Jesus, lover of my soul,
Jesus, I will never let you go
You’ve taken me from the miry clay
You've set my feet upon the Rock, and now I know
I love you, I need you,
Though my world may fall,
I’ll never let you go
My Saviour, my closest friend,
I will worship you until the very end
...this song. This song may very well be my theme song for the year. It's simple. It's true. It's beautiful. Jesus loves us...I know this sounds like a line from your 1st grade Sunday school classroom, but it still reigns true. He doesn't just love you...He loves the very core of who you are ...He loves your soul. He sees past the shortcomings, the mistakes, the mask...He sees deep within to a place that often gets ignored, hidden, or ...hurt and yet He loves you.
He never lets go of us, but we sometimes let go of Him. As the second line insinuates it is up to us whether or not we hold on or not. Now the third line...it is so raw and rich. We are always told that God is molding us like a potter does clay. I picture the potters wheel with God's hands pushing in on the clay in all different directions...adding pressure, smoothing out imperfections, removing air pockets. This clay does not fight back, but allows the ultimate artist to form it into something amazing. This image does not always appear comfortable for the clay...but in the end...in the end the clay is a piece of art.
Sometimes in life I feel like I am floating. Anxiety sets in. Fear. Pain,...but God is the rock on which we are to stand. When lies creep into the back of your mind...when insecurities flood in and start to take over, God is the rock...He is the truth. And the truth remains that He is the redeemer, the restorer, the healer. He is love.
Now this last section of the song, I feel is almost a groaning from the soul. "I love you, I need you..." Proclaiming the truth that on my own...on your own...we cannot do it. We cannot make it. We need God. We need His power, His protection, His healing touch...His love.
"Though my world may fall..." Life hurts. I was at a funeral of my grandmother last Fall and with tears streaming down my face I looked towards a man that I consider one of the wisest people in the world. He, with his arms stretched in a hug around me, said "With great love, comes great risk...and you sure loved her a lot." Love is a risk. There is always a chance that your heart will be torn into a million pieces...even if you do everything right. Even if you love another person with all that you have...the world may still fall.
But...God is the healer. God restores and redeems. God is where we are to put our hope. God is love. Even when we are hurt and cannot understand...even when things don't go as planned...even if it feels unfair...God will not leave us in the pain...He will come through...so don't let go of Him.
The end of this song is powerful for me as well. "My Saviour, my closest friend" How incredible that the author and redeemer of the universe offers to His children ...friendship. He offers to us... love that will never fail. As a result the song ends with "I will worship you until the very end." Through the sorrows of life and the joys we...I...am to worship. To cry out. To proclaim God as Holy.
I hope to live this song out. I hope to live with love...to live without letting go of God...to let Him mold me...to see His truth...to recognize that I need Him...to rely on Him in times of desperation...and to worship God until the very end.
