REMEMBER ME
a Hymn Devotion for 11 June 2024 Anno Domini
the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Gospel of St. Luke 23:42-43; all scripture quoted is from the King James Bible)
This thoughtful hymn of 1787 is rhetorical in its plea for the Lord to remember us for He never forgets His Elect. The hymn is written from the point of view of the mortal’s plea from a state of faith that needs assurance. The author is Burnham, Richard, b. 1749, d. 1810 – a Baptist minister.
REMEMBER ME
1 Jesus, Thou art the sinner's friend,
As such I look to Thee.
Now in the depths of Thy great love,
O Lord, remember me.
2 Remember Thy pure word of grace,
Remember Calvary,
Remember all Thy dying groans,
And then remember me.
3 Thou wondrous advocate with God,
I yield myself to Thee.
While Thou art sitting on Thy throne,
O Lord, remember me.
4 I own I'm guilty, own I'm vile,
Yet Thy salvation's free.
Then, in Thy all abounding grace,
O Lord, remember me.
5 Howe'er forsaken or distressed,
Howe'er oppressed I be,
Howe'er afflicted here on earth,
Do Thou remember me.
1 Jesus, Thou art the sinner's friend, As such I look to Thee. Now in the depths of Thy great love, O Lord, remember me. Throughout His earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ never treated a sinner with contempt but with compassion. Even as He hung on the cross, His heart went out to the thief who expressed an appeal for remembrance in His Kingdom. If we look in faith to Christ at all, it must be as the sinner’s friend for such He is. He is that friend that “sticketh closer than a brother.” (see Proverbs 18:24) His love is of such depth as to be unfathomable.
2 Remember Thy pure word of grace, Remember Calvary, Remember all Thy dying groans, And then remember me. Perhaps equally important that the Lord ‘remember’ us is the fact that we, the suppliant, remember Him – not only in prayers of need, but also of praise and worship. Certainly every word spoken in God’s Holy word is as pure as silver – “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) It is true that our Lord remember us on the cross for our names were graven (cut) into the palms of His hands by the iron nails. “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:16) That represents a strong remembrance, does it not?
3 Thou wondrous advocate with God, I yield myself to Thee. While Thou art sitting on Thy throne,
O Lord, remember me. Our Lord is our ONLY Advocate and High Priest Intercessor for those of us who yield our wills to Him before the Father. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) and as the Creed says, He sits on the right hand of God the Father.
4 I own I'm guilty, own I'm vile, Yet Thy salvation's free. Then, in Thy all abounding grace, O Lord, remember me. The means of being accounted worthy before God is to realize that we are totally unworthy. We are guilty, vile sinners who were dead in trespasses and sins before the power of the Holy Spirit awakened us to our dire situation as lost souls. Yes, to us, His salvation is free, but it cost our Lord the terrible torture and death on the cross, and the Father the excruciating pain of beholding that torture of His only Begotten Son whom He freely gave to redeem us. His grace is so abounding as to absolve us of every sin.
5 Howe'er forsaken or distressed, Howe'er oppressed I be, Howe'er afflicted here on earth, Do Thou remember me. It is at the moments of our greatest distress and affliction that we need the assurance that Christ will remember us through those perils and see us through – and He will! “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10) The greater question remains as stated earlier – not that the Lord remember us, but that we remember Him always. He will never forget, but we may forget if our faith waxes uncertain.
