When I Survey the Wondrous Cross: The Moment All My Pride Died”
Opening:
After the reverence of “Were You There” and the clinging of “Old Rugged Cross,” this song from the playlist hits differently. This wasn’t just about bowing or clinging; this was about the total dismantling of my own ego. “When I Survey” is the full-bodied, all-consuming response where sorrow and love flow. It’s not just a reflection; it’s a total re-calibration of value. Re-calibration by sledgehammer.
The Hymn’s Power / Leadership in Living the Ask:
“When I survey the wondrous cross…and pour contempt on all my pride.”
Contempt as defined in 1828 – The act of despising; the act of viewing or considering and treating as mean, vile and worthless; disdain; hatred of what is mean or deemed vile. This word is one of the strongest expressions of a mean opinion which the language affords.
That is literally death to self, extraction of ego.
Walking the Talk
This is the model that Jesus literally embodied by going to the cross for each of us. The one and only “In the beginning, God” is so God. He is so above man, and yet He spared no detail in word or action as to how we should live if we want to follow Him. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 …”If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
That is the ultimate leadership. Jesus lived the very ask quoted in Matthew. As only God would and could do, Jesus spoke these words before He went to the cross. Yet, somehow we have the gall to think something of ourselves? We are so small in every way.
Re-Calibration by Sledgehammer
I cannot read these words or listen to them in the great hymn without being overwhelmed in my own ineptitude. That’s how it should be. Read these words:
“See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
What do you see in those words? How do they make you feel?
The Tsunami That Hits Like A Sledgehammer
Here is what I see. I see a torrent, no, I see a tsunami of sorrow and love pouring from a man who never ceased being God. This is literally God sparing no detail in yet another definition of The Way, The Truth, and The Life. The weight of this is so powerful that we should run in picking up our cross to follow Him.
Nobody Said This Would Be Easy
God is love. There are no ands or buts in that phrase. What we know of love is purely God, and we know so little in this area. Yet, He loved us so much that He gave His own Son to pay our debt. Our debt for being humans with free will by which we choose sin over and over again.
So there is sorrow. Think of sorrow like this: The uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good: or of frustrated hopes of good, or expected loss of happiness; to grieve; to be sad.
From the cross Jesus poured out an unpredictable tidal wave of love and sorrow. This was not easy for Him either. Still, God’s love for us trumped that uneasiness. Taking up our own cross is not easy. But it has been modeled for us. And the reward? Well, the reward is provided by God Almighty, so I think I will take my chances.
You May Approach
Militarily speaking a subordinate should approach a higher command with the principles of respect, preparation, and conciseness. As in, with respect, anticipating the ask, and economy of language (among other things).
That is how I see my approach to the cross, where the Highest of Commands literally gave of Himself in my stead. Were I the only one born unto this world, He would have done the same. The torrent from the cross is now understood. From my simple, human eyes now come a torrent of tears.
Humbly I Bow With Reverence And Anticipation
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Like I said, God is love and we don’t know the half of it. I do know that to follow Him, as I pray often to do, it demands my soul, my life, my all. As was modeled for me 2,000 years ago.
The Hymn Writer
This hymn is considered by many to be the finest hymn in the English language, and for good reason. Isaac Watts takes us from an intellectual observation of the cross to a complete surrender of everything we hold dear.
Oh, the words are like a jumper cable from the cross. A Spirit-Injected charge to awaken my Sleeper Soul into action for my Lord and Savior.
By the way, you may recognize another hymn written by Isaac Watts.
Joy To The World
“Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns;
Our mortal songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy.”
Hmm, and I think about how the earth reacted to the death of Jesus on the cross.
There were no details spared in the Holy Word of God. They all point us toward Him.
Perhaps we should all take up our cross and follow.
Listen to the hymn that moved me:
Visit my “Resurrection Hymns” page to hear “When I Survey” and other songs from this playlist:
More reflections coming soon:
This is third in a series of posts about these powerful hymns. Check back in the coming days as I share how other songs from the Resurrection Of A King playlist impacted me. Set in motion from that Easter Sunday playlist that followed me all through northern New England the next day.
Watch my video reflection on this hymn: My YouTube Short Video on this