Ellie Holcomb – Roads Unknown

CCM: Given your circumstances, did the imagery of the Red Sea Road come naturally to you? How did you settle on that particular theme as a paradigm for the album?
EH: I wrote Red Sea Road with Christa Wells and Nicole Witt—there were days when the grief was so overwhelming and heavy, we would be weeping together. It was Christa that shared what Ann Vosskamp said about the Red Sea. She wrote that, “There is an unseen hope that makes a Red Sea Road when there seems to be no way.”

I knew that I had a choice in my own grief and despair. I could choose to hold onto the brokenness, or choose to hold on to hope. It was a very emotional experience, writing that song. It helped me believe that even when my heart is breaking, He is faithful.

In our darkest times, God came alongside our community and gave us a way to carry on. At the same time, it was like God was whispering, “I’ve been here too. My son came and died, and it’s okay.”

CCM: You mentioned earlier that your father’s cancer diagnosis wasn’t the only hardship you’d faced this past year, but also two of your friends lost children? How devastating.
EH: Yes, the past two years have been so broken with so much loss and suffering. Two dear families we know and love lost babies. One had a genetic disorder and only lived a few hours. The other was an adoption and the birth mother lost the baby. It was heart-wrenching, but we just had to remind ourselves that God lost his son too. Jesus was a man of sorrows. He was a man who was laden with grief and loss and suffering. He was broken for us. I don’t know any other religion or faith in which God offers this kind of answer to suffering. It breaks my heart too, but one all of this sadness will be undone.

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