I sat in church Sunday morning and wept as the congregation sang “Just As I am” with a bridge of the chorus from “I Come to be Mended” by Travis Cottrell.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me;
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
Oh, Lamb of God, I come; I come.
Just as I am, tho waiting not,
To rid my soul of one dark blot.
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
Oh, Lamb of God, I come; I come.
I come broken to be mended,
I come wounded to be healed.
I come desperate to be rescued,
I come empty to be filled.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
I come broken to be mended,
I come wounded to be healed.
I come desperate to be rescued,
I come empty to be filled.
I come guilty to be pardoned
And I’m welcomed with open arms,
praise God, just as I am.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
I asked myself why did I weep and for whom?
My oldest son and his wife are headed for a divorce; it seems imminent, and there seems to be nothing I can do to stop it.
I remember having the same feeling about 40 years ago when a young deputy was shot and killed on my shift– I was 4 blocks away from him. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
Was I weeping for my son, or was I weeping from the realization that I am helpless to prevent it?
Or was I weeping because my witness has been mostly fruitless over the years? I wondered how many times did I talk to that young deputy in the few years I knew him? How often did I miss the opportunity to tell him about the Freedom and Security found in knowing Jesus Christ?
Death is something cops, firemen, and soldiers don’t talk about. Even though we all know it could be just around the corner, the next call, the next patrol, the next sortie, we just don’t think about it, at least not that we would tell anyone. But Eternal Death and Life is something we should all talk about, sooner rather than later, whether you’re a cop, fireman, soldier, doctor, teacher, bus driver, street sweeper, ditch digger, carpenter, mason, technician, nurse, whatever; we all need Jesus in our life.
There may not be any “later.”
A wise young pastor explained to me the difference between grieving over a situation and trying to take responsibility for it, instead of giving it to God along with the worry and stress.
He reminded me that Jesus said in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
He didn’t say “blessed are those who mourn and take responsibility…”
It’s not easy. It’s NEVER easy to swallow our pride and independence and give to God the entire situation. It requires confessing to God that we’re too independent, too proud, too stubborn, too sinful, to trust Him and allow Him to work.
One of my best friends, when I start to whine and complain about something being difficult, looks at me and says matter-of-factly “Why should it be easy for you??”
Indeed. Just as Jesus suffered, so shall we. Why do we expect it to be different for us on this earth?
That young pastor also reminded me that on the other side of confession and repentance there is the low-hanging fruit of forgiveness, love, mercy, salvation, and healing found only in Jesus Christ.
I come broken to be mended,
I come wounded to be healed,
I come desperate to be rescued,
I come empty to be filled.
I come guilty to be pardoned,
I’m welcomed with open arms;
Praise God, Just As I Am.
“Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5)
THE RIGHT RENDITION 