The Hymns of Martin Luther: Part 4

by R.A. Miller
Published September 5th, 2022.

In this edition of The Hymns of Martin Luther, we will look at a remix of sorts. In the first edition of this series, we looked at “Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee,” which was loosely based on Psalm 130. In 2002, David L. Ward reworked those lyrics into a song called “By Grace Alone.” This new version added the phrase “Only by grace, by grace alone” to the end of each stanza and mirrors the first, second, and fifth stanzas of the original. The modernization of older phrases has also been included, along with other slight variations. The most noticeable change is at the end of the second stanza. These major differences have been underlined in the middle column.

Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee

Out of the depths I cry to Thee;
Lord, hear me, I implore Thee!
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
My prayer let come before Thee!
If Thou remember each misdeed,
If each should have its rightful meed,
Who may abide Thy presence?


2 Our pardon is Thy gift; Thy love
And grace alone avail us.
Our works could ne'er our guilt remove,
The strictest life would fail us.
That none may boast himself of aught,
But own in fear Thy grace hath wrought
What in him seemeth righteous.


3 And thus, my hope is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
I rest upon His faithful word
To them of contrite spirit.
That He is merciful and just,--
This is my comfort and my trust,
His help I wait with patience.

4 And though it tarry till the night
And round till morning waken,
My heart shall ne'er mistrust Thy might,
Nor count itself forsaken.
Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed,
Wait for your God's appearing.

5 Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth;
Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
Who shall at last set Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.


Amen.

By Grace Alone

1 Out of the depths I cry to You,
Lord, hear my voice of pleading;
Bend down Your gracious ear, I pray,
Your humble servant heeding.
If You remember each misdeed,
And of each thought and word take heed,
Who can remain before You?
Only by grace, by grace alone.

2 Your pardon is a gift of love,
Your grace alone must save us,
Our works will not remove our guilt,
The strictest life would fail us.
Let none in deeds or merits boast,
But let us own the Holy Ghost
for He alone can change us:
Only by grace, by grace alone.

















3 Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
Who will set all His people free
From all their sin and sorrow:
Only by grace, by grace alone.

Psalm 130: King James Version

1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.


3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?









4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.





5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.





6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.








7 Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.


8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

This hymn appears in the 2015 Hymns of Grace hymnal. A recording of this song can be found here: