Make Me a Captive, Lord

Sunday morning I sang again for church with James and a team. We had a great set of songs with wonderful lyrics and stacked-up harmonies. This particular song really hit me as a dead-on description of all that's been confusing in my life and what God is doing very purposefully in this waiting and healing season. Lines like these especially:

My heart is weak and poor
Until its Master find
It has no spring of action sure
It varies with the wind

Those lines ring with all the unfocused, frustrated attempts to figure out what in the world I'm supposed to do with my life and how to find a satisfying line of work, dealing with significant ambition, trying a lot of different avenues to little avail, crying to be "let out of jail", so to speak.

The hymn was written in 1890 by George Matheson, and James wrote the music, sounding a bit like the praise song "I will change your name" and the poignant ballad by Eric Clapton, "Tears in Heaven".

1. Make me a captive, Lord
And then I shall be free
Force me to render up my sword
And I shall conqueror be

I sink in life's alarms
When by myself I stand
Imprison me within Thine arms
And strong shall be my hand

2. My heart is weak and poor
Until its Master find
It has no spring of action sure
It varies with the wind

It cannot freely move
Til Thou has wrought its chain
Enslave it with Thy matchless love
And deathless it shall reign

3. My power is faint and low
Til it has learned to serve
It wants the needed fire to glow
It wants the breeze to nerve

It cannot drive the world
Until itself be driv'n
Its flag can only be unfurled
When Thou shalt breathe from heav'n

4. My will is not my own
Till Thou hast made it Thine
If it would reach a monarch's throne
It must its crown resign

It only stands unbent
Amid the clashing strife
When on Thy bosom it has leant
And found in Thee its life