1. Lord, when we bend before Thy throne
And our confessions pour,
Teach us to feel the sins we own
And hate what we deplore.
2. Our broken spirit pitying see,
True penitence impart;
Then let a kindling glance from Thee
Beam hope upon the heart.
3. When our responsive tongues essay
Their grateful hymns to raise,
Grant that our souls may join the lay
And mount to Thee in praise.
4. When we disclose our wants in prayer,
May we our wills resign
And not a thought our bosom share
That is not wholly Thine.
5. May faith each meek petition fill
And waft it to the skies;
And teach our hearts 'tis goodness still
That grants it or denies.
Hymn #22 from _The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal_
Text: Ps. 32:1
Author: Joseph D. Carlyle, 1802
Composer: John Day, 1562
Tune: "St. Flavian"
1st Published in: _Psalter_