On Prayer

Prayer by George Hebert

I know it is my sin, which locks thine ears,
And binds thy hands,
Out-crying my requests, drowning my tears;
Or else the chillness of my faint demands.
But as cold hands are angry (impatient) with the fire,
And mend it still;
So I do lay the want of my desire,
Not on my sins, or coldness, but thy will.
Yet hear, O God, only for his blood’s sake
Which pleads for me:
For though sins plead too, yet like stones (as in a brook) they make
His blood’s sweet current much more loud to be
George Herbert (1593 – 1633)

This part of Hebert’s book of poems explores the aspirations and distresses that Christians experience when they try to commune with God. This poem is an eloquent expression of Herbert’s frustration with unanswered prayer. As the poet makes clear, it is not his lack of fervency that keeps God from hearing his prayers,. Rather it is Herbert’s inability to get at God’s will. Therefore the poet prays. “So I do lay the want of my desire, not on my sins, or coldness, but thy will.”
To strengthen his plea, Herbert asks God to listen for Christ’s sake. Then, if Herbert’s sins dissuaded God from answering, the blood of Jesus flowing like water over them (the ‘stones’ in a brook) would make Herbert’s requests louder and therefore heard by God.
Unanswered prayers can frustrate many a Christian, even the most devout believer. But it is important to keep in mind that God has a good reason for not answering and sometimes that reason might be us. When it is, we have an advocate to plead our case. Christ’s shed blood can bring us into the heart and mind of God. Something to remember the next time we struggle in our prayer life.
(Source – One Year Book of Poetry by Philip Comfort and Daniel Partner)