Lift Your Head Weary Sinner

We’re honored to have a great guest post from Andrea Lucado.

We’re all building our own little walls. At least, they start out as little. But it doesn’t take long before they have grown tall, then a little taller and a little taller. We have to use a ladder in order to place the next brick. We build our walls so high that eventually, we are craning our necks to see the top of them.

Lift your head weary sinner, the river’s just ahead

Down the path of forgiveness, salvation’s waiting there

You built a mighty fortress 10,000 burdens high

Our walls, you see, are made up of guilt and shame. They are built strong and tall with burdens from past mistakes and secrets about our darkest sin. The sin we dare not tell anyone, not even God. You may not realize how many burdens you’ve cemented into your own wall. It’s second nature to keep layering it on, brick after brick.

If you’re lost and wandering

Come stumbling in like a prodigal child

When the prodigal son returned home, he carried his wall with him. His plan was to pay penance for his sin, for he had sinned a lot. “I’ll get up, go to my father,” he determines, “and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands” (Luke 15:18-20).

But his father had a very different response than the son expected: “The father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet… let’s celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’” (15:22-24).

So often we avoid God or run from God because we fear his response. We are afraid that this time, we’ve just gone too far, sinned too much, hurt too many people. He’ll never take us back. What the story of the prodigal son tells us is that God not only accepts us as we are, but he rejoices at our homecoming. He celebrates us. He’s takes us in his arms and says welcome. You’re my child. You’re my blood.

See the walls start crumbling

Let the gates of glory open wide

The truth of the gospel breaks through our walls. It breaks through them a million times over. Each brick is knocked off by the fact that Jesus came, sacrificed his life, and rose again so that we could be heirs—not servants—heirs to God’s kingdom. So let’s shatter our walls of shame and walk through them in freedom.