Today’s hymn comes from Frances R. Havergal (1836-1879), daughter of a minister. Frances was affectionately devoted to both her family and her church. She loved her middle name, Ridley, that of the martyr Nicholas Ridley. The effect of her steady meditation on Scripture was that biblical ideas and phrases would come naturally to her speech and to her pen, when writing these poems that were later used as hymns, one being the popular ‘Take My Life and Let It Be”¹. Enjoy this one!

I bring my sins to thee,
The sins I cannot count,
That I may cleansed be
In thy once opened fount.
I bring them, Saviour, all to thee;
The burden is too great for me.

My heart to thee I bring,
The heart I cannot read;
A faithless, wandering thing,
An evil heart indeed.
I bring it, Saviour, now to thee
That fixed and faithful it may be.

To thee I bring my care,
The care I cannot flee;
Thou wilt not only share,
But bear it all for me.
O loving Saviour, now to thee
I bring the load that wearies me.

I bring my grief to thee,
The grief I cannot tell;
No words shall needed be,
Thou knowest all so well.
I bring the sorrow laid on me,
O suffering Saviour, now to thee.

My joys to thee I bring,
The joys thy love has given,
That each may be a wing
To lift me nearer Heaven.
I bring them, Saviour, all to thee;
For thou hast purchased all for me.

My life I bring to thee,
I would not be my own;
O Saviour, let me be
Thine ever, thine alone.
My heart, my life, my all I bring
To thee, my Saviour and my King.

¹banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2005/the-life-of-francis-ridley-havergal-1836-1879/

Charles Wesley composed this hymn text in 1749. All six stanzas were included in John Wesley’s hymnal, A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists, 1780, under the section titled “For Backsliders Recovered.”¹ This hymn would be a good prayer to mediate and pray through; even if now you are not in a state of wandering away from God, we have all willingly sinned against our great Saviour. It reminds us God’s grace towards us even in our rebellion. Pray the last stanza to the Lord today!

Weary of wandering from my God,
And now made willing to return,
I hear, and bow me to the rod;
For thee, not without hope, I mourn;
I have an Advocate above,
A Friend before the throne of Love.

O Jesus, full of truth and grace,
More full of grace than I of sin,
Yet once again I seek thy face;
Open thine arms, and take me in,
And freely my backslidings heal,
And love the faithless sinner still.

Thou know’st the way to bring me back
My fallen spirit to restore;
O! for thy truth and mercy’s sake,
Forgive, and bid me sin no more;
The ruins of my soul repair,
And make my heart a house of prayer.

The stone to flesh again convert,
The veil of sin again remove;
Sprinkle thy blood upon my heart,
And melt it by thy dying love;
This rebel heart by love subdue,
And make it soft, and make it new.

Give to mine eyes refreshing tears,
And kindle my relentings now;
Fill my whole soul with filial fears,
To thy sweet yoke my spirit bow;
Bend by thy grace, O bend or break,
The iron sinew in my neck!

Ah! give me, Lord, the tender heart
That trembles at the approach of sin;
A godly fear of sin impart,
Implant, and root it deep within,
That I may dread thy gracious power,
And never dare to offend thee more.

¹umcdiscipleship.org/resources/weary-of-wandering-from-my-god

Another hymn by renowned Scottish churchman Horatius Bonar, this one falls under the category of repentance and confession. A prayer for God to help us speak as we ought, confess as we ought, and pray as we ought, this is a good hymn to start the week with, ensuring we are bringing all our sins and needs to the Lord. Enjoy!

Help me, my God, to speak
True words to thee each day;
Real let my voice be when I praise,
And trustful when I pray.

Thy words are true to me;
Let mine to thee be true,
The speech of my whole heart and soul,
However low and few.

True words of grief for sin,
Of longing to be free,
Of groaning for deliverance,
And likeness, Lord, to thee.

True words of faith and hope,
Of godly joy and grief.
Lord, I believe, oh hear my cry;
Help thou mine unbelief!

This song written by Eric Schumacher & David L. Ward is a model song for confession and repentance. It’s a song that proclaims that before God, we cannot boast of any good work. The only hope we have is the righteousness that is declared to us by Christ’s death and resurrection. We often sing this hymn on the days we celebrate the Lord’s Table at our church as it’s very fitting to mediate on the goodness, mercy and hope of Christ. Enjoy!

No list of sins I have not done,
No list of virtues I pursue –
No list of those I am not like.
Can earn myself a place with You.
O God, be merciful to me,
I am a sinner through and through;
My only hope of righteousness,
Is not in me, but only You.

No humble dress, no fervent prayer,
No lifted hands, no tearful song.
No recitation of the truth,
Can justify a single wrong.
My righteousness is Jesus’ life;
My debt was paid by Jesus’ death.
My weary load was borne by Him,
And He alone can give me rest.

No separation from the world.
No work I do, no gift I give.
Can cleanse my conscience, cleanse my hands,
I cannot cause my soul to live.
But Jesus died and rose again,
The power of death is overthrown.
My God is merciful to me,
And merciful in Christ alone.

My righteousness is Jesus’ life,
My debt was paid by Jesus’ death.
My weary load was borne by Him,
And He alone can give me rest,
Yes, He alone can give me rest