From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

The hymn by Martin Luther "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee" (LSB 607) is a paraphrase of Psalm 130: "Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice!" (v.1) "My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption" (v. 5-7).

In the hymn, Luther expresses the comfort of the psalm and the hope that is ours in the Gospel; he expresses the doctrine of Law and Gospel and the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone; he expresses humanity's deepest sorrow; and he expresses this hymn as a catechetical aid to reinforce the meaning of confession as described in his Small Catechism.

This is a hymn of faith and grace dependent entirely on God's Word, and for this reason, "From Depths of Woe" has brought comfort to generations of believers.

1 From depths of woe I cry to Thee,
In trial and tribulation;
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
Lord, hear my supplication.
If Thou rememb’rest ev’ry sin,
Who then could heaven ever win
Or stand before Thy presence?

2 Thy love and grace alone avail
To blot out my transgression;
The best and holiest deeds must fail
To break sin’s dread oppression.
Before Thee none can boasting stand,
But all must fear Thy strict demand
And live alone by mercy.

3 Therefore my hope is in the Lord
And not in mine own merit;
It rests 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 through the night
And till the morning waken,
My heart shall never doubt His might
Nor count itself forsaken.
O Israel, trust in God your Lord.
Born of the Spirit and the Word,
Now wait for His appearing.

5 Though great our sins, yet greater still
Is God’s abundant favor;
His hand of mercy never will
Abandon us, nor waver.
Our shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.

Text: Public domain