Hold Me Jesus

Rich Mullins wrote “Hold Me Jesus” as a frank prayer from someone whose faith feels small. The opening lines admit that life sometimes makes no sense, the mountains look big and faith “just seems so small.” He asks Jesus to hold him “'cause I'm shaking like a leaf,” and adds that since Jesus has been King of his glory, he would like him to be his Prince of Peace.

The second verse describes waking in the night and feeling the dark, with a soul so hot that there seem to be blisters on his heart. Then comes the line that many listeners remember: surrender doesn't come naturally to him. He says he would rather fight God for something he doesn't really want than take what God gives that he needs. After beating his head against many walls, he falls to his knees. The last scene is a Salvation Army band playing a hymn, and God's grace ringing out so deep that his resistance seems thin. He returns to the plea, “Hold me, Jesus.” The song is known for its honesty about doubt and stubbornness, and it ends with the quiet surrender the earlier lines said was hard.

Trusting God when afraid is Psalm 56:3. The Prince of Peace is Isaiah 9:6, and yielding to the Father's will is Matthew 26:39.