Out of the Dust · Track 8
A Redeemed Country song for anyone worn down and unable to see the road ahead
The question behind the song
How do I keep going when I can't see the road ahead? Hold steady. God doesn't always show you the road ahead, but He promises to walk with you and to finish the work He started in you.
On every major streaming service. Spotify · Buy the song
Paul writes to the church at Philippi from chains. His own future is uncertain. Yet his letter opens with confidence, not in his circumstances, but in God.
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
Philippians 1:6A few lines later, he tells them how God was already using his imprisonment:
"But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;"
Philippians 1:12The chorus line “Trust the water, He's walking with you” goes back to a night on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus came to His disciples walking on the water, and Peter asked to come to Him:
"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Matthew 14:28–31Peter walked on the water as long as his eyes were on Jesus. When he looked at the wind, he sank. That's the song's verse: “Don't trust in sight, have faith in Him.” And even when Peter sank, Jesus' hand was already there.
This song picks up where Mercy Reaches Down leaves off. God had pulled me up out of the hurt of pastoral ministry. Now I was just holding on.
Somehow I knew He was going to work it all out and use me again. I couldn't see how, or when, or even why. But my trust was in Him, and it still is.
That's why the chorus doesn't say figure it out or fix it. It says hold steady, because He's the one doing the work.
Looking back, I believe Maverick at the Cross is His answer. This ministry gives me a way to give back from what I've learned and the pain I've walked through, and to use it to help others. It's not the picture I imagined, and it doesn't look the way I thought it would. But it's the door the Lord has given me, and I'm walking through it.
Life rarely goes the way we planned it. A diagnosis, a job loss, a marriage under strain, a child who has wandered, a long season of waiting. Often the hardest part isn't the pain. It's not knowing what comes next.
And the not knowing wears you down. That's why the song's bridge reaches for Jesus' own invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Scripture doesn't promise to show you the road ahead. It promises something better: that Christ is with you on the water, with His hand ready when you sink (Matthew 14:31), and that He will finish what He started (Philippians 1:6). “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Holding steady isn't pretending you're fine. It's trusting the One who is faithful when you can't see.
Hold steady, He'll see you through
Trust the water, He's walking with you
It's not the picture that you imagined
It's not the way that you thought it would happen
But trust in the Word and the glory to come
He'll finish the work that He's already begun
For personal study, a small group, or Biblical Counseling. Listen to the song, read Philippians 1:3–14, then work through these questions.
Romans 8:28–29 · Matthew 11:28 · Philippians 4:6–7 · Proverbs 3:5–6 · Isaiah 41:10 · Isaiah 43:2 · James 1:2–4 · Romans 5:3–5 · 2 Corinthians 5:7
Hear the full song at MaverickATC.com/songs/hold-steady · Maverick at the Cross
Questions
What does Philippians 1:6 mean?
It means the work of growing you is God's, from start to finish. Paul was “confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
How do I keep going when I can't see the road ahead?
Walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and stay in His Word: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Why does God let me go through hard times?
God uses hard seasons to grow His children: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:3).
Is there a Christian song about holding on through hard times?
Yes. “Hold Steady” is a Redeemed Country song about holding on when life isn't what you pictured, and trusting God to finish what He started.
Where can I listen to “Hold Steady”?
“Hold Steady” is track 8 on the album Out of the Dust. It's on every major streaming service, and the full lyric video is on YouTube.
Hold Steady is one stop on Out of the Dust, one redemption story from the first encounter with Jesus to the final victory.