Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship ‎#127b2

127b2. Psalm 143

1. Hear me, O Lord, in my distress,
Hear me in truth and righteousness,
For at your bar of judgment tried,
None living can be justified.

2. Lord, I have foes without, within:
The world, the flesh, indwelling sin,
Life’s daily ills, temptation’s power,
And Satan roaring to devour.

3. These, these my fainting soul surround;
My strength is smitten to the ground;
Like those long dead, beneath their weight
Crushed is my heart and desolate.

4. Yet, in the gloom of silent thought,
I call to mind what God has wrought:
Your wonders in the days of old,
Your mercies great and manifold.

5. Ah! then to you I stretch my hands,
Like failing streams through desert sands;
I thirst for you, as harvest plains
Parched by the summer thirst for rains.

6. Oh, let me not thus hopeless lie
Like one condemned at morn to die,
But with the morning may I see
Your loving-kindness visit me.

7. Teach me your will, subdue my own;
You are my God, and you alone;
By your good Spirit guide me still,
Safe from all foes, to Zion’s hill.

8. Release my soul from trouble, Lord;
Quicken and keep me by your word;
May all its promises reward;
Thus be my portion—I am yours.

Text Information

• First Line: Hear me, O Lord, in my distress
• Title: Psalm 143
• Paraphraser: James Montgomery (1822)
• Meter: 8.8.8.8
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 2024
• Scripture:
  Psalm 143
• Topic: Lent; Holy Week: Saturday Vigil; Penitential Psalms
• Source: Songs of Zion, 1822, alt.

Tune Information

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