Singer/songwriter Chris Rice is one of my favorites in the contemporary Christian music field. His “James Taylorish” voice and acoustic style is one that I enjoy. His song “Hallelujahs” beautifully captures the theme of Psalm 19. Rice also acknowledges the sometimes pathos and struggle of the Christian life. “I Need a Hero” is one of those songs that has touched me:

Was I the only one to notice
That human nature doesn’t work that way
They tell me if I look deep inside me
That I can find my own way
I only find a rebel and a fool there
Who won’t admit that he’s afraid
I thought I was holdin’ on to freedom
But locked my soul up in chains

I need a hero
Who’ll dare to find me
Fly to my rescue
And crash through the wall
Announce my freedom
Bring me to my senses
Gather me into his strong arms
And carry me off. . . to safety [1]

I think these lyrics illustrate the battle Paul speaks of in Romans 7:14-25. As we finished Romans 7 on Sunday, we saw the struggle that Paul acknowledged between knowing the rightness of the law and the wrongness of his sin. As much as the inner being (the new man) wants to be in agreement with God’s law, the flesh (the old man) continues to have its sway:

²¹ So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:21-24, NIV)

As a proponent of recovery ministry, [2] I initially disagreed with the concept of being a “recovering” [insert your hurt, hang-up or habit]. However, I have come to understand the term in relation to my own sinfulness. Chuck Swindoll says:

All of us are chronically addicted to sin. Long after we are saved, our bodies crave that which gave us short-term pleasure and caused long-term anguish. And the pull to indulge the craving for sin will always be a part of our lives…at least until we are freed from “the body of this death” (v. 24). As for the present? “Wretched man that I am!” [3]

But, we are able to rejoice with Paul (and Rice) that we have a Hero to rescue us from the wretched men (and women) that we are: Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v. 25). Rice finishes his last verse with the plea:

Well, I don’t quite know how to do this
But Jesus, I can’t save myself
So here I go calling out for mercy
And crying out for Your help
(So if You hear me…)
I need a hero

So, if you find yourself in the midst of this struggle, cry out for help to the only One who can rescue you, Jesus Christ our Lord. He will hear you and respond with forgiveness and cleansing!  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9, NIV).

YOUR RESPONSE:

• While God has forgiven our past, present and future sins on the Cross, we are sometimes negligent in acknowledging our sins – recognizing our own wretchedness. One of the important stages of recovery programs is to write out a spiritual inventory. This exercise of looking at the good and the bad of your life helps to see areas of your life that are not under the Lordship of Christ – that need repentance and amends.  Here is an online assessment from the Navigator ministry to begin that process. Be sure to download the additional Bible study.  http://www.navigators.org/us/75/sit

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1  Chris Rice © 1995 Clumsy Fly Music (admin. by Rocketown Music LLC) (ASCAP)

2  I strongly recommend the recovery ministry of Celebrate Recovery. Developed by John Baker, C.R. is a Christ-centered, Twelve Step ministry that has the purpose of celebrating God´s healing power through the “8 Recovery Principles.” Anyone with a “hurt, hang up and habit” is welcome to Crest Baptist’s C.R. meetings on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.

3  Chuck Swindoll, Insights on Romans, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights (Grand Rapids: Zondervon, 2010),154.