Bebo Norman - Mary's Prayer Lyrics
Lyrics
Sleep baby Jesus, close Your weary eyes
Hide Yourself in faithful dreams before You live Your life
And slip away to Heaven and rest in gentle peace
Never to awaken the Lord Your soul to keep
'Cause Your feet will walk on water
Your eyes will pierce the dark
And Your heart will save the souls of men
Your hands will bear the scars
Sleep baby Jesus, for now Your time has come
To heal the wounded leper, to calm the raging storm
With perfect steps of perfect grace You leave behind Your fear
And walk along these dusty roads though Your fate is clear
'Cause Your feet walked on water
Your eyes pierced the dark
And Your heart will save the souls of men
Your hands will bear the scars
Sleep baby Jesus, my Father and my child
Beneath this broken cross of sin stained with men's denial
And though You now are breathless with thorns upon Your head
Your body has been broken so Your children can be fed
Cause Your feet have walked on water
Your eyes have pierced the dark
Your heart has saved the souls of men
But Your hands now bear the scars
And Your feet have walked on water
Your eyes have pierced the dark
And Your heart has saved the souls of men
Your hands now bear the scars
Video
Mary's Prayer
Meaning & Inspiration
Bebo Norman's "Mary's Prayer," released on October 22, 1997, as part of his album *Joy*, offers a profoundly moving and theologically rich meditation on the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, viewed through the unique lens of His mother, Mary. The song delves deep into the paradox of Christ's divinity and humanity, presenting a mother's tender hopes, agonizing fears, and ultimately, her resolute faith in the face of her son's predetermined destiny. It captures a timeless maternal longing for peace for her child, interwoven with an acute awareness of His divine mission and the suffering it entailed, providing listeners with an intimate perspective on the monumental story of salvation.
The opening verses of "Mary's Prayer" envision Mary cradling the infant Jesus, a poignant scene where she pleads for Him to "Sleep baby Jesus, close Your weary eyes / Hide Yourself in faithful dreams before You live Your life." This is a mother's universal wish to shield her child from pain, a yearning for Him to "slip away to Heaven and rest in gentle peace / Never to awaken the Lord Your soul to keep." It's a deeply human response, wishing for an escape from the profound suffering she knows awaits Him, an almost impossible desire for Him to remain in an innocent, divine state, untouched by the world's sorrows and the weight of His purpose. Yet, even in this protective embrace, Mary's heart already comprehends the magnitude of who her son is, a paradox beautifully captured in her lament. This maternal foresight echoes the prophetic words spoken to her by Simeon in Luke 2:34-35, where he tells her a "sword will pierce your own soul too."
The song then transitions into a powerful prophetic declaration, outlining the inevitable course of Jesus’s ministry and sacrifice. The chorus proclaims, "Your feet will walk on water / Your eyes will pierce the dark / And Your heart will save the souls of men / Your hands will bear the scars." Each line is saturated with biblical truth. "Your feet will walk on water" immediately calls to mind the miraculous event in Matthew 14:22-33, demonstrating Christ's authority over creation. "Your eyes will pierce the dark" speaks to His role as the Light of the World, revealing truth and dispelling spiritual blindness, as declared in John 8:12. "Your heart will save the souls of men" encapsulates the essence of the Gospel, recalling John 3:16 and Romans 5:8, affirming God’s immeasurable love manifested through Christ's sacrifice. Finally, "Your hands will bear the scars" foreshadows the crucifixion, a direct reference to Isaiah 53:5 and the physical evidence of His suffering, which would later be shown to Thomas in John 20:25-27.
As the song progresses, Mary's contemplation moves beyond infancy to the threshold of Jesus's public ministry, recognizing that "Your time has come / To heal the wounded leper, to calm the raging storm." These lines highlight specific miracles from the Gospels, such as the healing of the leper in Matthew 8:1-4 and the calming of the storm in Mark 4:35-41, demonstrating His power and compassion. The lyrics "With perfect steps of perfect grace You leave behind Your fear / And walk along these dusty roads though Your fate is clear" offer a profound insight into Christ's human experience. While He was fully human and subject to temptation (Hebrews 4:15), He walked with unwavering divine grace and resolute purpose towards His known destiny, as Luke 9:51 states, He "set His face to go to Jerusalem." The repetition of the chorus, subtly shifting to past tense for the miraculous deeds—"Your feet walked on water / Your eyes pierced the dark"—acknowledges the fulfillment of these prophecies, yet keeps "Your heart will save the souls of men" and "Your hands will bear the scars" in the future or ongoing tense, underscoring the enduring nature of His redemptive work and the certainty of His suffering.
The final stanza reaches the song's most poignant and theologically profound moment, placing Mary directly beneath the cross. She addresses Jesus with the breathtaking paradox: "Sleep baby Jesus, my Father and my child." This line expresses her full understanding of Christ's dual nature – the son she bore, yet also her Creator and the second person of the Trinity (John 1:1, 14). She acknowledges the scene "Beneath this broken cross of sin stained with men's denial," recognizing the cross as the epicenter of humanity's fall and rejection of God. The raw reality of His death is described: "And though You now are breathless with thorns upon Your head," referencing the crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29) and His final breath (Luke 23:46). The ultimate purpose of His sacrifice is then revealed: "Your body has been broken so Your children can be fed." This is a clear allusion to the spiritual nourishment provided by His broken body, echoing the words of institution for communion in 1 Corinthians 11:24, where His body is broken for the salvation and sustenance of believers. The final iteration of the chorus, with all verbs in the past tense – "Your feet *have* walked on water / Your eyes *have* pierced the dark / Your heart *has* saved the souls of men / But Your hands *now* bear the scars" – serves as a powerful affirmation of completed work. The scars, once a future certainty, are now a present reality, a tangible, eternal testament to His suffering, resurrection, and triumphant victory over sin and death, a permanent mark of His everlasting love and sacrifice (Revelation 5:6). "Mary's Prayer" is a deeply inspiring journey through the heart of the Gospel, inviting us to contemplate the immense cost of our salvation and the unwavering love of the Mother and the Son.