One of my all-time favorite songs is Show Me the Way by Styx. These lyrics, which capture the outlook of those hovering between belief and doubt, do something that is quite rare, for they strike a balance between realism and spiritual conviction. In these words, frustration and disillusionment rub up against authenticity and hope. The result? Real faith, the kind that comes when God himself shows us the way.
Every night I say a prayer in the hope that there’s a heaven
And every day I’m more confused as the saints turn into sinners
All the heroes and legends I knew as a child have fallen to idols of clay
And I feel this empty place inside so afraid that I’ve lost my faith
We all feel this way from time to time, and some of us live in a state of perpetual uncertainty. When so many of our childhood heroes turn out to be fakes, when even the “good” people end up going off the deep end, when people mask their weaknesses, and sometimes their perversions, with outward displays of piety, when it becomes common, even expected, that moral spokespersons fall prey to immorality and society’s big shots end up looking small–with all of this crap, how could we not feel somewhat taken aback?
But why would one be afraid to lose faith? Why would lack of faith lead to emptiness? Faith seeks a way ahead.
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the river
And wash my illusions away
Show me the way
Oh, Lord, how we need (how I need) you to wash away everything that’s fake and disingenuous. Clearly, we need Someone bigger than we are to come to the rescue, to provide a guiding light and a mighty hand. Show me the way!
And as I slowly drift to sleep, for a moment dreams are sacred
I close my eyes and know there’s peace in a world so filled with hatred
That I wake up each morning and turn on the news to find we’ve so far to go
And I keep on hoping for a sign, so afraid that I just won’t know
There are times, and You know when, Lord, when the good old days come to mind. More important, still, there are occasions when we see what we once saw and feel what we once felt. Our skewed views and blurred vision give way to something buried deep within, something for which we still long. Imagine, a world without strife, a world of peace and genuine love, and . . . oh, yeah, that’s right, the “real” world is filled with divorces, personal attacks, a disregard for truth, and terrorist threats. Still, hope won’t go away. Maybe, if I read between the lines, if I look really hard, I’ll find something that supports faith and doesn’t simply cause me to question it. What, though, am I looking for?
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the mountain
And take my confusion away
Lord, I need a word from you, I need to hear your calm yet authoritative voice if I’m going to think clearly.
And if I see a light, should I believe
Tell me how will I know
On the other hand, I’m not entirely sure I’d recognize your voice if I heard it. If you shine a light, how will I know it’s your light? Tell me, please!
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the river
And wash my illusions away
Show me the way, show me the way
Give me the strength and the courage
To believe that I’ll get there someday
Show me the way
Even if I can’t understand as much as I’d like, at least let me know that one day I will. Move me in the right direction, keep me on the right path. Show me the way!
Every night I say a prayer
In the hope that there’s a heaven . . .
There it is, hope. It seems like the singer (Dennis DeYoung) wants to believe, but why? Perhaps, it’s all self-deception. It’s better to make believe and feel good about it than it is to face the facts and feel depressed, or so say some pundits.
But maybe, just maybe, there’s a better way. Why do so many people want to believe? It might be that we were created to believe. Indeed, the great majority of people throughout human history have believed. What’s more, so many of our daily affairs require that we believe. Every time we entrust our kids to the school bus driver or assume that we can safely cross a bridge, we express faith. Faith is built into the fiber of human beings.
This, I think, is why the song-writer yearns for faith, desires to believe, hopes that there is indeed a way. Life tends to drain the life out of us, sapping our energy and our sense of purpose. This results in a kind of tension in our lives. On the one hand, we think and hope that faith is true. On the other hand, we are faced with the undeniable reality of everyday pain, confusion, and uncertainty. So, what do we do? If we’re wise, we will “say a prayer in the hope that there’s a heaven.” God seems to have set it up this way. Fully aware of life’s difficulties and truly desiring to make sense of the confusion, we do what makes sense. We cry out or sing out “Show me the way.” Whether you’re a skeptic, an agnostic, or a believer, this is pretty good advice. Show me (show us all) the way!
Every night I say a prayer in the hope that there’s a heaven
And every day I’m more confused as the saints turn into sinners
All the heroes and legends I knew as a child have fallen to idols of clay
And I feel this empty place inside so afraid that I’ve lost my faith
We all feel this way from time to time, and some of us live in a state of perpetual uncertainty. When so many of our childhood heroes turn out to be fakes, when even the “good” people end up going off the deep end, when people mask their weaknesses, and sometimes their perversions, with outward displays of piety, when it becomes common, even expected, that moral spokespersons fall prey to immorality and society’s big shots end up looking small–with all of this crap, how could we not feel somewhat taken aback?
But why would one be afraid to lose faith? Why would lack of faith lead to emptiness? Faith seeks a way ahead.
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the river
And wash my illusions away
Show me the way
Oh, Lord, how we need (how I need) you to wash away everything that’s fake and disingenuous. Clearly, we need Someone bigger than we are to come to the rescue, to provide a guiding light and a mighty hand. Show me the way!
And as I slowly drift to sleep, for a moment dreams are sacred
I close my eyes and know there’s peace in a world so filled with hatred
That I wake up each morning and turn on the news to find we’ve so far to go
And I keep on hoping for a sign, so afraid that I just won’t know
There are times, and You know when, Lord, when the good old days come to mind. More important, still, there are occasions when we see what we once saw and feel what we once felt. Our skewed views and blurred vision give way to something buried deep within, something for which we still long. Imagine, a world without strife, a world of peace and genuine love, and . . . oh, yeah, that’s right, the “real” world is filled with divorces, personal attacks, a disregard for truth, and terrorist threats. Still, hope won’t go away. Maybe, if I read between the lines, if I look really hard, I’ll find something that supports faith and doesn’t simply cause me to question it. What, though, am I looking for?
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the mountain
And take my confusion away
Lord, I need a word from you, I need to hear your calm yet authoritative voice if I’m going to think clearly.
And if I see a light, should I believe
Tell me how will I know
On the other hand, I’m not entirely sure I’d recognize your voice if I heard it. If you shine a light, how will I know it’s your light? Tell me, please!
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the river
And wash my illusions away
Show me the way, show me the way
Give me the strength and the courage
To believe that I’ll get there someday
Show me the way
Even if I can’t understand as much as I’d like, at least let me know that one day I will. Move me in the right direction, keep me on the right path. Show me the way!
Every night I say a prayer
In the hope that there’s a heaven . . .
There it is, hope. It seems like the singer (Dennis DeYoung) wants to believe, but why? Perhaps, it’s all self-deception. It’s better to make believe and feel good about it than it is to face the facts and feel depressed, or so say some pundits.
But maybe, just maybe, there’s a better way. Why do so many people want to believe? It might be that we were created to believe. Indeed, the great majority of people throughout human history have believed. What’s more, so many of our daily affairs require that we believe. Every time we entrust our kids to the school bus driver or assume that we can safely cross a bridge, we express faith. Faith is built into the fiber of human beings.
This, I think, is why the song-writer yearns for faith, desires to believe, hopes that there is indeed a way. Life tends to drain the life out of us, sapping our energy and our sense of purpose. This results in a kind of tension in our lives. On the one hand, we think and hope that faith is true. On the other hand, we are faced with the undeniable reality of everyday pain, confusion, and uncertainty. So, what do we do? If we’re wise, we will “say a prayer in the hope that there’s a heaven.” God seems to have set it up this way. Fully aware of life’s difficulties and truly desiring to make sense of the confusion, we do what makes sense. We cry out or sing out “Show me the way.” Whether you’re a skeptic, an agnostic, or a believer, this is pretty good advice. Show me (show us all) the way!
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