Hymns by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

A hymn inspired by Psalm 51

A hymn inspired by Psalm 51
O God, Be Merciful To Me
CRIMOND (8.6.8.6) ("The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want")

O God, be merciful to me
Because your love is strong;
Now wash me from iniquity
And cleanse me from all wrong.

These words are old, but still they live
Within our hearts today.
We cry to you: "O God, forgive!"
And "Wash our sins away!"

My sin has kept me far from you;
Your wrath is justified.
Why is it, Lord? — The things I do
Have crushed my bones inside!

I try to make it on my own
As if I'm all I need,
Until I find I'm all alone,
Wrapped up in pride and greed.

Yet this is not the final word,
For you forgive our sin!
When we return to you, O Lord,
You give us joy again.

Biblical Reference: Psalms 51
Tune: Jessie Seymour Irvine, 1872; harmony by Thomas Cuthbertson Leithead Pritchard, 1929 ("The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want")
Text: Copyright © 2006 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Copied from Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Upper Room Books, 2009).
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net     New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com/

Hymn Use Permission: Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Upper Room Books, 2009) includes a permission note for those who own this book to use this hymn (along with the 76 other new hymns in the book) in their local church's worship services. People who do not own Songs of Grace are asked to contact Carolyn (bcgillette@comcast.net) for permission to use the hymn and to get a copy of the hymn formatted for worship bulletin use.