You Are Mine
I will come to you in the silence
"You Are Mine" operates theologically as a sustained proclamation of divine initiative in the relationship between God and humanity. Each stanza is cast in the first person divine voice—God speaking directly to the worshiper—a literary device that places the entire weight of the salvific relationship on God's action rather than human response. The stanzas name God as presence in silence and fear (stanza 1), as hope and light for the despairing (stanza 2), as strength and healing for the broken and shamed (stanza 3), and as the liberating Word and peace of Christ (stanza 4). The refrain clinches the theological argument: divine initiative ("I have called you"), divine promise ("I will bring you home"), and divine love ("I love you") ground the baptismal claim ("you are mine"). This is a thoroughgoing theology of grace operating entirely from God's side. For Lutheran liturgical use, the text fits remarkably well within a baptismal theology shaped by Luther's understanding of baptism as God's ongoing claim upon the believer. The phrase "I have called you each by name" echoes Isaiah 43:1 and resonates with Luther's injunction in times of spiritual struggle to return to one's baptism: "Baptizatus sum"—"I have been baptized." The divine first-person voice in the hymn functions as a kind of liturgical enactment of the external Word (verbum externum) that Luther insisted must come to the believer from outside the self. The stanzas on healing the blind and lame (stanza 3) and the command "stand up, now walk, and live!" (stanza 4) echo the resurrection logic of the Gospel narratives and connect baptismal identity to eschatological hope. The refrain's opening words—"Do not be afraid"—are among the most frequently repeated divine utterances in Scripture, appearing at theophanies, angelic announcements, and post-resurrection appearances. In Lutheran worship, this text works particularly well as a baptismal hymn, a hymn of comfort in Lent or at funerals, or as a response to proclamation. Its first-person divine address, while it requires some liturgical framing (the congregation voices it as if hearing Christ speak), creates a powerful experiential encounter with Gospel promise. Worship planners should note that the text is almost entirely Gospel in its orientation—each line announces what God does, gives, or promises—making it an excellent complement to law-heavy preaching contexts or penitential liturgical seasons.
History & Background
"You Are Mine" was written by David Haas in 1991 and published by GIA Publications. It emerged from Haas's prolific work composing accessible, scripture-saturated songs for Catholic parish worship in the post-Vatican II renewal period. The text weaves together a rich tapestry of biblical imagery drawn especially from Isaiah (41:9–10; 43:1–7), John 14:27, Mark 2:9–12, and the accounts of Jesus healing the blind and lame. The refrain—"Do not be afraid, I am with you / I have called you each by name"—draws directly on Isaiah 43:1, one of the most beloved divine reassurance texts in the entire Bible. The song became widely adopted in Catholic parishes throughout the United States and beyond in the 1990s and 2000s, appearing in major Catholic hymnals including Gather and Worship. The hymn found rapid ecumenical adoption due to its deeply accessible theological language and its grounding in broadly shared scriptural imagery. While composed within a Catholic liturgical framework, its Christocentric first-person divine address resonates powerfully across denominational lines, and it has been embraced in Lutheran, Methodist, and other mainline Protestant congregational worship settings. It is frequently used for baptismal liturgies, healing services, and Lenten seasons, contexts in which the themes of divine claiming, forgiveness, and resurrection hope are especially prominent. The song gained widespread recognition in part through its inclusion in multiple editions of the GIA flagship hymnal Gather, as well as Worship IV and subsequent editions. Its placement in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW 581) marked a significant milestone in its ecumenical reception, confirming its standing as a crossover text that speaks authentically to Lutheran theological sensibilities about grace, vocation, and baptismal identity, even as it originated in the Catholic contemporary music tradition.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 581
- Gather 3rd Edition — 649
- Gather 4th Edition — 649
- Worship IV — 690
Bulletin Note
Text and music by David Haas (b. 1957), GIA Publications. Based on Isaiah 43:1–7 and Gospel healing narratives. Used by permission.
Preaching Connection
When a preacher needs to bring the congregation from the law's honest naming of human brokenness—fear, blindness, shame, paralysis—to the Gospel's announcement of divine rescue, this hymn functions as a sung proclamation of exactly that movement, giving the congregation a voice with which to receive the promise just proclaimed from the pulpit.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Definition & Command of Baptism Small Catechism — Holy Baptism
Themes
baptismal identity divine promise God's presence in fear healing and wholeness comfort and assurance resurrection hope divine calling grace and divine initiative light in darkness belonging to God