At times part of a song gets “stuck” in my mind and I keep repeating it over and over. I am sure you experience the same thing. But as I get older I realize more and more how the Lord God uses all kinds of things to impress us with His purposes. For several weeks now I keep repeating in my mind, “And my unworthiness.”

Finally, I have come to believe that God is telling me something. I looked up the song containing this phrase and it is “Beneath the Cross of Jesus,” by Elizabeth C. Clephane, written in 1872. This is a hymn that many of you and I have sung throughout our church-going years. It is a very beautiful hymn, but the message is quite clear that Christ has so much glorious love for mankind that He suffered horribly and died for all who believe in Him. Another part of the message is particularly appropriate, and that is how unworthy I was, and am, to benefit from God’s tremendous love of me.

This brings to mind another oft-repeated phrase, “For such a worm as I.” This one comes from Isaac Watts in 1707. The song is entitled, “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed.” The word “worm” was changed in later editions to “sinners,” but I think “worm” better expresses the idea. For we, compared with what God expects, are as low as worms, and we certainly are unworthy.

As I age I am more and more conscious of how unworthy I am. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” How very true, as everything is that the Lord said! You and I could never deserve the love God demonstrated for us in the death of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But how humbling and thankful to God for you and me to realize this fact. How compelling it is for us to want to please our heavenly Father. We are to love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). He is our Father in heaven and will be with us, not only on Earth but throughout eternity. What a great blessing!

I feel more and more sorry each day for unbelievers. They have not only a grim destination (hell) but also the lack of comfort and wise counsel that God, through the Holy Spirit, provides to all who believe in and have trusted their souls to Christ. They lack the hope of heaven that we believers have and the love of God and of other Christians who support our psyches and keep us content and joyful.

Most people, even a lot of Christians, do not recognize or admit their unworthiness. Their pride is the problem. But how fortunate are we who do finally realize that we are mere worms and so unworthy? This helps to make us more humble. It is not that we do not love ourselves. It is just that we know the truth about ourselves in light of our “old man” that Paul spoke to us. It is that we realize that, how hard we try, we are still sinners saved by grace.

How very precious is our God and Savior, that He was willing to die a horrible death of torture for such unworthy worms that we are!