“Asleep in the Light”

One of the great questions in heaven might be,

“How many Christians were awakened from slumbar and lethargy for the things of God simply by the Spirit of God causing them to hear Keith Green sing this song?”

I’ll bet the numbers will be astronomically high.

The fifth song on Side A of Keith Green’s 1978 LP, NO COMPROMISE, is called “Asleep in the Light”. It’s a song that analyzed the church atmosphere in the 1970’s that Keith was born again into. It is a sad picture. And if it was a sad and passionless church in Keith’s day what might he say now of the American Church 42 years later?

I think he might be stunned at how wide awake his time was in comparison! This song breathes a passion for life and God and people that most today know nothing about. Keith was traveling close to the heart of God. Could you image a church of any size filled with such passion as you hear in this song? Can you imagine what tears they might shed and what prayers they might pray, and what deeds of love they might do to reach their neighbors with the gospel? Let’s be those people. Let’s weep until we become this passionate ourselves.

Asleep in the Light

[Verse 1]
Do you see? Do you see?
All the people sinking down?
Don’t you care? Don’t you care?
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb?
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done

[Verse 2]
“Oh, bless me, Lord! Bless me, Lord!”
You know, it’s all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts
No one even sheds one tear
But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds
And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back and keep soaking it in

[Chorus 1]
Oh, can’t you see it’s such sin?
‘Cause He brings people to your door
And you turn them away
As you smile and say:
“God bless you, be at peace!”
And all Heaven just weeps
‘Cause Jesus came to your door
You’ve left Him out on the streets

[Verse 3]
Open up, open up
And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries
So how can you delay?
God’s calling
And you’re the one
But like Jonah, you run
He’s told you to speak but you keep holding it in

[Chorus 2]
Oh, can’t you see it’s such sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can’t fight ’cause it’s asleep in the light
How can you be so dead when you’ve been so well fed?
Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you can’t even getta out of bed
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead
Come on, get out of your bed

[Bridge]
How can you be so numb, not to care if they come?
You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done
You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done
Don’t close your eyes, don’t pretend the job’s done

[Outro]
Come away, come away
Come away with Me, My love
Come away from this mess
Come away with Me, My lo-o-ove
Come away from this mess
Come away with Me, My love
Come away
Come away with Me, My love

The cover by Marc Martel might be the best cover of any song ever. Close your eyes, and you will swear it its Keith himself singing. And yet . . . Marc is wonderfully talented, and yet . . . it still ends up, in my analysis (and maybe I’m wrong) but it comes off as a performance by Marc whereas with Keith, it feels like a heart standing naked before God and the world in its hope for a revived church.