This Blog entry is for a song written and sung by Kris Kristofferson in 1972. Click on the link at the end of the Blog to hear the song performed by Kris Kristofferson.
Why Me
Why me Lord, what have I ever done
To deserve even one
Of the pleasures I’ve known
Tell me Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth loving you
Or the kindness you’ve shown.
Lord help me Jesus, I’ve wasted it so
Help me Jesus I know what I am
Now that I know that I’ve need you so
Help me Jesus, my soul’s in your hand.
Tell me Lord, if you think there’s a way
I can try to repay
All I’ve taken from you
Maybe Lord, I can show someone else
What I’ve been through myself
On my way back to you.
Lord help me Jesus, I’ve wasted it so
Help me Jesus I know what I am
Now that I know that I’ve need you so
Help me Jesus, my soul’s in your hand.
I believe this song poses a few questions that many of us may have asked over the course of our lives. There are perhaps many times we ask, “Why Me Lord” in times of anger, sadness, and disappointment, but this song focuses on the undeserved blessings we receive in our lives.
The writer starts by asking what has he ever done to deserve any blessings/pleasures from God. For this question to really resonate, we must first realize the blessings we have received. How often do you stop and think about those blessings, think about the timing, and also thank God for bestowing these blessings to you? The reality is we do not deserve anything from God since we constantly do things we should not do and we leave him out of our lives most of the time. If God was like many of us, he would have turned his back on us a long long time ago and never looked back. God loving us in spite of us ignoring him is yet another blessing.
The song addresses how our lives are wasted as we wander along our path in life without acknowledging God’s love for us or how he sacrificed his only son for us. Recognizing what we have done is truly devastating and it is true that our life before Christ was wasted. Yes, we may have done some good things, but we were perhaps doing them for the wrong reasons. What were we doing to help others secure eternal life through the sacrifice of the life of Jesus? It is true we may have helped others for a time, but did we help them for eternity? We realize where we failed when we turn our lives over to Christ and accept him as our Savior; we are then allowing him to mold us and shape us and not relying on ourselves.
The remorse of not knowing God shows as the writer seeks a way to repay God for everything he has done for us and his willingness to love us even though we ignored him. Although we can never repay God, the good news is that he never expects repayment; he only desires that we follow him the remaining days of our lives and ultimately spend eternity with him. Isn’t that an awesome thought, unquestionable love with no strings attached? All he wants is for us to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Once we have given our hearts to him, then we will begin to understand the value of his love, what eternal life means, and to be eager to share this with everyone we come in contact with. Have you ever taken the time to write down your life story and how you came to know Christ? Once you have taken the time to write your story, then you can become prepared to share your story. God wants others to know your story and how you came to the point of giving your life to him. Others need to know the mistakes we have made and how God has loved us forever even when we did not include him in our life. We cannot repay God and he does not expect us to, but he does expect us to share our story and bring his children into the fold.
As the writer says, our soul is in his hand.
Click to Hear Kris Kristofferson Sing Why Me Lord