Stars Go Dim ‘Grace In The Wilderness’

Written by: Laura Chambers (April 10, 2022)

These last few years have pulled at every loose thread and chafed against every exposed surface like nothing we have endured before. As a nation, a church, a community, a family, we all felt the weight of it, struggling to comprehend the changes, adjusting to those we must and defying those we abhor. If, as it is said, music soothes the savage beast, then surely any lyrics paired with them should seek to convict, comfort, restore, and nourish the savage soul. Into the wasteland of our broken world Stars Go Dim ventures to bring a message of hope, love and, yes, grace. Grace In The Wilderness turns our focus from all below to things above.

“This Is Love” moves from a place of disillusionment and doubt to one of believing, albeit incredulously, that the love of God is worth pursuing and hanging onto. He doesn’t shy away from our messy situations, choosing instead to rescue us from them.

“Already Loved” sympathizes with the confusion and weariness that results when we struggle to earn or appear to deserve that which is already ours in Christ. The very wounds and baggage we hide are what He longs to remove from our shoulders, if we’d acknowledge their existence and our need to be delivered from them. Let’s start here with the knowledge that He loves us now.

“What Your Love Can Do” is a candid admission that our natural tendency towards pride and self-absorption can take our focus away from God. His love lifts our spirits, reminds us to trust Him, and transforms our perceptions and our reality. The song has a rather jaunty rhythm guaranteed to put a spring in your step.

“Live Like That” questions how our lives would change if we could see that the lies we speak about ourselves were holding us back from walking in the freedom of God’s love. If only we knew what He saw when He looked at us. We do have that choice; seeing ourselves as He does is the only way we can truly be all He made us to be. This song might just be the bit of encouragement you’ve been waiting for.

“Give Yourself Away” encourages us to walk in faith and self-sacrifice, looking beyond our fears which may or may not materialize. When you trade your life and your will for Christ’s, He provides for all of your needs. Faith is not an empty gesture of desperation; it is the way we were meant to be.

“Satisfied” celebrates being filled with the provision and love of God to overflowing. There is security in being able to count on His presence in every storm, His victory in every battle, His redemption of every difficulty.

“Thank God” lifts our eyes away from our temporary difficulties and struggles, suggesting we remember all of God’s good gifts instead. He has provided so many blessings, from the beauty of creation to the joy of His presence; from lungfuls of air to the daily opportunities we have to start over.

“Wasted” assures us that despite our myriad mistakes, God can redeem every missed opportunity, every wrong, every almost but not quite. He restores us so that our story becomes all the more miraculous in light of our failures.

“When We All Get To Heaven” joyfully imagines the coming day when we leave the world and its woes behind us once and for all. We will look to no other but Jesus as we worship Him forever. This is the life we were created for.

After a foretaste of our ultimate destiny, “Prepare The Way” reminds us that we’ve got our work cut out for us until that day comes. Recalling miracles and moves of God past, the song is an invitation for us to welcome Him at a moment’s notice. This is only the beginning and we are eager to be a part of His outpouring.

“Authority” declares that Jesus has given us the power to work miracles and command the restraints that bind us up to be broken. He lives in us and is greater than any obstacle in our way. When we praise His name, there is a shift in the atmosphere from fear to faith, from death to life.

“Yes He Does” calls out our doubts and challenges us to believe as we once did in His unchanging faithfulness and goodness. This temporary setback isn’t the end of your story; far from it. He will make something amazing of this trial. He has never stopped loving or rescuing us.

“Grace In The Wilderness” closes on a grateful note, recognizing the extravagant grace God has shown, even in the midst of desolation. God understands our struggles like nobody else, and lavishes untold affection and mercy through it all.

If we remain as we are – jaded, bitter, restless, broken, afraid – what hope then is there for us? Unless we embrace the mercy God extends in the middle of the storm, we cannot begin to avail ourselves of the opportunities therein, whether for personal growth or the edification and restoration of others. Stars Go Dim’s Grace In The Wilderness unveils a new perspective of pain as possibility, wherein we can discover both the power of God and the depth of His love.

4.7/5