|
"Why Do You
Wait?"
Jason Budd
There is a song the we
sing called Why Do You Wait?, written by George Root in 1878. It's
a purely simple and beautiful song that surely speaks to anyone
considering Jesus.
The first stanza asks the
listener what they're waiting for. It basically says, "Wake up
silly, your Savior– whether you like it or not–is waiting to give
you something! That something is a place in His throng, His great
multitude of people. So then, the chorus asks, "Why not?" Certainly
His gift isn't what's holding you back.
Next, what–if anything–do you hope to gain by waiting. There isn't
anything better out there, certainly not in this world. Only Jesus
will save you; it's His way or no way! So again the question
is,
"Why not?" There's nothing you'll gain by
waiting.
The hymn continues by appealing to what the
listener is feeling. Again, if someone is thinking of Jesus, this should
really speak to him or her. The hymn asks if the listener feels the
Spirit calling, because He is. Throw off your burden of sin
through Jesus and the Spirit will embrace you! "Why not accept
His salvation?"
The last appeal is an effort to remind the
listener that all good things come to an end. "The
harvest is passing away" and there is "danger and death in
delay." Once more, the chorus asks, "Why not?"
The rhetorical questions being asked
have very real answers. There is no valid reason for waiting.
Any excuse the listener might have, the writer has already
refuted. Are you contemplating Jesus for the first time seriously? Are you leaning toward Him for the
second, third, or nth time? If you
are, that's okay; but realize that while He has every reason to
wait, you have none.
|
