faith unfaded

I was headed east on Hwy. 190, driving with my dad to a family wedding last weekend, when Matthew West’s new hit “Back to Jesus” came on the radio.

I love Christian music and find so much strength from the encouraging lyrics. But occasionally a new song will hit with so much power that time temporarily freezes for me.

That’s exactly what happened when I heard the words:

🎶 But no matter how far you are…
You’re always only one step back to Jesus 🎶

My ears pricked; I really started listening.

It had been me. All that wandering. All the shame. All the tears.

🎶 You can make a million wrong turns
That lead you to a million dead ends
You can think your last bridge is burned
And there’s no going back home again 🎶

But there was Jesus…

🎶 But no matter how far you are
No one chases a heart like He does 🎶

One step. You’re always only one step back to Jesus.

He’s not at the finish line of a marathon you haven’t yet trained for. He’s not at the top of a mountain climb after your grappling hooks have all fallen into the dark crevices below.

He’s just one step away.

Doesn’t that make your heart nearly burst at the seams? That He has so much love for us that He will never turn away. Not only that, but He will leave the rest to come after us when we go astray.

🎶 Oh, but Jesus is a chaser
Who leaves the 99
And after all you’ve done
You’re still the one your Father wants to find 🎶

I love this song.
I love remembering how He never gave up on me.
I love reminiscing about the day I fell back into His arms.

All because I took one step back to Jesus.

Back to Jesus (Matthew West, 2026)

I had my back to Jesus
Thought I knew a better way
But after all my wandering
I landed in a place called shame
Yeah, I had my back to Jesus
I thought He had His back to me…

You’re always only one step back to Jesus

https://youtu.be/ljyFsNtSf1k?is=eYpVp6tQ6l-x8HAP