“Thankful” by Caedmon’s Call
I ran across an old box of letters
While I was bagging up
Some clothes for Goodwill
You know I had to laugh
That the same old struggles
That plagued me then
Are plaguing me still
I know the road is long
From the ground to glory
But a boy can hope
He’s getting some place
But you see, I’m running from
The very clothes I’m wearing
And dressed like this
I’m fit for the chaseNo, there is none righteous
Not one who understands
There is none who seek God
No not one, no not oneI am thankful that I’m incapable
Of doing any good on my own‘Cause we’re all stillborn
And dead in our transgressions
We’re shackled up
To the sin we hold so dear
So what part can I play
In the work of redemption
I can’t refuse, I cannot add a thing‘Cause I am just like Lazarus and
I can hear your voice
I stand and rub my eyes
And walk to you
Because I have no choiceI am thankful that I’m incapable
Of doing any good on my own
I’m so thankful that I’m incapable
Of doing any good on my ownIt’s by grace I have been saved
Through faith that’s not my own
It is the gift of God and not by works
Lest anyone should boast
Dear God, I think most people–Christians and non-Christians alike–can relate to this song. Why do I still have the same struggles? Again, this group has very poetic lyrics that say so much more than the words that are used.
I ran across an old box of letters
While I was bagging up
Some clothes for Goodwill
You know I had to laugh
That the same old struggles
That plagued me then
Are plaguing me still
It is amazing how there are just some things that plague me. Insecurities. Vindictiveness. Lust. Selfishness. Gluttony. The same old struggles that plagued me then are plaguing me still.
I know the road is long
From the ground to glory
But a boy can hope
He’s getting some place
But you see, I’m running from
The very clothes I’m wearing
And dressed like this
I’m fit for the chase
So am I trying to run from who I am? Do I have it wrong? Am I trying too much under my own power to address these issues instead of just embracing the place where you have me now and accepting your grace?
No, there is none righteous
Not one who understands
There is none who seek God
No not one, no not oneI am thankful that I’m incapable
Of doing any good on my own
I was in a meeting yesterday and I felt compelled to point out to the participants at the end that a lot of the good fortune we had discussed during the meeting had come from you and wasn’t really due to any of our own brilliance or even hard work. It was just you honoring our prayers. I hope it didn’t come across as too holy or fake because my desire to glorify you and not us was genuine.
‘Cause we’re all stillborn
And dead in our transgressions
We’re shackled up
To the sin we hold so dear
So what part can I play
In the work of redemption
I can’t refuse, I cannot add a thing
Born into sin. From our first breath we are about ourselves and about survival. But this part about the part that we “play in the work of redemption.” There is nothing I bring to it except repentance and submission.
‘Cause I am just like Lazarus and
I can hear your voice
I stand and rub my eyes
And walk to you
Because I have no choice
It’s interesting to draw this comparison to Lazarus’s resurrection. He had no choice. He was dead and gone and you called him back. Presumably (at least on this side of the dividing line) you didn’t ask his permission (or opinion) to bring him back. You just did it because you wanted him back. I wonder what the rest of his earthly life was like.
So the fact that I am submitted to you now–does that mean I was destined to be here? How much choice did I have. Or was I just involuntarily drawn to you?
It’s by grace I have been saved
Through faith that’s not my own
It is the gift of God and not by works
Lest anyone should boast
Father, thank you for saving me through means beyond anything I could accomplish. Thank you that I cannot point to anything within me that has brought me here, but that I can simply rest in you. There is so much more freedom and peace in just accepting you instead of performing for you. It makes loving you a lot more fun. Help me to love you well. Oh, and I am very sorry for the sin I still hold so dear.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen
Emails to God 