LYRICS
O gracious God! How merciful
Are all Your ways to me,
Whose sinful, darkened, rebel mind
Was enmity with Thee;
Yet now, subdued by sovereign grace,
My spirit feels Your warm embrace.
How kind are Your ways, O God.
How precious are Your thoughts, O God,
Too numerous to know
They fill and flood my feeble heart,
And captivate my soul;
How great their sum, how high they rise,
Cannot be measured with the skies.
How kind are Your ways, O God.
O God of Heaven, Your majesty
Is high above the earth.
The skies proclaim with endless speech
Your glory, power, and worth.
Lord, what is man, this wretched foe,
That You would love and bless us so?
How kind are Your ways, O God.
Preserved in Jesus, when my soul
And feet made haste to hell;
And there should I have justly gone,
But You do all things well;
Your love was great, Your mercy free,
And from the pit You rescued me.
How kind are Your ways, O God.
A trophy of Your graciousness,
This sinner saved by blood:
The streams of love my soul can trace
Up to the Fountain, God;
And in Your holy heart, I see
Eternal thoughts of love for me!
How kind are Your ways, O God.
Original Lyrics by John Kent, 1803.
Lyric adaptation and music by Gary Brumley
© 2009 New Moniker Music. CCLI Song Number: 5452246
SHEET MUSIC
COVER RECORDING
I am honored that this song was beautifully covered by Darby Hughes and Madison Davis.
ABOUT
“I first attempted to write a melody for this beautiful text by John Kent in 2005. I introduced it to the church I was serving at the time, and while it didn’t fall flat, it got the sense that the music simply did not do the lyrics justice. I abandoned that melody and held onto the lyrics for a later time. Then in 2009, I was doing worship planning for an upcoming Sunday at Redeemer Church in which the sermon was going to focus on the kindness of God towards sinners. On Tuesday that week, I pulled out these lyrics again with the hope of crafting a better melody but none of my ideas seemed to click. On Thursday, my family experienced a loss that left me emotionally a mess. The next day, it was in the wake of that grief and while reflecting on the theologically rich truths of these lyrics that the ascending melody line (or melodic “cry”) of this song was born. I finished the new melody on Friday and introduced it at Redeemer Church the following Sunday. It was well-received by our congregation and has been a church favorite ever since.”
Gary Brumley
PERMISSIONS
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