While I’m still thinking about my upcoming blog post, let me ask another question about lyrics. (The first question is here.)

This past Sunday we sang the hymn “Draw Me Nearer”, whose first verse says this:

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

I don’t understand the metaphor about rising in the arms of faith. Whose arms?

At first I assumed they were mine, but how can I rise in my own arms? That makes no sense as a metaphor.

So then I assumed it must mean Jesus’ arms. He takes me in his arms and draws me closer. But then, why are they called arms of faith? Does it mean that I draw close to him by his faith? Or that by my faith he lifts me up in his arms, and that is the “arms of faith”?

Maybe the song is personifying faith as something outside both me and Jesus. Faith personified provides arms that lift me up to Jesus, who then draws me closer to himself.

Some people think I worry too much about things like this! 🙂  But who’s worrying? I’m just wondering. Hence the blog name.