Lord, Teach us how to Pray, by James Montgomery, poetry, poem, poems

Lord, Teach us how to Pray

Lord, teach us how to pray aright,
With reverence and with fear;
Though dust and ashes in Thy sight,
We may, we must draw near.

Burdened with guilt, convinced of sin,
In weakness, want and woe;
Fightings without, and fears within,
Lord, whither shall we go?

God of all grace, we come to Thee
With broken, contrite hearts;
Give, what Thine eye delights to see,
Truth in the inward parts.

Give deep humility; the sense
Of godly sorrow give;
A strong, desiring confidence
To hear Thy voice and live;

Faith in the holy sacrifice
That can for sin atone;
To cast our hopes, to fix our eyes,
On Christ, on Christ alone;

Patience to watch, and wait, and weep,
Though mercy long delay;
Courage, our fainting souls to keep,
And trust Thee though Thou slay:

Give these, and then Thy will be done;
Thus strengthened with all might,
We by Thy Spirit, and Thy Son,
Shall pray, and pray aright.

- James Montgomery -
No. 333 in Sacred Songs & Solos

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.