My Loving Advocate

 "Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted" by Thomas Kelly has been among my favorite hymns.  It vividly paints the picture of the affliction Jesus suffered on our behalf and tells us that because of that suffering, we have a firm foundation, a refuge, in the Rock of our salvation.  This hymn kept coming to mind as I continued to read Dane Ortland's Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, because Dane points out how much the suffering of Christ allows Him to pour his love and mercy into our hearts and lives and how the more we suffer, the closer He gets and the more He pours into us.  During a time of reflection with the words of that hymn stuck in my mind, I decided to write a bit of poetry of sorts pulling in the truths I was reading in Dane's book about Christ, reflecting on that in light of my own afflictions, and connecting those reflections to the opening words of the great hymn.

My Loving Advocate

By: Christine Russell

 Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, Christ hangs dying on the cross.

 Tempted and tried by the devil, Christ rebukes Satan standing victorious.

 Quick to love and longing to embrace, Jesus stands with open arms ready.

 Knowing the pain of rejection and abandonment, Jesus relates to mortal men.

 

 Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, I lie buried in my loss.

 Tempted and tried by the devil, I wallow in my sin, far from glorious.

 Quick to hate and pushing Him away, I fail to keep my gaze steady.

 Knowing the pain of rejection and abandonment, I get stuck in the pit again.

 

 Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, Christ carries me through the worst.

 Tempted and tried by the devil, Christ advocates for me and my hurt.

 Quick to love and freely embracing me, Jesus’ heart of mercy is my refrain.

 Knowing the pain of rejection and abandonment, Jesus walks beside me in my pain.

 

 There is no greater Advocate than Jesus Christ alone.

 As I sin, as I sorrow, He stands before God’s throne.

 He speaks of me as holy, a beloved child of the King.

 Grace and mercy, peace and comfort are what He’ll bring.

 

©Copyright October 2024 Russell Musings