I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me, ELW 860
1 I'm so glad Jesus lifted me.
I'm so glad Jesus lifted me.
I'm so glad Jesus lifted me.
singing glory, hallelujah!
Jesus lifted me.
2 Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me.
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me.
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me.
singing glory, hallelujah!
Jesus lifted me.
3 When I was in trouble, Jesus lifted me.
When I was in trouble, Jesus lifted me.
When I was in trouble, Jesus lifted me.
singing glory, hallelujah!
Jesus lifted me.
Devotion
The words in this spiritual are short and sweet. Short because there are only nine words in the first verse, and sweet because the message is grace.
The tax collectors didn’t deserve much attention from Jesus, but they got it. How come? Because God’s love is loose in the world, relentlessly seeking to make all things new and alive. “The free gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23).
We’re talking about grace here, an astonishing gift with no strings attached. It’s the central truth of the whole Christian faith. It proclaims that there’s nothing you can do to make God love you any more than God does, or any less, either. God’s love is constant and unwavering. God says, "I don’t ever want you to do anything bad, and I keep hoping you won’t do anything stupid, but if you do, I’ll love you anyway.”
I’m so glad Jesus lifted me. That’s grace.
Prayer
O Lord, because your love is so constant and unwavering, my life flows on in endless song. You lifted me so that I would do something good, something new, something that comes from a thankful heart. In your wisdom you know that the thankful heart, the heart of one who has been rescued, is the dynamo that drives the whole Christian church on earth. Amen.