Don’t Leave Me This Way
I will raise my hand and I’ll stand for You
Give up all of the plans that I planned for You
As I leave my seat and walk the aisle for You
I’m leaving my past behind
As the man of God starts to pray for me
Is that my voice I hear as I fall to my knees
Will I ever change…will the change be complete
Oh God don’t leave me this way
God don’t leave me this way
I’m confused by the things that I’m feeling today
Got me down on my knees can’t keep running away
Oh God don’t leave me this way
I will dedicate my life to You
Give You all that I have, sacrifice for You
Take this hurt, heal my pain, make me whole once again
Hear my cry, don’t leave me this way
God don’t leave me this way
I’m confused by the things that I’m feeling today
I need all that You have can’t keep running way
Oh God don’t leave me this way
Oh God don’t leave me this way
Got me doubting the things that I do and I say
Change my heart, set me free, take this burden from me
Heal me God, don’t leave me this way
I
wrote this song in the wee hours as I was reading Keith Green’s biography “No Compromise” penned by his widow Melody. She wrote about the day Keith said Yes to Christ and how she sat next to him in fear, not wanting to turn her back on her Jewish roots and wondering how he can back away from what he had learned in Christian Science. She lamented not raising her hand thinking it was too late because the moment had passed and then continued recounting how during the week she asked questions, read the word herself and was convinced that Yeshua was in fact the Messiah and could not wait to get back to church as she said, “hoping that she would be asked to raise her hands again” only to once again be paralyzed with fear when the time came to raise her hand.
I took it a step further imagining what it would look like for that person who was in pain; who was being drawn by Him, but was unsure and afraid to make a commitment for fear that change would not follow her decision leaving her exposed and unchanged. I admit to having similar doubts about my ability to change or be changed. Part of me didn’t think there was anything wrong with me. I 
wasn’t a bad person..so I cussed and smoked (big deal) and I probably would have been liquored up quite a bit if I enjoyed the taste more. So I had a quick temper, could hold a grudge real good, “sorry” to me was the cuss word I never said. So? Those were minor sins which I could deal with when I got around to church and confession. I hadn’t killed anyone, so I was cool. Like Melody, I was steeped in religion and the thought of change was something I had rejected. I went to church every blue moon, was actually scared of God and figured if I left Him alone, He’d leave me alone. All of that and everything about me changed when I said yes to Him. Unlike the girl in my song, I said yes to Him all by myself in my bedroom. People have challenged me asking me how saying a prayer (or reading it in my case – and it was called “The Sinner’s Prayer” which was cause for intimidation for someone who didn’t think she was a sinner…uh, that’s so negative!!) – could make a difference. I believed what I read and I yielded my broken heart to Him and those beautiful words I read began the process of repairing all that was broken in my life and in me. Simple words…big impact…big change. I had a conversation with my younger brother once who accused me of having a boring life. He said I couldn’t do anything fun…couldn’t drink, smoke or cuss. I told him I could do all that, have an affair and kill my husband too, but the difference was, that I didn’t want to (not that I ever wanted to kill my husband, mind you)!! 🙂 Change had come…
“Change my heart, set me free take this burden from me, heal me God, don’t leave me this way; take this hurt, heal my pain, make me whole once again, hear my cry, don’t leave me this way. He did…and He didn’t. He’s a promise keeper!
“It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God – “Jesus is my Master” – embracing body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” Romans 10:8-12 The Message Bible
Armoured Up 
Thanks for sharing your testimony Arlene.
We each have a different experience of coming to know and love the living God, and that is as it should be, because we are all different. The thing is that God is always the same. He meets us at our point of need, and He changes us, but He never changes. He is faithful.
What an amazing God!
Amen!! xx