Hallelujah! What a Savior!

BY Guest Writer

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:1-6, John 19:1-5, John 19:28-30, Romans 8:1-4, Revelation 5:12

Easter 2015 was particularly memorable for the Davis clan. We had new baby sheep on our little farm, and I got the bright idea to take one of those sweet little lambs to our family Easter celebration at my mom’s house. My nieces and nephews were smitten with the lamb, so much so, that they decided to take him for a walk. You can probably guess where this is going, even if they couldn’t—the lamb got loose. It seems a herd of children screaming and running toward him caused the lamb to bolt, getting lost in the woods.

The kids handled the escape pretty well, until someone mentioned the threat of coyotes. Suddenly there was a symphony of screaming and crying. Not even the promise of another chocolate bunny could console them. For more than two days we searched for our lost lamb. His mama stood out in the field and called for him until she was hoarse. I told my boys he was likely a goner. Then someone had the bright idea to put our plight on Facebook. I never saw the post, but I am sure it went something like this: “Easter lamb led to the slaughter by adorable children in church clothes.”

Remarkably, that post led to a phone call; our lamb had been spotted! He had wandered more than five miles in the opposite direction of our farm, was now fleabitten and starving, but he was alive. It was incredible, but the very best part of the story was yet to come.

When we opened the gate, the little lamb immediately ran to his mama. And as he nursed for the first time in more than two days, his little tail wagged at super speed. What was lost had now been found. Of course, the lost lamb is a picture of a bigger, more significant drama. God used it to remind me of the wonder of the gospel.

We all went astray like sheep;
we all have turned to our own way (Isaiah 53:6).

Our lamb ran away from all that was good for him. He chose to rebel against the safety of the sheep pen in favor of a life of hardship, sickness, and uncertainty. Just like the prodigal son Jesus described in Luke chapter 15, the lamb bolted from the source of tender care, only to wallow about in self-imposed misfortune. Though our lost sheep didn’t hold much monetary value, we searched relentlessly for him all the same. We desperately wanted him to come home. When he did, I was reminded that Jesus pursued me when I was still running away from Him in glad rebellion, in spite of the fact that I was running toward my own destruction.

Guilty, helpless, lost were we;
blameless Lamb of God was He,
sacrificed to set us free:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

I am prone to spiritual amnesia. It’s so easy for me to forget how lost I was apart from Christ. I need frequent reminders that I was once a wayward lamb, helpless, and vulnerable to an Enemy who “is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8). I didn’t save myself from that desperate situation. I couldn’t. Jesus made a way for me to come home and then came looking for me to show me the path back.  

Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Text and Tune: Philip P. Bliss, 1875

Man of sorrows what a name
for the Son of God, who came
ruined sinners to reclaim:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned He stood,
sealed my pardon with His blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Guilty, helpless, lost were we;
blameless Lamb of God was He,
sacrificed to set us free:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

He was lifted up to die;
“It is finished” was His cry;
now in heaven exalted high:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
then anew this song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Erin Davis is an author, blogger, and speaker who loves to see women of all ages run to the deep well of God’s Word. When she’s not writing, you can find Erin chasing chickens and children on her small farm in the Midwest.