Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
I don’t remember when I first heard this hymn, but I’ve loved it for years. The tune used in our hymnal, Restoration, is haunting, full of those minor chords I love. And the chorus, beginning with “I will arise and go to Jesus…” — wow! It’s like blind Bartimaeus throwing aside his cloak, probably the only thing he owns, to blindly run toward Jesus’s voice hoping to have his sight restored. It’s like me running to Him when I was at my end point, past my reasons, past my objections, past my pride then and now, running to Jesus in the past and present.
I heard it again shortly before licensing school when I entered ministry, a recording by Fernando Ortega and Amy Grant, and didn’t want to listen to anything else. You can listen to that arrangement HERE.
I learned it on the guitar and then wanted to see how it would sound on the 5 string banjo. At least for me, it popped! The banjo is so beautiful with minor chords and the drive that can lend an urgency to the powerful lyrics.
This old hymn, written by Joseph Hart in 1759, became my favorite hymn and one of my favorite things to play. Whenever I do ministry talks now to other pastors or seekers, I end with this hymnal, doing a teaching and leading the singing.
What keeps you from committing to Christ? Whatever your reason, you may find it in these lyrics. Like many of the older hymns, there are lots and lots of verses, but these are the four I have settled on for me.
Come ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus, ready come to save you
Full of pity, love and power.
CHORUS:
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Saviour
O, there are ten thousand charms.
Come ye thirsty, come and welcome
Christ’s free bounty, glorify
True belief and true repentance
Every grace that brings you nigh
CHORUS
Come ye weary, heavy laden
Lost and ruined by the Fall
If you tarry till you’re better
You will never come at all.
CHORUS
Let not conscience make you linger
Nor of fitness fondly dream
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
CHORUS
What are some hymns, or Scripture, that bring you closer, that make you want to arise and go to Jesus?
Frank is an Inspire Missioner in Texas, USA
If you’d like to share any hymns or scripture that help you come to Jesus, we would love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]
