Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you, Full of pity, love and pow'r.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome, God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance, Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh.

Chorus:I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in his arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better, You will never come at all.

Let not conscience make you linger, Nor a fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth Is to feel your need of him.
Joseph Hart

"If you tarry till you're better, You will never come at all." These words powerfully capture the heart of our predicament. We have been so weakened and ruined by the fall that we need the Lord to enable us to trust him. We lack the moral fitness necessary to please God, but he does not require us to be fit. He makes us fit when we trust him. This hymn, "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy," offers a living hope to a dying world.

This song captures the essence of the gospel. It begins with the fallen condition of mankind and drives the listener to flee to Christ as our only source of hope. The song reminds us that conviction of sin is a grace meant to draw us to Christ in true faith and repentance. It reminds us that Jesus "ready stands to save" us.

Several years ago, I heard the gospel call and my heart echoed these words: "I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in his arms; in the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms." To this day he has not let me go, nor will he ever. And for that, I will be eternally grateful.