Sometimes, a song is able to express the thoughts that everybody feels. Kacey Musgraves’ song, “The Architect,” asks questions that I’ve heard again and again. They’re questions that are worth thinking about because we’ve all felt them, but we usually think too casually about the answers.
“The Architect” is a song from an album that Musgraves released earlier this spring. It’s quiet and reflective and was borne out of her musings about beauty and tragedy and an event that stunned her sensibilities. But more about that later.
Consider the questions her song asks and whether you haven’t asked them yourself.
1. How can there be design without a Designer?
The song begins with her reflection on an apple. She’s moved by the beauty of it.
Even something as small as an apple
It's simple and somehow complex
Sweet and divine, the perfect design
Can I speak to the architect?
How is it that we’re moved to marvel at a common fruit? It’s not as if apples are the wonders of the world, but she recognizes that they give evidence of a Designer.
If that’s true of apples, how much more are the mountains and valleys that captivate all who see them?
There's a canyon that cuts through the desert
Did it get there because of a flood?
Was it devised or were you surprised
When you saw how grand it was?
Of course, the canyon did get there, in part, because of a flood, but that doesn’t lessen the reality of its design. The Architect wasn’t surprised at its grandeur. He planned it to speak to us. As it says in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
Whether you look at the vastness of the universe, the depths of the seas, the heights of the mountains, or the diversity of animals, plants, and insects in our world, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the design that we see points to a Designer.
2. If this world has an Architect, why is it such a mess?
While Musgraves was working on her album in the studio in Nashville, Tennessee, news came of the mass shooting at an elementary school near where she was. A former student killed three nine-year-old children and three adults before being shot by police. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Tennessee history. And it made Musgraves think, “If there is a point to any of this, why are all these people suffering?”
Was it thought out at all or just paint on a wall?
Is there anything that you regret?
I don't understand, are there blueprints or plans?
Can I speak to the architect?
Interestingly, she wants to speak to the architect about things people have done. The Bible says that God designed a world full of goodness but created humanity with a moral freedom that would make virtue meaningful and love possible.
In turning our backs on Him, we bring pain to each other and grief to God. School shootings aren’t the Architect’s desire for anyone. They’re the result of human sin and brokenness. To blame Him for the messes we create is to put the blame in the wrong place. God made the apples, but we chose to throw them at each other.
3. Can you speak to the Architect, and will He speak with you?
Again and again, Musgraves expresses her desire to speak with the Architect. And she has lots of questions.
Somеtimes I look in the mirror
And wish I could make a rеquest
Could I pray it away? Am I shapeable clay?
Or is this as good as it gets?
Who hasn’t looked in the mirror and wished they could order some adjustments? This is what feeds the plastic surgery industry. But ironically, these are the questions that come when we don’t listen to God. God tells us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and created “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).
When we listen to the Architect, we feel the affirmation of a God who loves us for who we are rather than an Instagram world that makes us compete for perfection, attention, and acceptance. When we listen to God in His Word, we understand more of who He is and how He works. We see our lives against the backdrop of His great overarching plan for the world. And yes, it’s a plan to make all things good and to deal with the evil of this world once and for all.
The architect invites us to speak to Him, but He’s interested in more than just a one-way message in a bottle. He wants a relationship where we listen rather than just speak. That relationship is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. In Him, we find the one who came to fix the mess that we made of the Architect’s design.
In awe of Him,
Paul
P.S. If this is new to you, and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.
