Jacob

My name is Jacob, and I'm a deceiver;
I plundered a blessing in my father's house....
I am a swindler, a wayward believer;
A lonely fugitive, looking for a spouse.

I'll lay down; I'll rest here; the day is ending.
I'm drifting. I'm dreaming! Tell me, Lord, am I?
I see angels, ascending and descending!
I see a great ladder reaching to the sky!

Why are you calling me?
What do you want from me?
How can I be holy, set apart for you?
Can you really change me? Can you make me new?
How can a vagrant fraud
Become a man of God?
A nation in my loins? My past you will dispel?
This is the house of God! I will call it Bethel.

Can an imposter become a holy man?
I am a birthright thief; can you fix my heart?
Rely on my own strength? I pretend I can.
Esau I deceived, but you I can't outsmart.

So desperate, so weary, but I can not rest.
Show me mercy, Lord! Tell me I need not roam.
I won't let go of you till you brand me blessed,
Even if I have to limp my way back home.

Why have you chosen me?
How can you work through me?
How can I be holy, set apart for you?
Can you really change me? Can you make me new?
How can a mortal flawed
Become a man of God?
A nation in my loins! My past you shall dispel!
Yes, Lord, I'll be your son, your grateful Israel.


© 2018 David Acosta Perez