O Lord I lift up a song of praise
For the mercies You have given me
Your mercy, my shelter in dark days
My strength and glory
I don’t deserve so much life and peace
I can’t comprehend the grace You have bestowed upon me
Trying to fathom it–I shall never cease
Why from my chains You set me free
I repent for all us men who try and understand Your deepest mysteries
And in our pride think we know exactly how light pervades dark
Deceived into understanding because of our “ancient” histories
All I know that is on me You have chosen to put Your mark
I know I’ll never understand how it all works together
Your disdain for sin
Yet Your own substance took it
Choosing to save me, I sought it not, a crook
Blinded to Your worth
Somehow I came to love You in return
Now, this, a deep magic
A work only You can do
I know I was conceived in sin
Only You could make me new
Even as a child lost in self-righteousness
My delight, my dance was not in You
I lifted up my cry to this,
“My works my works will do!”
Yet one day I found that goats and calves can not atone
That I must honestly call upon You and You alone
That no repeated prayer, no matter how sincere,
Can regenerate my heart–You, You must meet me here
By Paul’s words I know that you are faithful to those who call upon Your name
But our motivations must be true because our hearts must be changed
In my delusioned sovereignty I can’t know all those You will draw unto Yourself
So I lift Your name up high because I know there is salvation in no one else!
Because I’m the clay and You are the potter sometimes I know not what You do
But I will continue to pray that all will come to You!
Because I am on earth and You are in heaven I will let my words be few…
Woe is me, woe is me, if I do not preach Your truth