church or not, they wall off their hearts. Watching their backs. Trusting no one.
Those walls feel like protection. But they also keep out the healing God wants to bring, and they keep us from being useful to Him. They leave us leaning on the very thing the song says will give out: “Flesh may fail, hearts may wail.” Asaph said it first:
"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
Psalm 73:26What broke through the walls was God's Word: “But by His Word, the darkness flees.” “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130).
Surrender means handing God the pain, too. It hurts, and it's meant to: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11).
Surrendering the pain to God doesn't mean staying in harm's way or tolerating abuse. Wise boundaries and seeking help are biblical: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself” (Proverbs 22:3). It means not letting the hurt become the wall between you and Him.
In my own strength,
I could only fail.
But by His grace,
Out of the dust,
Back on the trail
No longer a dead man wanting,
Forever a live man, walking.
This my story, this my song,
Praising Christ, my Savior
As the road goes on.
For personal study, a small group, or Biblical Counseling. Listen to the song, read Psalm 107:1–8 and Romans 12:1–2, then work through these questions.
Proverbs 3:5–6 · Luke 15:11–24 · Ephesians 2:4–5 · Hebrews 12:11 · Psalm 147:3
Hear the full song at MaverickATC.com/songs/as-the-road-goes-on · Maverick at the Cross
Questions
What does Philippians 2:13 mean?
It means God is the one at work in a believer, giving both the desire and the strength to obey Him: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
How do I heal after being hurt by the church?
Bring the hurt to the Lord rather than walling it off, and let Him do the healing: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
What does it mean to surrender my pain to God?
It means not holding back the hurting parts of your life when you offer yourself to Him as “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), trusting Him to use even painful seasons for your growth (Hebrews 12:11).
Is there a Christian song about coming back to God?
Yes. “As the Road Goes On” is a Redeemed Country song about a wandering, guarded heart that God brings home.
Where can I listen to “As the Road Goes On”?
“As the Road Goes On” is track 1 on the album Out of the Dust. It's on every major streaming service, and the full lyric video is on YouTube.
As the Road Goes On opens Out of the Dust, one redemption story from the first encounter with Jesus to the final victory.