I glance down at my fingers
They are covered in black
They are covered in my sins and my shame
They are covered in all the times I blamed Him

Ashamed and with my head hung low,
I approach His holy throne
I confess, “Lord, my hands are stained. I don’t deserve to be in Your presence.”

The Lord stands up,
His white robe flowing around Him
He bends down and reaches out to take my hands
I look at him quizzically
“Lord, my hands are filthy. I can’t touch someone as holy and pure as You.”

Still, His hands reach out for mine
Hesitantly, I put my hands into His
He wraps His hands around mine
I can feel the nail scars
He smiles at me tenderly and declares,

“You are clean”

I look at Him, confused at what He can mean,
For I know my hands and heart are the opposite of clean
The Lord leans down and whispers in my ear,
“Dear one, you are forgiven. All is well”

His peace washes over me
I feel His love flowing through me
He gently lets go of my hands
I gasp as I look at them

My once black stained hands
Are now clean again

I gasp as I look down at my clothes,
No longer dusty from the long road,
But white as snow
Pure as a dove
A robe fit for a king

I gaze at my Lord, tears in my eyes
All I can say over and over again is “Thank You”
My hands are clean and my heart is pure
The Lord took my shame and took my filth away
He bends down to meet my eyes—
“Go and sin no more”

I nod and slowly get up off the floor
The Lord embraces me tightly, as His arms go around me

I know I am forgiven
I know I am clean
I didn’t deserve His forgiveness
I didn’t deserve to be made whole, but the Lord took mercy upon a sinner like me

Where I saw ashes,
He saw beauty
Where I saw sin,
He saw forgiveness

When I was filthy,
He made me clean
Not just from the outside,
But from the inside as well

A tear trickles down my face
The Lord gently wipes it away
He bends down, and with a kiss on my forehead,
He takes my hand and leads me out of the palace

To a place where I will live for the rest of my days
To the place where we will always praise
Praise His holy Name
Praise Him for taking our shame
To a place where He gives us a new name:

Forgiven
Freed
Redeemed
Chosen
Seen
Loved
Treasured
Pure
Irreplaceable

Will you accept His mercy?
Will you let Him take your sin and shame away?
Will you embrace your new name?
He wants to free you
He wants to love you
He wants to take away your shame
Will you let Him?