Who writes a song about 'waiting' nowadays? Really? And a hit song at that? Waiting and its corollary virtue, patience, do not form part of the thematic canon of pop culture music. In fact, waiting as a topic and practice is anathema to any self-respecting contemporary pop music artist. Just about every song I can think of deals in some form or another with the "rare" theme of instant gratification in its infinite diversity. Roar! Everyone wants to get there fast and make it faster. 'Cause we're up all night to get some, we're up all night to get lucky. That's why it was such an uncommon surprise when I found myself listening to a song titled I will wait by Mumford & Sons. It was pretty much an act of divine grace.
I was driving home that day absorbed in unknown deep thoughts when all of a sudden I happened to snap out of my solemn absentmindedness due to the catchy tune coming out of the radio. I'm telling you, it was quite catchy, but it wasn't your typical pop music spewing out of the speakers. It was more folk than anything else and while the music caught my attention, it was really the lyrics that delivered.
I will wait, I will wait for you. I will wait, I will wait for you.
There's even more. The singer, the Mumford guy, sounded different too. That may sound trite, but what I mean is that there was a gravity to his voice as if he truly meant what he was singing. The joy of singing a catchy tune seemed secondary to him. He wanted to let it be emphatically known that he was saying something true. At least, that's how it hit me when I heard the song that first time. This was not a party song. Why was the singer singing that and why was he singing it like that? This song was different from the second I realized I was listening to it. I was drawn into it mysteriously and when that happened my ears made every effort to grasp every word in it.
I will wait, I will wait for you. I will wait, I will wait for you.
There was a heavy cadence to the chorus of the song and the feeling was deeply-rooted. The singer was not shy about this sentiment pouring himself into it. You could hear between the lines, "I'm going to do this. I want you to hear it. No matter how long,
I will wait, I will wait for you. I will wait, I will wait for you.
I've listened to 'I will wait' many times since. I can't help but think how a song can have such a gripping effect on our mind and hearts. Especially the heart. This a love train of a song after all.
Well I came home like a stone and I fell heavy into your arms...
Only a real lover knows the meaning of the word home. Only one who's left home knows its true value. This is why the opening words of this song are so rapturing. We don't know if this lover left home easily. We don't know if his heart was broken. What we do know is that he came back with the full weight of an exile longing for the most desired place in God's wide earth, the arms of the beloved. Home is where the heart is, they say. Mumford has come to grips with that reality and came home like a stone... heavy.
But love is a two edge sword. He has come home and now he has to wait for her. Maybe her heart was left broken when he left. So she was the one waiting until her beloved came back. She was the one longing for home. Nobody likes to wait, not even true lovers. But true lovers put up with the waiting because waiting is part of love. Because love is patient and love is kind it also dares to forgive.
This song not just applies to the once estranged love between two lovers. It also applies to the love a parent has for a wayward child. I can very clearly hear that father or mother say,
I will wait, I wait for you.
Ultimately, I hear God saying those words because he is the ultimate lover. He will wait, He will wait for you and you will have no recourse but to come home and fall heavy into His arms.
He will wait, He will wait for you.
