u2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” — U2

“I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields, Only to be with You…”

I know those lyrics aren’t “CCM lyrics” but when U2 released The Joshua Tree in 1987, they captured something special. The album had a sound that felt both earthly and heavenly, and I believe it is timeless and stands the test of time. The album could be released as is today, andhold up.

In addition to being a CCM fan, I am a fan of U2. In my estimation, The Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums of all time. There is no doubt the amount of influence the band U2 had on Christian music in many ways.

And amid the desert imagery and spiritual longing, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was a haunting and honest song, and a personal favorite. On the surface, it’s a song about searching. But listen closer, and you’ll hear echoes of the human soul crying out for something, or Someone, greater.

I read that Bono has often called this song a “gospel song with a relentless spirit,” and it’s easy to hear why. There’s passion, confession, and even a hint of worship:

“You broke the bonds and You loosed the chains,

Carried the cross of my shame,

Of my shame, You know I believe it.”

That, my friend, is the language of redemption. The song acknowledges Christ’s work — the cross, forgiveness, and freedom. Yet the song ends with that haunting refrain: “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

I do struggle with that line if I’m honest. As much as I love the song, could that lyric reflect that Jesus is not enough? If you find Jesus, haven’t you found what you’re looking for? Or, more precisely, isn’t he the only thing you need?

How could someone sing of believing in Jesus and yet still be searching? That tension is exactlywhat makes the song so powerful. I’m not sure, but I believe maybe it is the sound of faith inprogress. It is the voice of one who believes, yet longs for something more. Much like StevenCurtis Chapman’s We Are Not Home Yet, the idea is there.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) We live in the “already but not yet.” We already redeemed by Christ, saved and protected, butnot yet fully home and “being saved.” Our hearts ache for heaven, for wholeness, for a world made right. That ache is not unbelief; it’s homesickness. Again, to quote our man SCC, “We are not home yet.”

U2’s song gives voice to that holy restlessness that every believer feels. Even when we’ve experienced grace, we still yearn for the day when faith becomes sight. Augustine said it this way: “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” Yes, that happens in the here. And it will take place on another level in the hereafter.

Maybe that’s why the song still resonates decades later. I do not believe for a moment that it is a rejection of faith. Maybe I’m overthinking it, and the song is just about finding the right girl?! But really, I think in a lot of ways it is about the journey of faith. We have tasted truth and arechanged by it, yet we still long for the fullness of God’s promise.

As Christians, we’ve “climbed highest mountains” and “run through the fields.” And we don’t do these things to earn God’s love, but to seek more of Him. Until the day we see Jesus face to face, we too can sing, with hope and honesty:

“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Not because Christ isn’t enough, but because we haven’t yet seen the fullness of His glory. And on that day, we will walk “where the streets have no name!”

“Whom have I in heaven but You?

And earth has nothing I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.”

— Psalm 73:25–26

-Ashley