"Up"

Up is what I’m after,

Though down is what I’ve been,

Up from all that went before,

No matter where or when.

I stepped up on my pony,

When just a little child,

And when I fell down from her back,

In a very little while,

Dad said get back up on her,

And I didn’t want to go,

But I got up and rode again,

And now I’ve come to know,

That was quite some sage advice,

Get up when you fall,

Fast forward to my teenage years,

When I first heard God’s call.

The Lord knew I had fallen,

Into disrespect and sin,

Yet He still pursued me,

Spoke to me and then,

Showed me I could get up,

And know His healing grace,

Though I’d been running backwards,

It was not too late to race.

For ten years strong I served Him,

But then fell down, away,

Thought for me it’s over,

I’d never be okay.

But though I knew I’d fallen,

He said what’s worse than that,

Is staying down so very long,

You think up’s on the mat.

Down and up, then up and down,

My life has been like this,

But up is where I”m going,

‘Cause grace I will not miss.

We show up and we pray up,

We cowboy up and stay,

We step up and we stand up,

We might fall down today.

But if we do a buck off,

Of fall when we should be,

Standing firm and steady,

It costs to make them see,

That up is where the Lord went,

Up from the grave again,

And up when He ascended,

And home is up, my friend.

So if you’re down as down can be,

And up looks way too far,

You are much closer than you think,

You’ll shine like Jesus’ star.

So get on up, my brother,

And get up, sister, too,

God knows how far you’ve come from,

And you’ll be blessed, it’s true. 

He will come down from heaven,

And take us up and home,

No more down forever,

Ride heaven’s pasture loam.

“He lifted me out of the pit of despair…” (Psalm 40:2, NLT)

God specializes in helping people get up. Sometimes, as my uncle once wrote to me in a letter, one stays down so long they swear down is up. Not good. But God knows how to pull us out of the messes we’ve made. He resurrects the dead, frees from bondage, liberates addiction, and heals the wounded. What has you down? What holds you back? What seems impossible to overcome? Take your burden, circumstance, problem, challenge, issue to Jesus and ask Him to help you. Even if you doubt it. Even, and maybe especially if you doubt anything will happen. God has a way of surprising us with grace that overcomes the worst difficulties. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That what He did. That’s what He does now.

Lord, help us allow You to pull us up, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.