# The Waiting Soul explained — Olney Hymns

> Chapter companion for Olney Hymns by John Newton.

## What happens

A soul in distress cries out for divine comfort and strength, acknowledging its own weakness and coldness of heart, yet clinging to hope and mercy. The speaker waits patiently at mercy's door, trusting that the Lord will eventually call His exile home.

## Themes in this chapter

### Prayer and Dependence on God

The soul's persistent prayer and humble waiting at mercy's door exemplify a complete dependence on God's grace.

### Hope of Heaven and Eternal Life

The soul looks forward to being called home from exile, anticipating the ultimate reunion with the Lord.

## Character check-ins

### The Waiting Soul

The speaker of the poem, expressing deep longing and spiritual fatigue, yet resolved to wait in hope and prayer.

### The Lord

The object of the soul's desire and the one who will eventually call the exile home.

### Mercy

Personified as the door that remains open for the waiting soul.

## Key lines

> I wish, thou know’st, to be resign’d, And wait with patient hope; But hope delay’d fatigues the mind And drinks the spirits up.

I desire to be submissive and patient, but the long wait for hope's fulfillment exhausts my mind and drains my strength.

_The speaker acknowledges the struggle between resignation and the weariness of delayed hope._

> Cold as I feel this heart of mine, Yet since I feel it so, It yields some hope of life divine Within, however low.

Even though my heart feels cold and lifeless, the very awareness of this coldness gives me a glimmer of hope that divine life still exists within me, however faint.

_The speaker finds a paradoxical comfort in recognizing their own spiritual deadness, as it indicates a sensitivity to God._

> I seem forsaken and alone, I hear the lion roar; And every door is shut but one, And that is mercy’s door.

I feel abandoned and isolated, and I hear the threatening roar of a lion; all doors of escape are closed except for the door of mercy.

_The imagery of the roaring lion suggests spiritual attack, while the single open door points to God's mercy as the only refuge._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/olney_hymns_se/chapters/10-the-waiting-soul
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/olney_hymns_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/olney_hymns_se/chapters