Must I Go, and Empty-Handed?

I’ve had the following hymn on my heart this week…

“Must I go, and empty-handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?

Refrain:
“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty-handed go?

Not at death I shrink or falter,
For my Savior saves me now;
But to meet Him empty-handed,
Thought of that now clouds my brow.

“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty-handed go?

Oh, the years in sinning wasted,
Could I but recall them now,
I would give them to my Savior,
To His will I’d gladly bow.

“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty-handed go?

Oh, ye saints, arouse, be earnest,
Up and work while yet ’tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,
Strive for souls while still you may.

“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty-handed go?

(Charles C. Luther)

The lyrics are not what one would call “happy” or “joyful”…but rather sober and soul-searching. While thinking on the chorus again this morning, the following verse came to my mind –

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

This verse implies that the songs we sing should teach and/or admonish us in our Christian walk. This hymn, written in 1877, would fall under the category of admonition. Although there are still many good songs being written today, sometimes I fear we are getting away from hymns that make us feel uncomfortable – lyrics that convict us.

The story behind this hymn is as follows:

[ Lu­ther heard Rev. A. G. Up­ham tell the sto­ry of a young man who was about to die. He’d on­ly been a Christ­ian for a month, and was sad be­cause he’d had so lit­tle time to serve the Lord. He said, “I am not afraid to die; Je­sus saves me now. But must I go em­pty hand­ed?” This in­ci­dent prompt­ed the writ­ing of the song. ]

While reading that account this morning I couldn’t help but think – this young man, though only saved a month, was grieved because he was dying and had had so little time to serve the Lord. Yet, how many of us (myself included) who have been saved for years, will have many wasted hours, days, years for which to give an account?

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4