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Come Lord Jesus

Great is the darkness that covers the earth

Oppression, injustice and pain

Nations are slipping in hopeless despair

Though many have come in your name

Watching while sanity dies

Touched by the madness and lies


Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus

Pour out your spirit we pray

Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus

Pour out your spirit on us today.


May now your church rise

With power and love

This glorious gospel proclaim

In every nation salvation will come

To those who believe in your name

Help us bring light to this world

That we might speed your return.


Great celebrations on that final day

When out of the heavens you come

Darkness will vanish

All sorrows will end

And rulers will bow at your throne

Our great commission complete

Then face to face we shall meet.

Words and music Gerald Coates and Noel Richards. 2015

We haven’t sung this in church for a while but the words of this song are prophetic and speak to our situation now. As you read or sing or listen to the lyrics, every line seems to resonate with our current situation and can inform the way we pray.

The first verse is a stark reminder of our fallen creation, how far we have fallen from God’s standards and the implications of that rebellion for the nations. Watching while sanity dies….touched by the madness and lies.

The second verse is a call to action, a call to the church, the Body of Christ worldwide, to rise up and proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s the Great Commission Jesus gave us at the end of Matthew’s gospel.

Verse three is a triumphant and prophetic declaration of the victory won for us by Jesus and a glimpse of the joy we will know when we see him face to face having run a good race.

How do we respond to this in prayer? Verse one surely calls us to repent…. for ourselves but also on behalf of our nation for turning our face from God. Let’s pray that dangerous prayer of asking him to break our hearts for the things that break his.

The second verse calls us to rise up in power and love so let’s pray that we will respond and proclaim the gospel wherever and whenever we can. Let’s ask for the gift of faith and boldness so we will be effective.

And we can speak out those prophetic words of the third verse in faith and hope of what is to come. Oh Lord, open our mouths and our lips will proclaim your praise!

Finally, we can cry out to God the words of the chorus “Come Lord Jesus, pour out your spirit on us today!” As we approach Pentecost, let’s claim the promise of God that He will pour out his Spirit on all people. Acts 2:17 and Joel 2:28.

Mark Searle, 24/04/2020