When in the night I cannot sleep,
I ponder Jesus, on Thy wounds and suffering so deep,
My heart and soul do weep.
Beholding there Thine anguish in Gethsemane, on Calvary,
Thy torment there because of me,
What my sins have done to Thee.
I see the blood sweat on Thy lovely face,
How the bitter struggle of Thy mind and soul,
Marred Thy features in this agony so dreadful,
As my sins and from the world were pressed on Thee. –

 Then in the trial so unjust, none stood up, but all did flee,
Even of Thine own ones -Judas -Peter – did betray Thee – the Messiah,
Sent by God, to save mankind from its hopeless lot.
Condemned to death by Thine own nation by a hateful plot…
Then cruelly scourged, oh, when I think of it,
A surge of pain my reins does hit,
As brutally the whip slashed down, the blood to gush,
Each lash Thy bleeding back did crush.
O, sin, what did you do to One so lovely, innocent!
This heinous evil to the core – rebellion of the world and me
Has caused Thee Saviour, Son of God,
To be treated thus so violent…
Merciless the heavy cross was laid on Thee my God!
You could not bare it, no not now, too weak – You sank under it!
Every step was torture on the way to Calvary,
With people mocking, cursing on the side,
It was, they knew it not, to their own blight.
But the worst was yet to come, the most wicked deed
Of all ages to be done –
The crucifixion of Messiah, the Anointed, Son of God,
Son of man, who did only good, healed and loved all men.
It makes me shudder at the thought,
What sin had done to mankind – to murder – its own Creator!
And Thou never said one word, but with patience, love divine alone
Brings forth, Thou stretchest out Thine loving hands and feet,
Those hard and cruel spikes to meet!
What sigh, deep groan of woe and pain was in Thine heart,
When with heavy force they pushed the cross into the earth…
And Satan then assaulting Thee, deriding, sneering, cursing Thee,
Pressing hard against Thine soul and mind,
To discourage, taunting most unkind.
Oh – Lamb of God, Thine dignity,
In all this torment, is holy, divine majesty!
It was Thine love for all the world and me
Thou gave Thyself to pay the penalty,
For sin, that we go free.
As I behold the crown of thorns upon Thy brow,
The piercing of it oh, so awful, causing droplets of
Thy precious blood dripping down Thy face,
Yet no loving hand is there to wipe it off with grace!
Shame covers me and sorrow deep, truly causing me to weep.
Thy wounded head, Thy pierced hands and feet,
Thy bleeding body, aching soul, and broken heart –
was the reward – for love and doing good!
But death could not hold Thee God, my Saviour,
You resurrected, atoned my sin, are now in heaven,
As my High Priest, Redeemer, Intercessor.
I can come to Thee with all my clamour,
To find forgiveness, peace and rest.
Let every drop that flowed from Thee,
on the cruel cross now cover me,
To wash away my guilt and sin, make me all new within,
And stamp Thine image on my heart,
cause all earthliness depart,
And make me Christlike, obedient and faithful
To the last breath of mine,
To behold Thee in Thy glory, my Creator, Saviour, God sublime!
Amen.

Edda Tedford, Canada