The Lutheran Hymnary ‎#434

434. Thy love, O gracious Lord and God

1 Thy love, O gracious Lord and God,
All other loves excelling,
Attunes my heart to sweet accord,
And passes power of telling;
For when Thy wondrous love I see,
My heart yields glad submission;
I love Thee for Thy love to me
In my poor, lost condition.

2 Yea, Thou hast loved our fallen race,
And rather than condemn us,
Cast out and banish from Thy face,
Thine only Son didst send us;
Who died upon the cross, that we
Should all be saved for ever;
Hence Jesus also died for me,
My soul, forget it never.

3 Thy love, O God, embraces all,
And Jesus' merits cover
The guilt of all, both great and small,
The world of sinners over.
Thy Spirit doth Thy light afford
To all who will receive it,
And from Thy knowledge bars Thy word
No soul who will believe it.

4 But what hath moved Thee, gracious Lord?
Why is Thine heart still yearning,
Since the great world rejects Thy word,
Thy love and mercy spurning?
For men go on in sin each day
In carnal-minded blindness,
And O how few Thy call obey
And heed Thy lovingkindness!

5 In us no beauty Thou couldst see,
And no intrinsic merit;
We all were poor--but misery
And sin we did inherit.
We wandered each a different path,
And in our lost condition,
By nature children of His wrath,
Whom sin doomed to perdition.

6 Our virtues and our own good deeds
With God cannot avail us;
With these the enemy misleads,
Such righteousness shall fail us;
Our will and strength and soul are dead
In evil inclination;
Christ Jesus has the ransom paid,
And gained for us salvation.

7 O gracious God, Thy loving heart
Was full of sweet compassion;
And felt our woe and desperate smart,
And planned our restoration;
Thy grace and justice found a way
To save us from death's horror;
And everlasting judgment stay,
And give us joy for sorrow.

8 On Christ, the rock, I'm anchored fast,
By faith in Him remaining;
I'll weather every stormy blast,
My peace of soul retaining;
On Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
My ever firm foundation,
Until the harbor bar is crossed,
And I see God's salvation.

9 O Jesus, at my dying breath
Hold Thou my hand securely,
And may I in a living faith
Hold fast to Thee most surely;
That my last prayer to Thee may rise,
My soul to Thee commending,
And I shall find in Paradise
The joys of life unending.

Text Information

• First Line: Thy love, O gracious Lord and God
• Author: T. Kingo (1699)
• Meter: 8, 7. 8L.
• Publication Date: 1913
• Topic: The Church Year: Tenth Sunday after Trinity; God: Loving; Grace; Love Of God

Tune Information

• Name: [Thy love, O gracious Lord and God]
• Meter: 8, 7. 8L.
• Key: d minor
• Source: German, 1525