We cry, “Abba, Father.”

I’m continuing my mini “series” on my thoughts of the hymn Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken. Last week, I talked about the first stanza which you can find here: the first post! I’m continuing with a different stanza this time, not in the order of the song. I’ll keep the same mini intro to the hymn below!

Loss is Gain

There is no hymn that brings me greater joy and assurance than this one: Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken. Written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1824 and originally sung to the tune of “Ellesidie” by Mozart, I’ve loved the “retuned” melody by Bill Moore (2001) and sung by Indelible Grace Music.

The hymn’s original lyrics are edited a little to more modern English and all six stanzas are sung by Indelible Grace, which is why the song is a whopping 8 minutes long. However, every time I listen to it, I find myself drawn not only to the lyrics but also to a glimpse of that sweeter rest. The tune is also admittedly, stuck in my head on repeat. However, I see this only as a benefit as I find myself constantly singing truth in my head or quietly to myself throughout the day.

In a time of reflection and meditation on this hymn, I’m hoping to write a little bit every few days or week - reflecting on each of the six stanzas presented in the song. They might not be in order based on which one I feel like reflecting on.

4. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure
   Come disaster, scorn and pain
   In Thy service, pain is pleasure
   With Thy favor, loss is gain
   I have called Thee Abba Father
   I have stayed my heart on Thee
   Storms may howl, and clouds may gather
   All must work for good to me

Suffering is not only a possibility, it’s guaranteed

When I do a little self reflection about the things I care most about in my life, it usually ends up with God, my family, Jamie, my church, my friends, my dog, making enough money, my career, my startup, my hobbies, my quality of life, my comfort, and the list can go on forever. I wonder what you might think about when you think about your priorities, my assumption is that give or take a few things—most people have similar things that they care most about. So when confronted with these two verses of

“Go, then, earthly fame and treasure
Come disaster, scorn and pain”

It’s really easy to initially think that I don’t really want to be famous, nor do I want to be overwhelmingly rich—I don’t think this applies to me. At the same time, why would I want disaster, scorn and pain to reach me? The world tells me to cut off anyone who doesn’t make me feel the best, to follow my heart, and do whatever makes me most happy. There’s no way I would ever want to manifest disaster, scorn and pain.

Yet this is what Christ calls His followers to do. Just like in the first stanza, we’re told to carry up our cross daily. We are not only presented with suffering as a possibility in the Christian life, we are called to suffer. As 1 Peter 2:21 says, To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

For me to think that earthly fame simply means power and influence is foolish. Jesus himself was rejected not only by the Romans, by his own Jewish people, by his hometown, but even initially by his own brothers—the community and people he had grown up with heard his proclamation as the Messiah and wanted to throw him off a high cliff.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up…He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”…They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. Excerpts from Luke 4

Writing about this today made me think about the 70 Christian brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo which were slain by ISIS on February 13th. Their physical suffering was so great, in which they were martyred by beheadings with machetes and hammered to death. The thumbnail of this blog is a painting of Stephen being stoned to death for preaching faithfully about Christ.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 
Acts 7:59

This depravity calls for such sorrowful mourning, yet I can rejoice in that their steadfastness in the faith brought them home to an eternity with Christ in which these believers were received unto Christ Jesus.

Through service to Christ, pain becomes pleasure and in His favour loss becomes gain.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21

This is not to say that suffering becomes enjoyable, rather that in Christ our suffering has meaning and builds endurance in our faith—we can face it with joy knowing that it is working for our ultimate good (Rom. 5:3-5).

I would be an arrogant fool to say that I hope to call on disaster, scorn, and pain upon myself for the sake of pious suffering. But with this assurance in an eternity with Christ, I can rest with the knowledge that any temporary suffering or pain on this earth will be nothing compared to the glory of heaven.

Abba, Father

The original writer of this hymn, Henry Francis Lyte was considered a problem child by his father and sent off to a boarding school. Throughout this time, Henry’s own father refused to claim him as his own, signing letters as “Uncle” rather than “Father”. Yet Lyte writes this beautiful line, I have called Thee Abba Father with the knowledge that our Heavenly Father will provide for His children in ways that no earthly father ever could, especially for those like Lyte who was never able to call upon his own father.

For the fathers who have failed us, who are drunkards, abusers, liars, for the fathers in prison, who have abandoned their children, Jesus says “Come to me” (Matt. 11:28) and we are adopted as children of God in the loving embrace of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “My dad is pretty amazing, he provides for me and has always loved me” one might say.

To this Jesus says “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:9-11

If even our earthly fathers, while being imperfect sinners, can make it their duty to provide the best for his own children, how much more can our heavenly Father provide for us as one who knows no sin; as one who is perfectly holy and righteous?

There is sweet assurance even for infants and fetuses born or unborn into the covenant who perish prematurely. God knows them.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you
Jeremiah 1:5

Our Father calls them home to Himself and in heaven they cry out to Him saying “Abba, Father!” even though they never had the chance to call out to a father here on earth.=

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:15

Storms of life

Storms may howl, and clouds may gather
All must work for good to me

Whatever it is you’re going through, whether that be a time of happiness, sorrow, despair, the enchanting feeling of love or the burden of heartbreak, a time of mourning or a time of lethargy. In all the storms of life which howls through the night, in which the overhead forecast of cloudiness seems never-ending, I urge you to call upon the name of Christ.

I urge you to recognize that you are a sinner, repent for your sins, call upon the name of Jesus and believe. And you will certainly be brought back to Him who created you and knew you from before the womb. You will be adopted as a child of God and all will certainly work good for you.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28,30