Merweville, Karoo, Western Cape
Merweville, Karoo, Western Cape
This song began on a Karoo night that felt ordinary and holy at the same time. I was sitting under a sky so wide it makes you feel small in both the best and the hardest ways. The Milky Way stretched overhead like a quiet reminder that creation is far bigger than what my mind can hold — and that wonder led to a question: how can God be this Almighty, present over an unthinkable cosmos, and still know my exact position — my “waypoint” — every step?
That’s where the heart of the song lives: God’s bigness and God’s nearness. We speak about Him being everywhere, but when life gets loud it doesn’t always feel true. We ask the chest-tight questions: Where is God now? Why am I here? Why this road? We search for explanations as if understanding will instantly remove the weight.
The truth that kept returning was simple: God is love, and love doesn’t force closeness — it offers it. He gives us the choice to trust, to follow, to hold His hand, especially when the road is uncertain. Looking back, I can trace many journeys through mountains and valleys, and the old anthem “Op Berge en in Dale” became an anchor inside this new song: wherever we go, God is there.
Then the image shifted from starry skies to muddy valleys. In gentle seasons it can feel like there are two sets of tracks — your steps and God beside you. But grief and heavy rain change the ground. The mud gets thick. The valley gets dark. When you look back and see only one set of deep prints, the ache rises: “Lord, why did it feel like I was alone?”
The bridge answers with grace: He never left. The mud was too deep — so He carried you. Those marks weren’t abandonment; they were evidence of His strength.
ISRC Number: QT6EU2641329
Lyrics & story: Dirk Koen • Vocal: AI-assisted instrument • Production: Dirk Koen
Psalm 139:1–10, 23–24; Psalm 121:1–2, 7–8; Isaiah 43:2
This song rests on the truth that God knows and keeps His children personally. Psalm 139 says He has searched me and knows me — my sitting, my rising, my path — and there is nowhere I can go beyond His presence. Psalm 121 answers the “look up” moment: my help comes from the Lord, and He watches over my going out and coming in. Isaiah 43:2 strengthens the valley image: when you pass through deep waters and rivers, you will not be swept away — God remains with you in the crossing. “My Pad is Bekend” turns these promises into a simple breath-prayer: even when I can’t see the route ahead, my waypoint is known, my name is held, and grace carries me through.
Intro / Hook (Afrikaans)
(Mmm…) Hou vas… Kyk op…
Asem… My pad is bekend… my pad is bekend.
Verse 1 (Afrikaans)
Onder die Karoo se nagkombers sit ek stil en kyk,
die Melkweg soos ’n ou stofpad—lig oor swart seil uitgewyk.
Die wêreld is net ’n spikkeltjie in God se groot heelal,
en tog ken Hy my PAD… elke tree… elke val.
Ek hoor die stilte praat in my bors, stadig, sag, eenvoudig:
Hy’s groot… en Hy’s naby… Hy’s hier—Hy’s liefdevol en gewillig.
Pre-Chorus (Afrikaans)
Maar as die lewe harder raak, dan draai my kop te vinnig rond,
ek vra: “Waar is U nou?” en my asem raak kort in my mond.
En in die geraas, soos ’n fyn Karoo bries oor droë grond,
fluister Genade: “My kind… hou vas… kyk op… kom terug na My toe.”
Chorus 1 (Afrikaans)
Hou vas—my pad is bekend,
Kyk op—Hy ken my naam.
Hou vas—deur berge en dale,
Hy los my nie… Hy hou my saam.
Verse 2 (Afrikaans)
Hy dwing nie liefde nie—Hy bied dit aan,
soos lig by ’n stoep se deur wat sê: “Jy kan maar inkom, jy kan maar staan.”
Ons kry ’n keuse in die stof en sweet van elke dag:
om Hom te volg, om vas te hou—al verstaan ek nie die pad.
En iewers in my geheue loop ’n ou lied se woorde saam:
“Op berge en in dale…”—dis ’n anker vir my naam.
Chorus 2 (Afrikaans)
Hou vas—my pad is bekend,
Kyk op—Hy ken my naam.
Hou vas—deur berge en dale,
Hy los my nie… Hy hou my saam.
Verse 3 (English)
I’ve walked through mountain seasons, I’ve walked through valley rain,
days that felt heavy on the chest, nights that looped the same refrain.
In gentler ground I saw two tracks running side by side,
but when the clay turned thick with grief… I saw one set, deep and wide.
And I whispered, “Lord, You promised You would walk with me in pain—
why does it look like I was left to carry all this weight again?”
Bridge (English)
He said, “I never left you—I stayed closer than your breath.
The ground was far too heavy for your feet to find a step.
Those marks you see are Mine alone… I carried all your weight.”
Final Chorus (English)
Hold on—your waypoint is known,
Look up—He calls your name.
Hold on—through mountains and valleys,
He won’t let go… He stays the same.
Outro (English)
Hold on…
Look up…
Breathe…
My waypoint is known… my waypoint is known.
Hold on…
Look up…
Breathe…
My waypoint is known… my waypoint is known.