The Scripture
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8, KJV)
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19, KJV)
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17, KJV)
The Heart of It
Having answered the call, we come to the question of how to walk it, and the answer is gentler than we expect. It turns out that boldness and lowliness are not opposites but partners, and that the way up in God's kingdom always runs through the way down. This song is an unhurried lesson in the shape of a surrendered life. Come as you are, it says, but do not stay there.
The heart of this song is the beautiful paradox that "the bold heart kneels the lowest." We often imagine that boldness means standing tall and refusing to bend. But Micah defines the good life differently. What the Lord requires is to do justly, to love mercy, and, at the center of it all, to "walk humbly with thy God." The truest courage is the courage to kneel, to walk low and close beside our God rather than striding ahead of Him.
This is why repentance is such good news. Peter does not say, "Repent, and try harder." He says, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Turning is not the punishment; it is the doorway to the "times of refreshing" that come from the presence of the Lord. What looks like defeat, the giving up of the old self, is actually the beginning of healing. James adds the promise that seals it: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4:10), for "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6).
So this song refuses to let humility feel like humiliation. To be true is to be honest before the Father, and honesty is the door that lets Him in. The psalmist knew it long ago: "a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." He does not require us to arrive whole. He asks only that we begin, that we come as we are with every burden and every stain, and then that we do not stay there. Boldness gets us to our knees. Humility keeps us there. Truth opens the door. And grace does the rest.
More Witnesses: Latter-day Scripture
Later scripture gathers around this same low and holy ground. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin urges us to put off the natural man and become as a child, submissive, meek, and humble (Mosiah 3:19). Moroni records the Lord's own promise that He gives us weakness so that we may be humble, and that His grace turns weak things strong for those who will humble themselves before Him (Ether 12:27). Humility is not where God leaves us; it is where His strength begins.
The Doctrine and Covenants offers the tender assurance that meets the humble heart. There the Lord tells His servant to be humble, promising that He will lead him by the hand and give answer to his prayers (Doctrine and Covenants 112:10). Apostle, psalmist, prophet, and these latter witnesses all point the same direction. The way up is down, and grace waits at the bottom.
How the Song Carries It
The song carries its theme by holding three words together and letting them balance. It opens with the invitation to "come as you are, but do not stay there," and immediately gives us the paradox at its core: "The bold heart kneels the lowest, the humble rises again." The pre-chorus quiets our fear with the reminder that "there is no shame in turning, turning is the way toward light."
The chorus gathers the whole counsel of Micah into a single breath, "walk justly, love kindly," and pairs it with the promise, "there is grace enough for you," letting "the healing flow." The second verse names the heart of it, that "honesty before the Father is the door that lets Him in," and offers the freeing truth that "He does not ask for your perfection, He asks you to begin." Then the bridge lifts Peter's words straight into worship, calling us to "repent and be converted" so "the times of refreshing come," and it closes where the album is always pointing: "every step of turning is a step toward home."
The Lyrics
Come as you are, but do not stay there,
bring every burden, every stain.
The bold heart kneels the lowest,
the humble rises again.
There is no shame in turning,
turning is the way toward light.
Be bold, be humble, be true,
let mercy make you new.
Lay it down and turn around,
there is grace enough for you.
Walk justly, love kindly,
and let the old self go:
be bold, be humble, be true,
and let the healing flow.
Honesty before the Father
is the door that lets Him in.
He does not ask for your perfection,
He asks you to begin.
So repent and be converted,
let the times of refreshing come.
Every step of turning
is a step toward home.
A Blessing
May you have the boldness to kneel and the humility to stay, and may the times of refreshing come to you from the presence of the Lord. He does not ask for your perfection, only for your turning, and there is grace enough for you. Come as you are, lay it down, and let the old self go. Be bold, be humble, and be true. Go in peace.
Scripture References
- Acts 3:19
- James 4:6, 4:10
- Micah 6:8
- Psalm 51:17
- Mosiah 3:19 (Book of Mormon)
- Ether 12:27 (Book of Mormon)
- Doctrine and Covenants 112:10