November 2, 2014.

“Who has believed what he has heard from us?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
(Isaiah 53:1-3)

When I think, about His life, about the cost, about the strife,
When I see Him walking, here and there, and His burden I cannot share,
And when I look, upon His face, see His love and saving grace,
It’s then I cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior.”

When I know, what I have done, my mouth bears witness of sin’s song sung,
When I think of my careless deeds, of my life’s pride, it’s lust and greed,
And when I know, I cannot earn, one ounce of grace for the law I’ve spurned,
It’s then I cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior.”

When I understand, my sins held Him there, my disregard to His everlasting care,
When I feel, the ground beneath, shake and crack from the front I’ve weaved,
And when I think, that He’s always known, of my sin in full, yet my life He owned,
It’s then I cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior.”

When I come, to know the Lord, to know His love and to know His word,
When I read, in those awe-filled pages, stories of fools and wisdom from sages,
And when I recognize, the power within, power bestowed to overcome sin,
It’s then I cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior.”

“Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.”
(Isaiah 53:4-6)

There He stood, by man betrayed, a simple kiss from a friend swayed,
There they took Him, into their midst, beating and scourging however they wished,
There he was silent, and spoke not a word, before the ruler who bore the sword,
That we may cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

There His stood, innocent of all, reviled and mocked by the sinner’s call,
There He was, to bear our grief, a Holy man, between two thieves,
There He took, away our sins, reconciliation made once for all men,
That we may cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

There He gave, what we could not bring, facing death, our savior, our King,
There He laid down His life, a willing gift, the pure sacrifice,
There he died, our souls to save, by defeating death to raise from the grave,
That we may cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.”
(Isaiah 53:7-9)

Now is the time, given to us, to complete His will, and in Him trust,
Now we are given, in jars of clay, His wondrous news, we must not delay,
Now we are here, but we will not always be, to teach the world and set them free,
That they may cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

Now stand we here, with task in hand, to take the news though all the land,
Now we must choose, to love the Lord, to take His word with one accord,
Now we come, to the mercy seat, to present the souls, bowed at His feet,
That they may cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
(Isaiah 53:10-12)

When I think, of His wondrous gift, defeating death our souls to lift,
And there He undid, on that lonesome hill, what man had ruined, transgressing His will,
Now I see, and recognize, I’ll spread the news, both far and wide,
That all may cry, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

Suggested Daily Reading: Psalm 22, Isaiah 52, 53, Matthew 27-28.

Hallelujah, what a Savior.

-Walter