Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To his feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore his praises sing . . .
(from Lauda Anima)
To be clear about the conditions referred to when we sing the hymn, we’re praising God because we’re totally and completely liberated, exonerated, and once again given a fresh start. We use powerful words:
Ransomed: 1. redeemed from captivity, bondage, detention etc., by paying a demanded price. 2. delivered or redeemed from punishment for sin.
Healed: 1. made healthy, whole, or sound; restored to health; free from ailment. 2. brought to an end or conclusion as conflicts between peoples or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settled; reconciled. 3. freed from evil; cleansed; purified.
Restored: 1. brought back into existence, use, or the like; reestablished. 2. brought back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting. 3. brought back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor. 4. put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc.. 5. given back; made return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost). 6. reproduced or reconstructed (an ancient building, extinct animal, etc.) in the original state.
Forgiven: 1. granted pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolved. 2. gave up all claim on account of remittance of (a debt, obligation, etc.). 3. granted pardon to (a person). 4. ceased to feel resentment against: 5. canceled an indebtedness or liability of.
If ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, we’re in really good shape. All that pulls us back or pulls us down is gone and over with. There are no more claims upon us, no more unpleasant consequences to face.
There is nothing to fear any more. The guilt and paralysis is gone. The slate is wiped clean. We have a fresh start.
Truly, it is appropriate to sing songs of praise and gratitude—to move on with great expectations because of the mercy, pardon, and promise of the Lord.
You know what? Much of the time we don’t do it! We don’t praise God, with free hearts and spirits, delighting in a new start. Perversely, we often have a fatal fascination with our weaknesses, failures, and losses.
Why are so drawn to look into the mirror of our life—of our limited, flawed life with its history of missed opportunities and poor performances, of nursing of wounds to pride and ego, of lamentations of our many and constant failures, of damages done great and small, of withdrawals and self-defeats?
Face it! We are all limited and weak creatures. Except for a special grace of God, our lives are imperfect, riddled with exaggerations, evasions, misrepresentations, failures, mistakes, and faults.
God knows! He knows us, better than we do, and our responsibility for our frequent blindness, indifference, pretense, falsification, and selfishness.
God forgives! Even so, we often find it hard, if not impossible, to forgive ourselves with our wounded pride.
God made us to be what we are, human creatures. God is not blind to our failures, but God is merciful.
What foolish pride it is that we never cease looking at ourselves and our weaknesses and rarely look at and sing the astoundingly generous and undeserved pardon, mercy, and love of God, who repeatedly ransoms, heals, restores, and forgives us.
26 December 2021