The Contrite Heart
by William Cowper
The Lord will happiness divine
On contrite hearts bestow;
Then tell me, Gracious God, is mine
A contrite heart or no?
I hear, but seem to hear in vain,
Insensible as steel;
If aught is felt, 'tis only pain
To find I cannot feel.
I sometimes think myself inclined
To love thee, if I could;
But often feel another mind,
Averse to all that's good.
My best desires are faint and few,
I fain would strive for more;
But when I cry, "My strength, renew,"
Seem weaker than before.
I see thy saints with comfort filled,
When in thy house of prayer,
But still in bondage I am held,
And find no comfort there.
Oh, make this heart rejoice or ache;
Decide this doubt for me;
And if it be not broken, break,
And heal it if it be.
3 comments:
Oh Lily, I loved that. I'll have to print it out and put it on my bulletin board. Oh, I'm trying not to cry just thinkin' about it. Thanks for surprising me :)
Love you!
Sarah
Thought you'd like it...yeah, I'm thinking about typing it up on pretty paper and pasting it in my journal. There is such a heart-felt plea for peace and security in that poem. Cowper is just an amazing portrait of God's grace. It's a puzzling portrait, but still...
I didn't know you kept a journal! In that case, tell your sister to stop laughing at me. And I really liked that poem. It's so nice to think that plenty of other real Christians have felt that way and didn't get kicked out of the Covenant for it.
Miss Leah
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