This is a really simple song and is constructed of four sections that are each only a line or two. There are not many words in I Could Run Away, but there is quite a bit of material packed into the few words there are. There’s the fact that God never leaves us, regardless of the bits of us we don’t want God to know about. They might shame us, but God remains and doesn’t abandon us. Then there’s the part where we need God. Even when we think we don’t we do, “every step of the way”. And then there’s the piece where we are reminded that God has provided us with everything we could ever want and that, when you get right down to it, having God in our lives is everything we could ever want. So maybe I should take back my earlier statement about this song being simple. There’s not a lot to it musically, but lyrically, it’s rather dense. And it can work well with a variety of themes.
We often look at the season of Lent as a season for reflection, soul-searching, and looking inward. There is also the theme of trust that is often brought forward in this season. I Could Run Away could most definitely work with both of those themes. In the time after Pentecost, we often celebrate God’s provision for our needs. This song is all about God providing for us in every way we need. The time after Pentecost may also help us to practice the discipline of silence. Something about the first lines of this song make me want to just sit and listen. I am reminded that God won’t ever not be by my side, so I find myself wanting to simply soak that in sometimes. Perhaps it’ll have a similar effect on someone else.
Instrumentally, I think that simple works best with this tune. (Acoustic) Guitar works perfectly well, though piano could be really nice too. A hand drum could also be a nice addition. The structure of the piece reminds me very much of a Taize song. Each of the four sections is really short and can be sung as many times as seems fit. The chord progression is the same for two of the sections, which allows for those two to be sung simultaneously. I think that the easiest way to teach this song is to have a leader sing a section through and then have the assembly then repeat it back. It’s great to sing a section over and over, just like in the Taize style. People seem to learn it better and get more comfortable. Plus the more you sing the same line over and over again, the more it becomes to you. It becomes a prayer.
Chords, Lyrics, etc.
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This song is one of my favorites. It speaks specifically to two things: one is grace. We are held in the hands of a savior who does not let go. People speak of God being near of far, but truly God doesn’t move, we do. To note that God is always there is a reminder that we cannot run from the one who is Love.
Secondly, it is a reminder to me that the walk with Christ is a process, not a destination. I have been thinking much over the idea of Jesus being the “Way” as opposed to the destination. It is more about the Way we follow than the ends of following. Shod in grace, we go FROM God into the world not FROM the world into God. We walk with Christ daily and this is a process, a Way, and every step is the Way.