When the Saints

When the Saints by Sara Groves should win a Grammy and a Dove Award for Song of the Year. It is one of the best songs I have heard on the radio in months. Some of the references may be a little obscure, but it lauds the actions of

1. Moses, the man used by God to free the Israelite slaves of Egypt (see Exodus)
2. Paul and Silas, who endured imprisonment for taking the good news of Christ to hostile areas (see Acts)
3. American slaves, who escaped slavery with the help of the underground railroad prior to our Civil War
4. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and their fellow missionaries, who lost their lives trying to reach a primitive and violent tribe in the rain forests of South America
5. The wives and children of those missionaries, who returned to that tribe shortly after the deaths of their husbands and fathers in order to carry on the work (please rent the movie The End of the Spear or the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor to learn more about their amazing story)
6. Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to helping the sick and dying in the slums of Calcutta, India
7. International Justice Mission (http://www.ijm.org), whose members work with local law enforcement officers to rescue children enslaved as prostitutes around the globe
8. Jesus Christ, who carried the load of the world to the cross on our behalf in order to pay for our sins (see Romans for the significance of his sacrifice and Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John for accurate accounts of his life, death, and resurrection).

These are the lyrics of When the Saints by Sara Groves:

Lord,
I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know.
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
And I can't let it go
And when I'm weary and over wrought
With so many battles left unfought
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard.
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars.
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them.

Lord, it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind.
It all can overwhelm me
But when I think of all who've gone before and lived a faithful life
Their courage compels me.
And when I'm weary and over wrought
With so many battles left unfought
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard.
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars.
I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharaoh's court.
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord.
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them.
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them.

I see the long quiet walk along the underground railroad.
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul.
I see the young missionary and the angry spears.
I see his family returning with no trace of fear.
I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta's nights.
I see the sister standing by the dying man's side.
I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor.
I see the man with a passion come kicking down that door.
I see the Man of Sorrows and his long troubled road.
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load.

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them.