Blest Is He Who Cries To Heaven

1 Blest is he who cries to heaven
In the dark and evil day,
Whose transgressions are forgiven
And whose sins are washed away;
Blest, when God to him imputeth
Not iniquity nor sin,
And no hidden guile polluteth
Spirit, heart, and soul within.

2 Long I kept in silence groaning,
While my bones waxed weak and old;
Long my heart with grief was moaning
And to Thee, O God, was cold.
Day and night Thy hand oppressed me,
Moisture turned to summer-drought,
My transgressions sore distressed me,
While in vain I comfort sought.

3 When, from Thee no longer hiding,
I confessed my sin to Thee,
With my heart in Thee confiding,
Thou in love forgavest me.
Now my heart is filled with gladness,
Thou surroundest me with grace;
Songs of joy dispel my sadness,
For Thou art my hiding-place.

4 Lord, instruct and teach me ever
In the way that I should go;
With Thy counsel me deliver
From the cunning of the foe.
For Thy grace and mercy tender,
For Thy table and Thy Word,
Thanks to heaven I will render
And forever praise Thee, Lord.

Source: American Lutheran Hymnal #128