Forgive me, Lord.

Here is a poem of penitence and hope, woven with the threads of scripture.

Mercy's Tide

Forgive me, Lord, for I have known the way, And yet I chose to turn and walk alone. My heart,a heavy stone, has gone astray, A king who built his kingdom on a throne of bone.

Create in me a clean heart, O my God, As once You spoke to David in his shame. Restore the joy that sin had sought to rob, And let my spirit praise Your holy name.

Let mercy find me, like the returning son, Stumbling home,ashamed and sorely pressed. Not by my worth,but by Your will be done, To clothe my rags in righteousness and rest.

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow, A prayer You answered for the broken and poor. Beyond the guilt that I have come to know, Let me stand forgiven at grace's door.

For though my sins are scarlet, deep and red, You promise they shall be as wool and snow. Upon the cross,Your precious blood was shed; The debt I could not pay,You ceased to owe.

So I arise, and go to my Father's house, No longer slave,but called again "My child." Forgiven,free, by Your redeeming vows, By mercy reconciled,by love beguiled.