Hymns

Day 9 – At the Cross There’s Room

What a beautiful hymn this is. Just the title alone is a testimony in itself! At the Cross there is room! Does this stir your heart? It surely does mine. It is comforting to know that there is not a limited amount of room. Fanny Crosby’s biography was previously done on Day 1 of this series on Hymns. One piece of information, however, that was not stated on Day 1 was the fact that written on her tomb­stone were the words, “Aunt Fan­ny” and “Bless­ed as­sur­ance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a fore­taste of glo­ry di­vine.” Fanny’s love for the Lord was evident in her writings, wasn’t it? Each hymn that she wrote depicted a Christian who walked closely with the Lord. I can’t help but admire someone who was blinded at such a young age by the carelessness of one man and yet she did not harbor resentment toward that man or God. She could have wasted away her life and been cared for by others. But instead, she glorified God and allowed Him to use her – and used her He did!

At the Cross There’s Room
Fanny Crosby

Mourner, wheresoever thou art,
At the cross there’s room!
Tell the burden of thy heart,
At the cross there’s room!
Tell it in thy Savior’s ear,
Cast away thine every fear,
Only speak, and He will hear;
At the cross there’s room!

Haste thee, wand’rer, tarry not,
At the cross there’s room!
Seek that consecrated spot;
At the cross there’s room!
Heavy laden, sore oppressed,
Love can soothe thy troubled breast;
In the Savior find thy rest;
At the cross there’s room!

Thoughtless sinner, come today;
At the cross there’s room!
Hark! the Bride and Spirit say,
At the cross there’s room!
Now a living fountain see,
Opened there for you and me,
Rich and poor, for bond and free,
At the cross there’s room!

Blessèd thought! For every one
At the cross there’s room!
Love’s atoning work is done;
At the cross there’s room!
Streams of boundless mercy flow,
Free to all who thither go;
Oh, that all the world might know
At the cross there’s room!

Each human being goes through so many phases in their life time. Fanny covered many of these phases in this particular hymn. She encouraged the reader to come to the Cross of Christ in each phase showing them that Christ was there for all of them.

1. When we mourn: She encouraged the reader who was mourning for whatever reason to come to Christ and give Him their burden. Whether you have lost a loved one or you are grieving your sins, Christ cares. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Pe 5:7) Why would this verse be included in the Scriptures unless God wanted us to know that He cares! Does this not stir your soul? The Creator of all cares for you! Praise His Holy Name!
2. When we need someone to talk to: The Lord hears all our prayers to Him. He is always nearby waiting to hear from us. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. (Psa 4:3) There are no “maybe’s” in this verse. We are clearly told that the Lord will hear us when we call on Him. He does not sleep so He is always available to hear us. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. (Psa 121:3) Glory!
3. When we wander away from Him: We know that when we wander away from God’s side, he is right there waiting our return. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (Jam 4:8 ) Notice the condition we must be in to draw nigh to Him? We must purify our hearts, cleanse ourselves from our sin (repent), and we must not ride the fence of indifference. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (Jam 1:8 ) The Christian who struggles in his walk with the Lord is one who is unstable – double minded. You cannot play with the world and expect to come out spiritually minded. But the believer who seeks to be close to his God will repent and come to His side. He is always there, waiting to receive us.
4. When we are burdened with the cares of this world: Our Saviour desires to carry our burdens with us. He does not remove the burden but He promises to make it lighter because He is carrying it with us. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Mat 11:28 ) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Mat 11:29) In the devotional Three Steps to Christ in a Two-Fold Way, I touched upon the yoke and its significance. What a comfort it is to know that we are not left alone to carry our own burdens! Praise the Lord that the Creator of the universe is in that yoke right along with me! What a blessing it is to go along in life knowing that the Saviour, my Shepherd, is helping me with every area of my life! Thank you, Lord!
5. When the enemy troubles us: When we are persecuted for the cause of Christ, God promises to take care of them in His time. And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (2 Th 1:7) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Th 1:8 ) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Th 1:9) We do not need to be distracted by the enemies around us. God will take care of them – if not in this life time, in the next.
6. When we need salvation: When we are aware of our sin and the need for salvation, Christ is there ready to provide us with His saving grace. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Act 16:31) Everything else in life is fruitless without the Lord and His work on the Cross.

There is room at the Cross for all – from salvation until the day we are taken home to be with the Saviour! It is at the Cross we receive atonement for our sins and without the Cross, we have nothing. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Rom 5:11) Once salvation is received, Christ’s mercy and grace follows the believer and His power is shown through our testimony. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Phi 4:13)