Orphans of God

Orphans of God

Who here among us has not been broken?

Who here among us is without guilt or pain?

So oft' abandoned by our transgressions

If such a thing as grace exists

Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts

There are no orphans of God

So many fallen, but Hallelujah

There are no orphans of God

Come ye unwanted and find affection

Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head

Come ye unworthy, you are my brother

If such a thing as grace exists

Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts

There are no orphans of God

So many fallen, but Hallelujah

There are no orphans of God

O blessed Father, look down upon us

We are Your children, we need Your love

We bow before Your throne of mercy

And seek Your face to rise above

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts

There are no orphans of God

So many fallen, but Hallelujah

There are no orphans of God

I may not know what it feels like to be an actual, earthly orphan.  But when I read that first verse, all I can think is...YES...I've felt those things.  I've experienced that brokenness.  The guilt, the pain.  And the second verse is just as pertinent.  I have been unwanted...weary...and especially unworthy.

And yet, we have this grace that is basically tailor-made for our shortcomings.  My God is a God of mercy and grace.  And we are a people of undeserved favor.    With all the tragedy in France right now (and the world for that matter), it's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that if those terrorists were to lay down their weapons, and repent to the Lord...to accept Him as their Savior and Messiah...He would grant them the same grace I receive on a daily basis for far less trespass.  In the eyes of God...it's all the same and it's all washed away when we seek Him first.

One of the Christmas songs the choir will sing next month is called In the First Light.  Near the end, the choir sings a line from The Little Drummer Boy.  As soon as the news spread about Paris and all the pictures were circulating of the hashtag "Pray for Paris"...the line "pray for peace, people everywhere" popped into my head.  And since then, I've been stopping to pray throughout the day for peace.  God doesn't want any of us to perish.  He wants us all to come to Him and to fall on our knees and cry to Him.  Corey's son, Mayer (6 yrs. old) prayed over his breakfast this morning, but instead of praying for God to bless the food, he prayed for ISIS.  God would welcome any one of those men into the fold and love them exactly as he loves the most humble sinner.  It's not every day you learn something from a 6 year old, but today, I have.  And tomorrow, the choir will sing a song about undeserved grace that the Father extends to everyone who comes to Him.  Praise the Lord for that grace!