Hard To Get
Rich Mullins & the Ragamuffin Band Lyrics

You who live in heaven
Addressing God who lives in heaven

Hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth
Asking God to listen to the prayers of the people on the earth

Who are afraid of being left by those we love
People on the earth are afraid of being left alone by their loved ones

And who get hardened by the hurt
People on the earth start to become tough because of the pain they bear

Do you remember when You lived down here where we all scrape
Asking God if He remembers the time when He lived among the people on earth

To find the faith to ask for daily bread
Referencing the struggle of people to have enough faith to ask God for their daily needs

Did you forget about us after You had flown away
Asking God if He has forgotten the people on the earth after going back to heaven

Well I memorized every word You said
Expressing the devotion of memorizing every word that God said

Still I'm so scared, I'm holding my breath
Despite memorizing every word of God, still scared and fearful

While you're up there just playing hard to get
Questioning God's actions of playing hard to get

You who live in radiance
Addressing the radiance and glory of God in heaven

Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin
Asking God to listen to the prayers of the people on the earth who are mere mortals

We have a love that's not as patient as Yours was
Comparing the impatient human love with the patient and enduring love of God

Still we do love now and then
Acknowledging the existence of love among humans

Did You ever know loneliness
Asking God if He ever experienced loneliness

Did You ever know need
Asking God if He ever needed something

Do You remember just how long a night can get?
Asking God if He remembers the agony of long nights

When You were barely holding on
Remembering the times when God Himself was struggling to hold on

And Your friends fall asleep
Referencing the story of Jesus' disciples falling asleep while He was praying in the garden of Gethsemane

And don't see the blood that's running in Your sweat
Referring to the blood that Jesus shed while praying in the garden that His disciples didn't see

Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
Asking if those who are mourning on the earth will be left without comfort

While You're up there just playing hard to get?
Questioning God's actions once again

And I know you bore our sorrows
Acknowledging that God understands and shares the pain and sorrows of humanity

And I know you feel our pain
Reaffirming that God knows and understands the pain of humanity

And I know it would not hurt any less
Knowing that the pain wouldn't reduce even if explained

Even if it could be explained
Acknowledging that the pain might not be understandable

And I know that I am only lashing out
Admitting that the frustration is directed towards God

At the One who loves me most
Acknowledging that God is the one who loves the most

And after I figured this, somehow
After realizing God's love, there is a realization

All I really need to know
Understanding that there is only one thing that is needed to know

Is if You who live in eternity
Asking if God in eternity hears the prayers of people living in the momentary time on the earth

Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time
Asking God to listen to the prayers of mere mortals

We can't see what's ahead
Acknowledging the inability to see what's ahead

And we cannot get free of what we've left behind
The past still lingers in the present

I'm reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears
The inner voices scream making the person feel uneasy

All the words of shame and doubt, blame and regret
Listing the negative thoughts that surface in the mind

I can't see how You're leading me unless You've led me here
Confessing that one cannot see the road ahead unless God is guiding

Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led
Being lost is a requirement to be led by God

And so You've been here all along I guess
Realizing that God was always present

It's just Your ways and You are just plain hard to get
Accepting that God works in different ways and is a mystery to the human mind