How can a simple song be so powerful? Discover by listening to the following clip.
Holly Williams in “How Can You Refuse Him Now?”
More than half a century ago, Hank Williams Sr. wrote this hymn. The imagery of Jesus in writhing agony and his sufferings may have been too strong of a thought to the late Williams that he turned it into a song. Whether the reproof of rejecting Jesus was for himself or for the listeners, it still is a valid question to ask today.
“Real love is oftentimes refused…
Ever tried giving food to homeless people? Most are grateful while some aren’t. I had once an experience with a homeless guy who rejected the meal I was handing him. There were no people around yet I felt my face flushed with embarrassment. How could he refuse free meal? I thought. Even if he were full, he could have just saved it for later. He didn’t. He just ignored me and left.
Wasn’t that scenario the same with us? It took time before we finally received Jesus and his love. True, we could be so prideful that we act like we have no need for his. The reality? We need him the most.
It does not matter much that we acknowledge his story as factual. Unless we understand what ‘being loved by God’ means, his cross and sufferings will not appeal to us. They’ll be mere, sad things of the past and won’t affect us today. However, once we do, there’ll be a collection of testimonies of ‘Yes, Jesus loves me,’ and I was such a fool to delay my response.
Suppose you’re not there yet, what’s taking you long? Will you keep refusing him?
Tags
gospel, hank williams, honkytonk, hymn