Love Lifted Me-- The Original Post

This morning I posted a blurb poking fun at myself for my ineptitude.  Well now.  This is the rest of the story.  I have a private blog in which I store thoughts, ideas, concepts, notions and so on that I do not share.  I thought I had lost the following post and wrote a substitute.  Today when I went to the private place, I discovered that I had written "Love Lifted Me" in the hidden blog.  There it was, so now I bring it forward to STSTT where it belonged in the first place.

"Lord I Lift Your Name On High"

Lord I lift Your name on high

Lord I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us

[Chorus:]
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high  --R.D. Founds 

We sang this chorus several times last Sunday as we often do.  Praise  is appropriate and certainly must be an element of  worship.  I have been  thinking, though, that some of  the old songs provided  a  deeper insight  into  the salvation message  and just why we praise God.  Yes, I know "It is  all about You." Yet it  is our  relationship with God  that provides us with an awareness  of who He is.

The phrase "lifted up" occurs well over 100 times in the King James Version of  the Holy Bible.  In most  instances it is  used in  reference to lifting up the eyes, the voice, the hand, and so on.  On occasion it refers  to lifting someone  up as from a pit (Joseph).  I do not find any reference  to man's  lifting  up of  the  Deity.  God  lifts  us up!

Jesus alone spoke of being lifted up, referring to His crucifixion.  These are the only references I can find regarding the lifting up of God.  John 3:14, John 3:18,

And thus it was an easy segue into recollections of songs we used to  sing in church.  This one  came to mind.  The  complete  teaching on  the condition of man without God, God's mercy and  forgiveness when we cry out to Him, our complete submission to His will.  From this, then, praise flows from man to God.  "Love so mighty and so true merits my soul's  best  song."   Finally the last  stanza characterizes our missionary zeal, for as we are  commanded, we  seek to persuade others  to come to  Jesus!

Apart from a simple-minded longing for the good old days, I miss the  worship in song plumbing the depths of man's degradation and soaring  to the heights to which the love of God lifts us!

                 

                          "Love Lifted Me"

1. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
   Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
   But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
   From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
   • Refrain:
     Love lifted me!
     Love lifted me!
     When nothing else could help,
     Love lifted me!
2. All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling,
   In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing,
   Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
   Faithful, loving service, too, to Him belongs.
3. Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves,
   He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves;
   He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
   He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.   --James Rowe