“He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.”
-“I Stand Amazed In the Presence” words by Charles H. Gabriel (1905)
What a powerful hymn on about Jesus’ death on our behalf! This old hymn has so many incredible truths. I love the verse I quote above for several reasons.
It talks of Christ carrying not only my sins but also my sorrows.
This is comforting to me.
Too often in the evangelical world, we focus only on sin and fail in supporting the grief that comes along with sin. With Adam’s sin came a loss–lost paradise–and losses continue to follow from the sinful brokenness in this world. As faithful spouses, we are all too aware of this truth. And it is so important we remember God came in the flesh to deal with this sorrow as well. He took our pain, our sins, and our sorrows upon Himself making “them His very own” nailing them to that Cross.
He came to address it all:
Sins.
Sorrows.
And even loneliness.
As this hymn verse points out, Jesus knows isolation and suffering. On that Cross, He bore our sins and experienced infinite alienation from our Holy Father. Talk about existential pain! He can identify with the suffering that comes with rejection. And He died to lift all our burdens–sorrows included.
This Good Friday as you struggle with your sorrow and the weight of sin–whether yours or others–remember we have a High Priest who stands ready to take these burdens from your shoulders. He can walk with you through this valley for He drank the cup to the very bitter dregs.
And arose victorious!
May this powerful hymn minister to your soul as it has to mine:
