William McDowell - Wrap Me In Your Arms Lyrics

“Wrap Me in Your Arms” by William McDowell is a prayer for nearness. The first verse says the singer is drawing near again to dwell with God, which is called the only desire of the heart. It then admits that the one thing the singer can do is fall on the knees and cry, and asks to be cleansed with fire and to have the heart purified.

The chorus is the request itself: “Draw me close, closer than before, closer than I’ve ever been,” followed by the repeated line “Wrap me in your arms.” The bridge asks to be taken to a secret place with God and says, “You can make me like you,” so closeness leads to change.

The themes are close to James 4:8, which says to draw near to God, Psalm 27:4 on desiring to dwell with Him, and Psalm 91:1 on the secret place. The line about cleansing is close to Psalm 51:10. The song is quiet, repetitive and focused on closeness.