O This Joy!

This inexplicable joy bursts from within,
And no matter how I try, I cannot keep it in!
It burrows its way through my delicate skin
And throws off the guilt of my prior sin;
This joy warns the devil of Him who arrives
In the depths of my heart, which now will thrive.
He awakens my spirit and wills it to strive,
He indwells my soul; He makes me alive.
There is no sentiment near as strong
As His joy which bounds eternally along,
Breaching my walls in endless throng,
O His joy! O His song!
I, as the stone, was a hardened boy,
Playing sweet but secretly coy,
I was captured by the devil’s ploy
But now my soul is freed by joy.
Lord, my God, You bless me so!
Christ, You wash me white as snow!
Holy Spirit, You overflow!
O this joy that You bestow!