Exegeting the Hymns #27 - Your Love Defends Me

Your Love Defends Me
w/m Hannah Kerr & Matt Maher

You are my joy You are my song
You are the well the One I'm drawing from
You are my refuge my whole life long
Where else would I go

Surely my God is the strength of my soul
Your love defends me
Your love defends me
And when I feel like I'm all alone
Your love defends me
Your love defends me

Day after day night after night
I will remember You're with me in this fight
Although the battle it rages on
The war's already won
I know the war is already won

We sing hallelujah
You're my portion my salvation
Hallelujah

This week focuses on a new praise chorus that we have done as a special, and are introducing to the MABC congregation in February.  Some songs are deeply theological to the point that the words need to be carefully studied to get all of the wonderful teaching. Then there are songs that are simple in their adoration for who God is and what He has done. Like Chris Tomlin’s “Good Good Father”, this song fits into the simple praise category and, in a set of songs on any given Sunday, this can be a nice contrast to the deeper songs.

You are my joy You are my song. Many believers place their source of joy in people, places, things, or events, but only those who get their joy from being “In Christ” will have a joy that never ends and doesn’t disappoint. When the Holy Spirit produces that true joy in us, the expressions feel like a song in our lives. We sing and make melody in our hearts to God. You are the well, the One I'm drawing from. This line reminds me of John 4 where Jesus meets the woman at the well and says, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” You are my refuge my whole life long. Where else would I go? No one else can offer what Jesus offers… the way, the truth, and the life.

Surely my God is the strength of my soul. Your love defends me. And when I feel like I'm all alone, Your love defends me. This chorus instantly made me ask the question, “Defends me from what?”  I think the answer is “What does the Love of Christ not defend us from?” It first and foremost defends us from God. What? We know that the wrath of God abides on the ungodly (John 3:26). God can “destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Because of God’s holiness and justice, every sin must be paid for, and God’s wrath, about to be poured out on us, was taken by Christ on the cross if we are His children. Christ stood in the way and bore the wrath of God aimed at us. His love defended us from God.  

His love also defends us from ourselves. We get in the way, we fall short, we are servants who fail our Master with every breath we take, but even when we are faithless, He remains faithful. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us from our sins and cleanse us (1 John 1:9). His love defends us from ourselves.  

He defends us from the attacks of the evil one. Satan can only do what God allows him to do. If we are oppressed by the evil one, God is allowing it. That is what sovereignty is. God is sovereign. Satan is not. There is no temptation that comes against us that God has not allowed and given a way of escape that we can bear it. His love defends us against the attacks of the evil one. There are many more things I’m sure, in your life, that you can give testimony to, as to how Jesus defends you. In ourselves, we can do nothing, but in His strength, we can do all He has called us to do.

Day after day night after night. I will remember You're with me in this fight. The fight here is our sanctification. Our salvation is not something we “work on with God”. He saves us. He makes us alive when we are dead. It is monergistic (done by God alone). Our sanctification, working out the salvation God has worked in us, however, is synergistic (the Holy Spirit works His fruit in us AND we strive for holiness and obedience). We are not alone in the spiritual battle to become like Christ. Although the battle it rages on. The war's already won. Our sanctification is won positionally in our salvation, but it is a war that is fought on a daily basis, and if we are faithful to the end, we know that one day, our practice will be the same as our position in Christ… Holy.

We sing hallelujah. You’re my portion my salvation. The song ends with a simple refrain of praise to the Defender of our souls… our Lord, our Christ Jesus.

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