It was over 25 years ago now but I can recall that night like it was yesterday. I stood at the back of our Church hall at the beginning of a Girls Brigade meeting. In front of me were 30-40 young, impressionable girls sitting crossed-legged on the floor and 4-5 Brigade leaders standing around the sides. Up the front was a ministry leader in our Church who had a passion for Jesus and it was his turn to bring the devotions that night. I was a little concerned before he began because I knew this man embraced some views which I could not support and so I was hoping his sharing that night was ‘safe’ and appropriate for this young audience. My hopes were soon dashed.
He began by reading from the Old Testament (a warning in itself, given how loosely this man handled the Scriptures). The verse read was Psalm 66:18, “If I regard sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” My heart started to beat heavily in my chest and I remember saying under my breath, “No, Lord . . . surely not . . . he can’t be doing this!” Well, he did. Ten heart-wrenching minutes later I had a room full of confused and frightened young girls who now believed that God would not even hear their prayers if they had sin in their heart and that they needed to confess all known sin, every day, if they even wanted to talk to God. It was like Jesus had never come and the New Covenant never existed. I could not believe what I just witnessed. This came in the middle of a teaching series I had been bringing to our Church on the grace of God! Whilst such a spiritual attack did not surprise me, the location and audience certainly did. I was devastated. I was so disappointed with myself for not seeing this coming. I was angry – which is a very rare emotion for me.
I could not sleep that night and so I got up about 2am and all I could think of was, “Don’t yell at the darkness, just turn up the light!” So I sat down and wrote a song of proclamation and declaration and it was a song we sang a number of times in our services in the years which followed but most people had no idea what triggered the writing of these words, but the Lord takes me back to them often for I truly believe they are foundational. Let me share them with you:
Jesus has done it!
Once and for all – Jesus has done it
His was the final sacrifice
Holy I stand before His throne
now Jesus paid the price!
By God’s grace – I am saved
in His grace I live each day
the power of His love has set me free
now I walk in victory!
To the powers of darkness I proclaim:
I am a child of God!
the righteousness of Christ I claim
I was purchased by His blood.
Satan, you’re defeated
you have no hold on me
Jesus took away your power
and set the prisoners free!
Once and for all – Jesus has done it
His was the final sacrifice
Holy I stand before His throne
now Jesus paid the price!
By God’s grace – I am saved
in His grace I live each day
the power of His love has set me free
now I walk in victory!
Before I ever knew His name
Jesus died for me!
He paid my debt, He bore my pain
forgiveness now is free
I can never earn it, by what I say or do
the riches of His grace are mine
when I believe it’s true!
Once and for all – Jesus has done it
His was the final sacrifice
Holy I stand before His throne
now Jesus paid the price!
By God’s grace – I am saved
in His grace I live each day
the power of His love has set me free
now I walk in victory!
God is always there for me
even when I fall
His door is always open wide
He will hear me when I call
my sin was blotted out
upon the cross when Jesus died
so now I’m seated with the Lord
by my Father’s side!
Once and for all – Jesus has done it
His was the final sacrifice
Holy I stand before His throne
now Jesus paid the price!
By God’s grace – I am saved
in His grace I live each day
the power of His love has set me free
now I walk in victory!
© 1996 Robert Griffith