You Raise Me Up - by Joel Hempel Many of you know the following song.1 More importantly, you "know" the truth of the song: You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be. We are living in the season of Easter. Liturgically, it started with Easter Sunday and continues to Christ's ascension forty days later. But spiritually, the message and blessings of Easter are with us throughout the year. Although the lyrics were not originally intended to convey any religious doctrine or experience, from a Christian perspective, those words are profound. St Paul tells us that having been buried with Christ through our baptism, we were raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.2 Christ's resurrection from the dead not only secures our eternal salvation, it empowers us for living now. The God who raised Jesus raises us above our circumstances, and by the power of the Holy Spirit holds us up so we can be far more with Him than what we can be on our own. When I am down and, oh, my soul, so weary When troubles come and my heart burdened be Then I am still and wait here in the silence Until you come and sit awhile with me. I know the lyricist said the song was not necessarily intended to be religious, but those third and fourth lines read a lot like Psalm 46:10. Be still and know that I am God. The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead has our care in hand. Think about it. If, in the midst of your worst challenge or living nightmare, Jesus came and sat beside you and said, Be still, trust me, could you let go of your fear, your worries, your anger? Jesus promised no less when he declared, for all time, I will be with you always!3 Jesus has risen! He has . . . 1. You Raise Me Up lyrics were originally written by Brendan Graham and recorded in 2001 by the Irish group, Secret Garden, with vocalist Brian Kennedy, and later recorded by Josh Groban in 2003. 2. Colossians 2:12-13. Also Romans 6: 4-11, and Colossians 3:1. 3. Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5. |
