By John BJ Hall
The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God. Psalm 84:3
‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; Luke 15:18
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James Kirkpatrick usually wrote tunes for other’s lyrics. This is a rare instance in which he also wrote the words. He produced this hymn at a camp meeting in Pennsylvania. He was particularly concerned about the salvation of the soloist at the meeting. The evening that he wrote this hymn the soloist became a believer.
Consider this, all of us have wandered far from home at one time or another. The reason is the continual battle we have with sin as Paul described in Romans 7:14-20.
For the believer, every day is a new opportunity to turn our back on sin and move closer to the Lord. The Apostle John wrote 1 John 1:8-10 to the church. In that passage, he urges us to acknowledge our sin and confess. The result is forgiveness and cleansing.
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Father, I confess my sin to You. I turn away from sin and its foolishness and desire to do Your will. Cleanse me and make me pure. Amen.
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This is an excerpt from the soon-to-be-published Hymns of Praise Vol 4: A Devotional Guide to the Hymns of Our Faith © Copyright 2024 by Passages Ministries Publishing.