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.
Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #127b2
James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >
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