In the past nine years of writing behind the song devotionals as a staff member of NewReleaseToday, a constant companion has been the music of Remedy Drive. Their major label debut Daylight is Coming really resonated with my heart with the up-tempo and introspective songs "Daylight," "All Along" and "Guide You Home." They followed that up with other standout releases including "Better than Life," "Resuscitate" and the human-trafficking awareness project Commodity.

Their brand of alternative rock-infused music resembling some of my favorite bands like Switchfoot and NEEDTOBREATHE combined with message-driven lyrics have made them a staple in my music collection. If you are looking to get reacquainted with this talented band, look no further than their retrospective release Hope's Not Giving Up. The album is a collection of the band's songs from 2004 to 2012, reimagined and stripped down along with the new-to-most track "Jack's Song" (previously found only on their Light Makes A Way EP with the alternate title "Follow Me"). I had the chance to speak with lead singer David Zach about "Jack's Song."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

My son Jack is 10 now, but he was 3 years old was when I wrote this song originally, right after the Daylight is Coming album released. I wrote the song in 2009. I needed a break from trying to write radio songs, which is all that people wanted from us at that time. 

Jack had been asking me all these questions. He would ride the tour bus with me and in the middle of the night before he would go to sleep, he would ask me so many questions. I had an answer for most things, but a lot of times he would stump me and I didn't know the answers. They are so curious. I love what G.K. Chesterton said: "They have the ancient instinct of astonishment." Kids are most imaginative at around the age of 2 ½, and then we are on the decline for the rest of our lives. Here he was just past the peak of his imaginative point, asking me tough questions, and it made me imagine the time that would come and has now come in my life that my children would ask me questions I don't have answers for. Even now just saying that out loud makes me tear up a little bit. I want to be able to provide comfort and be able to for sure know the answers. 

I wrote the song with my friend Steve Wilson, and he has a daughter who is Jack's age. It just kind of poured out. It's implied in the song that someday he'll ask me about free will or fate. Also, why is there war and why is there hatred? The song just stayed there for a while, and now it's on this album.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Lamentations 3:22-24 (MSG): God's loyal love couldn't have run out, His merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV): "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Romans 4:3 (NLT): For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."

1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV): Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV): I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

What is the takeaway message?

As I thought about those questions that Jack asked me, I know the one thing I can tell him is that I have this hope. I know that it is coming, I know that it is real, and I hope that you'll run with me towards it. After I'm gone, I hope you'll keep on running. 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, we know from Hebrews 11:1. There's an existence of something that points towards something we haven't seen. For me more and more, there's so much pressure to just give a cliché answer or stand on platitudes. I've been tempted in writing sessions to do that because people are uncomfortable with tension and with unresolved endings to songs. I'm okay with that, because my life happens to be unresolved. There's a lot of tension and unanswered questions in my life, and I want that to be okay in my art as well. 

I resonate a lot more with the writers of Lamentations and Ecclesiastes, and that moves me as an artist. For me as a songwriter and as a human being, I have this prayer to the Lord that yes, I believe, please help my unbelief. I feel like I am a very hopeful person, but sometimes in an unconfident way. There's a lot of doubt in my hopefulness because of what I see and experience. The more I travel the world, I see a lot of sorrowful things, and I am tempted to lose hope. I know that I need to have a blind hope and a blind faith, and I do see little glimmers of hope. 

"Daylight" is inspired by Lamentations 3, that His mercies are new every morning. I love that Jeremiah is able to say that in the midst of everything he was seeing. I want to be able to say that hope's not giving up and daylight is coming in the midst of everything we are seeing in our world. All along I've been looking for something else. I want to be defined as someone who has confidence in hope and that I'm not foolish for putting my hope in something I cannot see, which is my faith.

Lyrics:
Why do some stars have to fall? 
Why do some hearts have to break? 
Today your only question for me is 
Can we go outside and play? 

Why do some ears miss the call? 
Is this free will or is it fate? 
Today your only question for me is 
Can I stay up late? 

Son I don't have all the answers 
And I don't want to let you down 
And all know is that I'm running towards this hope that I can't see 
And son I hope you follow me 

Why is the moon turning red? 
Why is there war? Why is there hatred? 
Tonight all you're asking of me is - one more story before bed 

Son I don't have all the answers 
And I don't want to let you down 
And all I know is that I'm running towards this hope that I can't see 
And son I hope you follow me 

Keep on running child 
Keep on running 
Keep on running till the race is done 

Son I don't have all the answers 
And I don't want to let you down 
And all I know is that I'm running towards this hope that I can't see 
And son I hope you follow me

We should all be living for Heaven, our true home. Everything in this broken world will ultimately disappoint you. Earthly things aren't going to fill us up. The rock of Christ Jesus is what gives us ultimate hope and satisfaction. There's something more than this world, which is not really paradise. Many times we all pursue our careers and "build our castles in the sand," as stated in the song "All Along." Rather than striving for money, success, the world and its dreams, we have what we are looking for, right in front of us.

We've lost our way as a country, as individuals, as a corporate church body, as God's people. Even the best things in life, as great as they are, can't compare to the King of the Universe. Although I have a relationship with my Savior, there is still something to press on towards. There is something else, something more. There's something more than this world, which is not really paradise. His love is "better than life." I love how the band's songs challenge me to have my priorities in the right place. When it seems like hope is lost and all that's left is despair, there's still hope in God as He tells us He'll "guide us home."

What's awesome about this tender song from a parent to a child is that it provides encouragement and personal motivation to keep on running, fight the good fight of faith and finish the race of life strong. The bridge connects to Paul's letter from 1st Corinthians 9 where he talks about running the race. 2nd Timothy addresses Paul finishing the race after over 30 years of ministry. The ultimate promise we can make to our children as we struggle to make sense of the events of the world, especially as we approach this upcoming election as a divided nation is to sing, "I don't have all the answers, I don't want to let you down, all I know is that I'm running towards this hope that I can't see, And son I hope you follow me." Amen to that!

Listen to the song below.