Lord Do Not Pass Me By

“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant ” – Genesis 18:3

“Pass me not , O gentle Savior,

Hear my humble cry,

While on others Thou art calling

Do not pass me by.”

“My Lord, do not pass me by” is a cry for help. A cry when you are in need, to the sense of desperation. A cry with the burning desire to get hold of that source of hope, a source of strength and source of life. A cry that is founded on the knowledge that there is no one to help you but your Saviour.

We have a Saviour and His name is Jesus Christ. There is no other name that can save us but the name Jesus Christ. When you are plunged in that miry clay, Him alone can lift you up. When you are drowning in the sea of sorrows or troubles, Him alone can rescue you. You need to call on Him, cry out loud, “Lord Save Me.”

The two blind men who were sitting by the road, heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” They had that wonderful opportunity to receive the mercy of the only Saviour. It was so important for them not to let the Lord pass them by without blessing them. It was worth everything they were. The multitude tried to silence them but they had one thing on their mind, “Lord, do not pass me by!” They were blind, but they had a voice that was able to call upon Jesus as He passed by.

When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, could not let this opportunity pass him by. Fully aware of his short stature, he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him because He was going to pass that way. He was short but he had legs to carry him up the tree. In his heart I believe he was saying, “Lord, do not pass me by!” and indeed he caught the Master’s attention.

When Jesus passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, He entered a village where He met ten lepers. They changed their song and lifted their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Regardless of their illness, which barred them from being in contact with other people, they could not allow the Savior to pass them by.

Our Lord hears that humble cry. He is abundant in mercy, full of grace. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16).

There is one thing that was so crucial in the wonderful testimonies highlighted above. The awareness of who was passing by. The two blind men were aware that Jesus was passing by and turned a deaf ear to the crowd. Zacchaeus was a sinner, and he knew it, but he could not allow Jesus to pass him by. The ten lepers were outcast in society but could not allow the opportunity to receive merciful blessings from Jesus to pass them by.

When you are aware that Jesus is passing by, you forget about what people think of you. You forget your shortcomings. Your forget your position in society. You forget your usual way of doing things and you lay hold of Him. Deep inside you know that no one else can save you but Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

The important thing is to discern who has come to your shores. Abraham was sitting in the tent door in a very hot day. He discerned that the Lord had paid him a visit. “So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” (Genesis 18:2-3).

It is amazing that when Abraham looked up he saw three men standing, but when he went to meet them he said, “My Lord…” His physical, natural eyes were seeing three men standing but his spiritual eyes were seeing the Lord. He discerned in his spirit that the Lord was standing before Him. He was aware that this was a special visitation.

I do not know who were these three men. Most likely they were angels. But according to Abraham, it was the Lord Himself. I want to believe these three men symbolized the triune of God, that’s why Abraham addressed them as “My Lord” and he addressed himself as His ‘servant’. Whatever the case is, Abraham was conscious of the presence of the Lord.

Abraham was not only aware of the presence of the Lord, he went out to meet Him. As the custom in those days dictated, a visitor would stand and wait for an invite to the house (or tent). Likewise, the Lord is in your presence but He is waiting for your invitation. He is waiting for your humble cry. He is standing before you, fully aware of your situation. Are you going to stand there and watch Him pass by or you will run to meet Him just like Abraham?

Coming to the gentle Saviour requires one to believe in Him. Paul says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:10). Abraham was cognizant of this truth. He knew that the Lord whom he served is full of grace. That is why he asked, “…if I have found favor in Your sight…” Grace is defined as the divine favor towards man. This is the kind of favor that Abraham was asking from God.

What was the favor? “…do not pass on by Your servant.” Referring himself to a servant only reveals the humble heart of this man. Abraham was a man of God, who served God no matter what. A true servant of the Lord. He was making a humble request to his Master, the Almighty God.

Interestingly, God had purposed to come to Him. The Lord had no intention of passing him by. But He respects a person’s choice and decision. He is waiting for you to make a decision. Do you invite Him to save you? Do you allow Him to pass you by? My friend, I know that God has an answer to your troubles but He is waiting for your call. He is waiting for your invite.

When Abraham invited the Lord to his tent, He was actually inviting good news. God was there to confirm that indeed Sarah, despite her age, was going to conceive. “Is there anything too hard for the LORD?...” (Genesis 18:14).

My dear friend, the Savior is waiting for your humble cry. Call upon Him and say, “Lord, do not pass me by!”