Opening the song with the crack of thunder and the sound of pouring rain, nobody sings a song like this better than David Meece. His piano playing and voice bring a lot of emotion into the music and you can almost feel yourself standing at the foot of the cross of a dying man, soaked by the pouring rain.
How the rain and the darkness that fell upon that day must have hung heavy on the disciples as the few remaining stood watching their leader, the man that they put their hopes in, had been beaten, with all the brutality the Romans were known for, and killed as a lowly criminal.
I wonder if John felt that the world was truly coming to an end. That there was nothing left if the Son of God could be made to suffer and die as he had. What hope was there? If this would happen to a man who had the power to heal the sick, feed the hungry, give sight to the blind and raise the dead and claim to be the son of the Great I Am, then who else could escape the clutches of death? How could there be any hope? How could there be any victory?
Of course if that was the end of the story then we’d all be worse off, but it is not.
But, what is that he just said? Who was he addressing? His tortourers? His killers? The crowd that jeered at him and taunted him in his suffering? To all mankind, across the world? To the past, the present and the future?
The chorus is where Meece’s voice rising with emotion and strength. A statement of victory and hope. This is the strength of the cross that cannot be defeated. It is not in the brutality of the victor. It is in the meekness of the defeated. Though, he dies, yet he lives. Because of his sacrifice, God has given life to us, so that we need not suffer the death that he chose. He has shown us a better way.
The second verse, Meece describes, much like Paul did in books of the New Testament, what Jesus sacrifice on the cross means.
Now comes the final, victorious anthem of tHe victory. Here were realize that the music and the sounds of the rain have turned to the thunderous rise. This is our victory! This is our hope! He has paid the price of our sin! He has risen to life again! Never to be defeated! Never to be destroyed! Death has no victory. The grave holds no sting! Though we may say good-bye to our loved ones, it is only for a time.
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Forgiven, by David Meece
It was a cloudy day
The earth stood still
Man hung crying in the shadows
Of a hill called Calvary
An innocent man, belied and scorned
Had gladly borne the pain
And suffering for a world
That should have died there in His place
And as He did, He said,
“Forgive them no matter what they’ve done
Forgive them and tell them they are loved
And give to them a chance to go on living
And give to them a life that they could
never have before
Father, forgive them”
And to pay the price
He became the sacrifice
Surely, He carried all of my sorrows
And He bore my every grief
And did it willingly
He shed His blood for me
And through the tears, I still can see Him
Gaze with love upon the ones who cursed His name
He gave his all to say
We’re forgiven no matter what we’ve done
Forgiven and sheltered by His blood
And we’re given a chance to go on living
And we’re given a life that we could
never have before
No matter what we’ve done
Forgiven and sheltered by His blood
And we’re given a chance to go on living
Forgiven no matter what we’ve done
Forgiven and sheltered by His blood