Sinful Sighing to Be Blest

Sinful, sighing to be blest,
Bound, and longing to be free;
Weary, waiting for my rest:
God, be merciful to me.

Holiness I’ve none to plead,
Sinfulness is all I see,
I can only bring my need:
God, be merciful to me.

Broken heart and downcast eyes,
Dare not lift themselves to Thee;
Yet Thou canst interpret sighs:
God, be merciful to me.

From this sinful heart of mine
To Thy bosom I would flee;
I am not mine own, but Thine:
God, be merciful to me.

There is One beside Thy throne,
And my only hope and plea
Are in Him and Him alone:
God, be merciful to me.

He my cause will undertake,
My Interpreter will be;
He’s my all, and for His sake,
God, be merciful to me.

John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1857

I’ve written in kiwichronciles about this hymn, it is strangely one of my favourite hymns of all and yet I’ve never sung it nor heard it sung.  As I began this blogject* I wondered how long it would take me to get to Monsell’s hymn.  I’ve finally succumbed but as I did I wondered what other hymns the writer of this particular hymn had penned.  The answer was many – so this week all the hymns will be by John S.B. Monsell.

I not only love the meter and rhyme but, more importantly, its devastatingly brilliant confession of the state of the human heart before God.  Without the saving work of Christ, we have no plea, no appeal, no quarter for mercy to work in us.  In Him we are rich in mercy beyond our wildest and boldest imaginings.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:3-9

*blogject – a project with specific goals recorded in a blog.