My Faith Looks Up To Thee

My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!

May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee,
Pure warm, and changeless be, a living fire!

While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread, be Thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.

When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold sullen stream over me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love, fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!

This great hymn of faith was written in the 1800’s by Ray Palmer.  Although the last two verses sound like they were penned by a man in his later years, possibly facing death, Mr. Palmer actually wrote this song at the ripe old age of 22.  Palmer was a Yale University graduate and had begun teaching in an all girls school, but he was struggling emotionally after experiencing a year of illness and loneliness.  Mr. Palmer wrote:

“The words for these stanzas were born out of my own soul with very little effort.  I recall that I wrote the verses with tender emotion.  There was not the slightest thought of writing for another eye, least of all writing a hymn for Christian worship.  It is well-remembered that when writing the last line, “Oh, bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!” the thought of the whole work of redemption and salvation was involved in those words, and suggested the theme of eternal praises, and this brought to me a degree of emotion that brought abundant tears.”

I am thankful today that Mr. Palmer’s words were not hidden in his own memoirs, or lost in a fire, or destroyed by age and time.   He has left us with a written testimony of where his faith was resting during difficult times.  He did not place his faith in his youth because it is obvious he recognized that youth was fleeting.  He also did not place his faith in health because he struggled with illness from a very young age.  No, he placed his faith in Christ and the accomplished work on the Cross.  I pray today that you have placed your faith in Christ, “not in device or creed,” but in the precious, saving blood of Jesus.

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “May Thy rich grace impart strength to my fainting heart” – Have you ever been physically or emotionally drained?  Have you battled an illness for an extended period of time and felt like you were at your wit’s end?  Have you battled spiritual battles that drained you emotionally?  I love this phrase in the hymn because God’s grace is able to not only save, but to bring strength to a fainting heart.  James 4:6 says “He giveth more grace.”  Come to think of it, that’s another great hymn from the past.  Do you need more grace today?  Do you need strength for a fainting heart?  Can I encourage you to pray for more grace?  Our God promised to give us more grace in our time of need.

• “Life’s dark maze I tread” – It is sometimes much more comforting to think of our lives as a journey or an adventure.  It is easier for me to trust God when I can see His plans laid out in front of me.  But I empathize with the author of this hymn when he refers to life as a maze.  In this journey, we can feel like we are making no progress.  We can feel like we are walking in circles.  We encounter “dead-ends” and “forks in the road” and we don’t know which way to turn.  We are in a maze on a spiritual treadmill not getting anywhere.  During those times, I have to remind myself of what God’s word says.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  The Bible tells us “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:”

• “Fear and distrust remove” – As Christians, we know where we are going when we die.  Jesus promised that He was going to prepare a place for us.  Paul told us that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”  But I also recognize the reality of human emotions.  On the death bed, I am sure Christians, even good Christians, struggle with fear and distrust.  We know God has saved us, but we are human and still struggle with the “unknown.”  I am thankful that the Lord doesn’t abandon us on our death bed in these periods of fear.  No, He does what the song says He does.  In love, He removes all fear and distrust, and bears our ransomed soul to Heaven.  I am grateful today that when I am fearful and distrusting, He is still forgiving and loving.

If you have ever been around baseball at all, you will know that success in baseball is as much in the confidence you have in your own skills, as it is in your skills.  After you strike out during your first at bat, if you think you can’t hit the pitcher, you won’t be able to hit the pitcher.  If you think you will strike out again, chances are you will.  When a player strikes out and heads back to the dugout, the coach will often tell him, “keep your head up.”  It is a reminder to keep your confidence.  Don’t get down on yourself.  Go get ’em next time.

As Christians, we too need to keep our heads up.  We can’t turn inwards because we recognize we don’t have all the answers on our own.  We can’t look to others all the time because people are flawed and don’t always have our best interests at heart.  We must keep our heads up and look to Jesus – the author and perfecter of our faith.  The Bible reminds us that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.”  We must remind ourselves of the promises of the Word and take encouragement that we have a faith in a God who is ever-loving, never- changing.  A God who is in control and cares enough about us to number the hairs on our head.  I pray today that you will allow your faith to look up to Christ – He will never let you down.