Monday Meditation: Righteous Lord, Thy People Spare

 

"He will guard the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked shall be
silenced and perish in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them
will He thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge all peoples to the
ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His King and
exalt the power of His Anointed, Christ."
(1 Samuel 2:9-10)

"America, America, God shed His grace on thee..."
-Katharine Lee Bates

The Liberty Bell

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Image courtesy/Wikipedia

Righteous Lord, Thy people spare!

Lo! We turn at last to Thee,
Humbly the correction bear

Of our past iniquity,
Own the cause of our distress,
Mournfully our sins confess.

We Thy judgments have abhorred,
We Thy covenant have broke,
Daringly denied our Lord,
Cast way His easy yoke,
Would not cast our sins away,
Would not know our gracious day.

Therefore is the plague begun,
Therefore doth it still proceed,
Wrath divine by means unknown,
Wrath divine hath done the deed,
Made the stalls and pastures void,
God our cattle hath destroyed.

Heavier woes He keeps in store,
If we still refuse to turn,
Dare His anger's utmost power,
All His lingering pity scorn;
But beneath Thy hand we bow,
Stay Thy plague, and save us now.

Jesu, save us from our sins,
Save us from our plague of heart;
All of unbelief convince,
All unto Thyself convert;
Let our sin-sick spirits find
Thee the healer of mankind.

No delight Thy goodness hath
In the death of him who dies;
Grant us then the living faith,
Faith that on Thy blood relies,
Faith that all Thy grace receives,
Faith that all Thy fullness gives.

"Righteous Lord, Thy People Spare"
(1850)
Charles Wesley
(1707-1788)
English Anglican cleric
Principle leader of the Methodist Movement