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“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

The first time I heard Come As You Are by David Crowder was after I had been asked to lead worship at a friend’s church. They requested the song, and as I listened to it for the first time, I was immediately seized by the first two lines: 

Come out of sadness, from wherever you’ve been
Come, broken hearted, let rescue begin

I was hooked. Not because the melody is beautiful (it is) and not because the arrangement is powerful (it is). I was hooked because of the simple but profound message of the song: Come as you are.

As someone who loves to share my faith, this message is one of the most important messages anyone could ever share. We all know—because we’ve seen, heard or experienced it first hand—how often folks feel disqualified from ever entering God’s kingdom. They’ll have a list of reasons, but likely most of these folks aren’t familiar with: 

• The rest and easy yoke offered by Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30
• The gentle, restorative hand of the Good Shepherd from Psalm 23
• One small but vital word in John 1:11-12 – ALL: “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (emphasis added).

These are just a few of countless other passages that make it clear that qualification, purification comes from Jesus AFTER we accept Him. It does not come from us BEFORE we approach Him. Jesus qualifies the unqualified. He knows the sin that clings to us as we approach, but like the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), God’s love for YOU is so great that He runs to you and throws a celebration in your name when you come to Him, baggage and all. Why would He do that? Those answers become clear in time, but all you need to know today, beloved, is that He already loves you. You don’t need to get yourself together, clean yourself up or try to earn His love. So as the song says, come out of sadness, from wherever you’ve been. The Savior is ready for you: Come as you are.

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Come As You Are

Come out of sadness
From wherever you've been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are

There's hope for the hopeless
And all those who've strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace
There's rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't cure

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Fall in his arms
Come as you are
There's joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken

This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
    the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:16-19

I often wonder how the Israelites must have felt as they approached the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s mighty army in hot pursuit. The story, found in the 14th chapter of Exodus, is a dramatic illustration of God’s omnipotent providence and His promise to weave all things together for the good of those who love him.  On the surface, one might think that God merely plucked the Israelites from a crushing defeat at the last excruciating moment.  The truth is that God held every heart-pounding instant in His almighty hand for the purpose of His glory. From commanding the Israelites’ flight from Egypt to the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart which led to his overwhelming pursuit of them; and from the Israelites’ incredible deliverance and safe passage through the Red Sea to the great victory over Pharaoh’s army with “all of the horses and chariots” resulting in an indisputable recognition of God’s unmatched might, God always finishes what He begins. Always.

God is faithful.  And when He is for us, no one can stand against us. (Romans 8:31).

It is my desire that as we sing this song together as a church body, we will enter into a bold and confident moment of declaration and thanksgiving for who God is: asking Him for nothing, but praising Him for the great things He has done (Psalm 126:3) and is yet to do.

He is with us. (Joshua 1:9)

He is for us. (Psalm 56:9)

He is faithful. (2 Thes 3:3)

He is our healer. (1 Peter 2:24)

He is our savior and redeemer. (John 3:16)

He is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

He is the light. (John 8:12)

He is the miracle worker.  (Luke 1:37)

He is the way maker. (Isaiah 43: 19)

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Way Maker

You are here
Moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here
Working in this place
I worship You
I worship You

You are
Way maker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are

You are here
Turning lives around
I worship You
I worship You
You are here
You're healing every heart
I worship You
I worship You

You are
Way maker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are

Even when I don't see it, You're working
Even when I don't feel it, You're working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working

Way maker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Jesus Strong and Kind has a rich message and yet a simple melody that makes it easy for the family to learn and sing together. This song reminds us of Jesus’s promise that He is able and willing to offer ultimate sustenance and relief in our times of need. The problems we are currently facing as a community, as a country, and as a culture may lead us to rely on temporal things that can offer brief respite or relief; but they will never fully satisfy the way Jesus can.

The verses of this song touch on four symptoms of our fallen world. After each challenge is presented, truths from Scripture are sung in response reminding us of the way Jesus can satisfy when we face those challenges. So we can come to Jesus…

…WHEN WE ARE THIRSTY: Verse 1 says that if we thirst, we should come to Him, because no one else can satisfy. This reminds us of the promises of John 4:14, “Whoever drinks of the water that [Jesus] will give him will never be thirsty again,” and that “the water [Jesus gives] … will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

…WHEN WE ARE WEAK: Verse 2 says that if we feel weak, we should come to Him, because no one else can substantially or be our strength in a sustained way. This reminds us of the promises of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, where Jesus says “My power is made perfect in weakness” and Paul responds, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses… For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

…WHEN WE ARE AFRAID: Verse 3 says that if we fear, we should come to Him, because no one else can be our shield. And this is not just because He is able and strong to protect us from earthly danger, but also because no one else can protect us from the spiritual forces at work against us in this life. As Jesus says to John in Revelation 1, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”  What an amazing opportunity we have to lay our fears at the feet of our Jesus who died, was raised to life again (“forevermore”!), and who literally holds the keys to Satan’s entire operation.

…WHEN WE ARE LOST: Actually, verse 4 changes things up and says that if we are lost, Jesus will come to us. The song turns to focus on our depraved sin nature – our inability to provide our own salvation. While repeating the same phrase “I should come to Him” from the first 3 verses would have certainly helped maintain the repetitive structure throughout the song, it wouldn’t have made sense, because we are unable to do this for ourselves. As Jesus says in John 14, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  We are indebted to Jesus because of the sacrifice He made for us.

The Bible is filled with beautiful stories and parables depicting Jesus’s passion for the lost. Like when Jesus tells the tax collector Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house… for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19).  Or when He shows the lengths to which He will go to save, not just His people (plural,) but even just one of His people – (singular.) “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Lastly, throughout the song, a simple chorus reminds us of God’s faithfulness to us at all times. As Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica, “The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

As we go forward into this week, whether we are singing together as a church body on Sunday or singing with our family as we do chores in our homes, I pray we are encouraged in knowing that Jesus is always enough for us, even – and especially – in life’s greatest moments of need.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: John 4:13-14, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Revelation 1:17-18, John 14:6, Luke 15:4-7, 19:9-10, 2 Thessalonians 3:3

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Jesus Strong and Kind

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13

During a time in which we are so keenly aware of the frail human condition, we are especially prone to spend our prayer and worship time in lamentation (Psalm 6:6) or simply wander off in despair (Proverbs 20:6).  Promises, a bold declaration of God’s faithfulness through the ages, puts the truth of God’s character at the forefront and brings me back to a place of worship through praise, joy, confidence and peace that passes understanding with its reminder of God’s unwavering covenant from generation to generation (Genesis 17:7).  It comes as a blessing and sweet reminder of God’s inherent goodness (Psalm 25:8) and His promise to complete the work that He begins (Philippians 1:6).  

Our God is faithful (Hebrews 13:8, Psalm 89:8) even when we struggle (2 Timothy 2:13).  It’s simply who He is, part of His very nature and character (Psalm 92:15).  His mercies are new each morning, His love never fails or ceases (Lamentations 3:22-23) and His promises are true (1 Kings 8:56): yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).  It is my prayer that, as we sing these words together, we will fix our eyes upon Christ Jesus in a posture of adoration, praise and thanksgiving – authentically and humbly exalting Him and resting on the firm foundation of His word (Luke 6:47-49, 1 Corinthians 3:11).  May we, this body of believers, truly put our trust in Jesus in every sense: remaining steadfast as the trials of this world come and go (James 1:12, Romans 12:12) – and impacting those around us with the deep, steadfast and abiding love of Christ Jesus in our daily lives and interactions (Matthew 28:16-20).

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Promises

God of Abraham
You're the God of covenant
And of faithful promises
Time and time again
You have proven
You'll do just what You said

Though the storms may come
And the winds may blow
I'll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn
When You speak a word
It will come to pass

Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
From the rising sun to the setting same, 
I will praise Your name
Great is Your faithfulness to me

God from age to age
Though the earth may pass away
Your word remains the same, yeah
Your history can prove
There's nothing You can't do
You're faithful and true

Though the storms may come
And the winds may blow
I'll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn
When You speak a word
It will come to pass, yeah

Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
From the rising sun to the setting same, 
I will praise Your name
Great is Your faithfulness to me

So I put my faith in Jesus
My anchor to the ground
My hope and firm foundation
He'll never let me down

Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
From the rising sun to the setting same, 
I will praise Your name
From the rising sun to the setting same, 
I will praise Your name
From the rising sun to the setting same, 
I will praise Your name
In every season, great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me