The Doubter's prayer
-Anne Bronte
Eternal power of earth and air,
Unseen, yet seen in all around,
Remote, but dwelling everywhere,
Though silent, heard in every sound.
If e'er thine ear in mercy bent
When wretched mortals cried to thee,
And if indeed thy Son was sent
To save lost sinners such as me.
Then hear me now, while kneeling here;
I lift to thee my heart and eye
And all my soul ascends in prayer;
O give me - give me Faith I cry.
Without some glimmering in my heart,
I could not raise this fervent prayer;
But O a stronger light impart,
And in thy mercy fix it there!
While Faith is with me I am blest;
It turns my darkest night to day;
But while I clasp it to my breast
I often feel it slide away.
Then cold and dark my spirit sinks,
To see my light of life depart,
And every fiend of Hell methinks
Enjoys the anguish of my heart.
What shall I do if all my love,
My hopes, my toil, are cast away,
And if there be no God above
To hear and bless me when I pray?
If this be vain delusion all,
If death be an eternal sleep,
And none can hear my secret call,
Or see the silent tears I weep.
O help me God! for thou alone
Canst my distracted soul relieve;
Forsake it not -- it is thine own,
Though weak yet longing to believe.
O drive these cruel doubts away
And make me know that thou art God;
A Faith that shines by night and day
Will lighten every earthly load.
If I believe that Jesus died
And waking rose to reign above,
Then surely Sorrow, Sin and Pride
Must yield to peace and hope and love.
And all the blessed words he said
Will strength and holy joy impart,
A shield of safety o'er my head,
A spring of comfort in my heart.
6 comments:
That was a good poem...thanks for sharing!! I needed that today!! As for the recipes...it wasn't me asking??? I think it was the other "Becky" in the ward...she's new, I don't remember her last name?? But you're always welcome to share recipes with me too!! Here's my e-mail: beckijonesburger@hotmail.com
Thanks :)
THAT was an amazing poem. I have struggled enough times in my life to really connect with every bit of it. To your friend who is hurting - please hold on. Sometimes our greatest growth comes during our darkest, most despairing hours.
Sniff. I needed to read that today. I especially like the line "What shall I do if all my love,/My hopes, my toil, are cast away" as it is something I have been asking myself lately. I think that pushing forward when you feel abandoned or overlooked is one of life's toughest things, and I assume we all experience that feeling. It is just so HARD. I have thought a lot, too, about feeling anger towards Heavenly Father, and betrayal, and in a way I think it is a good thing we can feel that way, because it shows that we are able to think of Him as we would of another person---that our relationship is such that we can connect on a sort-of human level with Him. Does that make sense? I hope your friend is able to work through her troubles. It takes a long time sometimes.
Anyway, thanks for sharing that lovely poem!
I have never read that before. What a beautiful poem. I too am awed by how a poet can express so eloquently and simply things we feel in our hearts that we can't put into words ourselves.
Oh, I also meant to add, it reminds me of Mark 9:24,
"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
Wow Jamie! That was a really good poem and one I will keep and read often. Thanks for sharing that, and I hope your friend is feeling better and can work through it. I sometimes feel the same way too. How is the program coming along. I got it in my email. What can I do to help with it. I'm going to start working on the seating this weekend.
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