Just As I Am...

Just As I Am, written by Charlotte Elliott (1835)

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

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.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Charlotte's story is quite inspiring.  She was born in England in 1789.  She had a wonderful life in childhood and young adulthood.  She was a popular artist and writer who enjoyed popularity in her profession.  Charlotte never married and never had any children.  When Charlotte was about 30 she became very ill.  I couldn't find information about what she specifically suffered from.  It is rather sad to think of this poor women who was not elderly in age, but only 30 years old.  She could not get out of bed, she was an invalid.

Charlotte was very bitter.  How could she not be?!  I found little information on her family life growing up, but did find that she was raised in a religious family.  It's hard to tell if she was raised with religion or relationship which are two very different things.  As you can imagine her severe physical disabilities undermined her faith in God.  I would guess that she was very angry at God who plagued her, in her mind, with this misery.  I think of all the "stuff" we have to keep us busy.  We have T.V., Internet, radios, and 1,000 other things to keep our minds busy.  In that day there were none of these things.  I'm not saying that being an invalid now is easy because of all the stimulation we have by any stretch of the imagination.  What I'm trying to imagine is a woman laying in bed in the silence hour after hour, day after day, week after week, and year after year.  Because of her condition she rarely left the house.  She lived in great isolation.

In 1822 Charlotte had an encounter that would change her life and the lives of millions of people.  There are some conflicting stories to the exact location of the encounter she had with a pastor named Cesar Malan.  Some sources say the meeting happened at her family home, a friend's home, and out in public.  I tend to believe either of the first two because we know Charlotte was an invalid.  Her family was known to have guests to their home often also.  The group's discussion turned to things of God. Charlotte did not like this topic.  This pastor, who was only two years older than Charlotte, asked if she was a Christian.  Charlotte did not appreciate his question and was already irritable due to her pain.  She, angrily, advised him to move his conversation in another direction.  It is said that later in the evening Charlotte apologized to Pastor Malan and asked how she could be saved.  She admitted she was miserable.  He said the following words to her, "You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."  Charlotte accepted the Lord that night and later celebrated that date as her spiritual birthday.

I do not know the details of Charlotte's life in between 1822 and 1835.  In 1835 her brother, who was a pastor, was trying to raise funds to support the schooling of the daughters of poor clergymen.  The pastor wanted to help provide an education for these children.  Still bedridden Charlotte was very distraught that she could not provide her brother any help at his bazaar.  The poor woman felt completely useless.  She was extremely upset and spent a restless night falling into complete despair.  In the early morning hours the words of Pastor Malan came streaming back to her.  She penned the words to Just As I Am.  Her sister-in-law came later that day to report how the bazaar was going and came across the poem.  I don't know the exact details, but somehow the poem found its way to print.  In 1836 the poem, along with other works, completed a hymn book titled, The Invalid's Hymn Book.  The money that was earned was given to her brother's cause and became more lucrative than any other fundraising activity her brother took part in.  One thing we know for certain.  Charlotte never enjoyed good health, but the day she met Jesus was the day that her spirit became good as new! 

Just As I Am has been an anthem for the weary and broken for over 150 years.  The song was played during the altar calls at the famous Billy Graham crusades.  The song written by the helpless invalid in her despair has drawn lost souls to the throne of God.  Can you imagine?!  The words that came out of a soul in the quiet of the night has roused the emotions of millions of people over the years.  We don't have to clean ourselves up before we come to Christ.  We can come in our mess, our despair, and our sin.  He died for us not because we deserved it, but because He loved us...just as we are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6CrXP7Znak



 

Through Our Pain

I am reading a book right now titled, Then Sings My Soul.  The book is authored by Robert Morgan.  Here is the description of the book.

"Does your soul lift in song when you hear the first few bars of a favorite hymn?  Robert Morgan's lifelong interest in hymns led him to discover the richness of the stories behind many of the best-loved hymns.  Many of the stories also reflect the impact the hymns have had on ordinary people as they read, heard, and sang the great hymns of the faith."

I picked this book up at a cute gift shop as we traveled back from our vacation in the mountains this past fall.  As soon as I saw the cover I knew I had to have it!  I realize that not everyone is familiar with hymns.  I am familiar with them to some degree because I grew up in a tiny Bible church in the country that still sang hymns.  My husband is far more familiar with them for several reasons.  The first reason is that he is much smarter than I and remembers basically everything from his childhood and the second reason is that he spent more time in a church that sang them.  My parents switched churches when I was about 13-14.  The new church we attended sang the contemporary Christian songs you hear more of in church now.  I love contemporary Christian  music.  I mean LOVE IT.  My Iphone is loaded with it.  I am a huge Third Day, Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Casting Crowns, etc. fan.  Having said this I also love the great old hymns and would absolutely love it if they were still sang on occasion in contemporary non-denominational churches these days.

I remember growing up in church and dreading song time.  Granted I was 10, but still.  I have memories of ladies singing really loudly and really bad.  You stood up, sang a few verses of about three songs out of a hymnal and sat down.  The organist led the charge. I can still hear "Onward Christian Soldiers" which I loved.   Despite the memories I have of singing hymns as a child I have always maintained a fondness for them.  As an infant my mom would rock me to sleep singing "Amazing Grace."  She knew the depths of His Amazing Grace and wanted to fill her newborns mind with those words.  I don't remember it of course, but my guess is she sang to me in the quiet of the night in a small voice that lived each word she sang. 

So back to this book.  It has been so interesting to read.  I am learning the background to the most famous hymns in history.  I have gotten to know the famous hymn writers like Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, etc.  I have also learned how some hymns have touched and changed peoples lives.  The biggest lesson I have learned from this book is that each of the authors had a rich and colorful life.  What they didn't have was an easy, comfortable life.  If your anything like me you wish life was easy... you know, sunshine and lollipops.  Sometimes I even think God owes me a comfortable life.  Why I think this sometimes I have no idea.  The Bible is pretty clear when it says, "in this world you will have trouble."  These amazing hymn writers had really hard lives by our standards.

The Bible says what Satan means for harm God can turn it for good.  Genesis 50:20 assures us that You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  When bad things happen in our lives we must be purposeful for turning them into good.  When I am not purposeful with the pain and frustration of my trials I just wallow in self-pity and nothing of any substance gets done.  Each one of the people I read about went through tremendous trials and persecutions.  From reading about them I did not get the impression that they just sat back and tried to figure out how they could get out of their mess or how they could be happy.  We are not called to be happy, but holy.  I am 100% sure they all had times of despair and depression, after all, who doesn't when life gets extremely difficult.  I don't believe Fanny Crosby skipped along smiling from ear to ear after her infant daughter died or at times she didn't long to see the sunrise.  They all had purpose.  They used their hardships for a purpose.  They gave God glory DESPITE their feelings and circumstances.  Their inspired words fill the souls of people from all generations. 

Some of my favorite hymns are "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "Just As I Am," "Blessed Assurance," "Just As I Am," "Jesus Paid It All," "In The Garden," "Old Rugged Cross," and "It Is Well With My Soul."  My favorite three hymns of all time are "Jesus Paid It All," "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art."  My next blog entry will look at each author a little more in detail and will share some of the beautiful stanzas of the hymns.  Please check back!