Lord, Teach Us How to Pray - A Poem by James Montgomery

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

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.