Dathama Digu Kara Lyrics by Nishantha Fernando

With both your hands stretched out, gazing and gazing at me, stay, my Jesus
to comfort me, to rescue me, you come, my Jesus
from that time long ago, you walked here in the world, Lord Jesus
made strong by the Father’s gift, there you stood, my Jesus
you came to the world as light, to destroy the darkness, Jesus
you stroked my head and kissed me with a warm, tender feeling, Jesus
from the day I left you and went away, did you keep seeking me, Jesus?
from far off you called my name aloud and spoke to me, Jesus
why do you shed tears, as though in sorrow, oh, my Jesus?
forgive me, and heal my whole heart, Jesus

This is a warm, personal hymn, spoken directly to Jesus as to someone standing right in front of the singer with arms open. From the first line the picture is of welcome, “with both your hands stretched out, gazing and gazing at me, stay, my Jesus.” The outstretched hands recall both the embrace of the father in the prodigal son story and the arms of Christ on the cross, and the reason for them is stated at once, “to comfort me, to rescue me, you come.”

The middle lines recall who this Jesus is, “you walked here in the world,” “made strong by the Father’s gift,” and “you came to the world as light, to destroy the darkness.” But the theology quickly becomes intimate, tender to the point of tears: “you stroked my head and kissed me with a warm, tender feeling.” This is not a distant deity but a God who touches and holds.

The most moving turn is the singer’s dawning awareness of how faithfully he has been pursued. “From the day I left you and went away, did you keep seeking me?” and “from far off you called my name aloud.” He even notices Jesus weeping, “why do you shed tears, as though in sorrow?”, the sorrow of a love grieved by the one it loves. And so the song ends where the prodigal always ends, in repentance and hope, “forgive me, and heal my whole heart.” What the listener is left with is the deeply comforting image of a Jesus who never stopped searching, who weeps over the wanderer, and who stands with open arms, waiting to forgive and to make a broken heart whole again.