How do you say "Deliver Me"?

A popular worship song has these lines:

Deliver me, out of my sadness
Deliver me, from all of the madness
Deliver me, courage to guide me
Deliver me, strength from inside me

All of my life I've been in hiding
Wishing there was someone just like you
Now that you're here, now that I've found you
I know that you're the one to pull me through

Deliver me, loving and caring
Deliver me, giving and sharing
Deliver me, the cross that I'm bearing

As I reflect on these lines, it strikes me that the phrase "deliver me" can mean two very different things, and it seems to in this song. I think one of them draws upon the richness of biblical history, the other reflects a weak theology.

When we cry "Deliver me from..." we echo the words of the Israelites in bondage in Egypt. We cry out for God to release us, to rescue us. When we ask "deliver me (blank)" we might as well be saying "bring me (blank)." In the one, we look to God as Deliverer. In the second, God is our delivery boy. How do you say "deliver me?"

1 comment:

  1. I love this Crowder song - both the lyrics and the tune. Like your thoughts on it as well.

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