Olney Hymns · Chapter
Prayer for Patience explained
The speaker humbly asks the Lord, who suffered for our salvation, for patience to endure life's lighter crosses.
What happens
The speaker humbly asks the Lord, who suffered for our salvation, for patience to endure life's lighter crosses. He acknowledges that his own afflictions are far less than Christ's, and he prays for grace to accept divine rebuke without murmuring, recognizing that hidden sins may be the cause of his trials.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Affliction
The poem deals with enduring personal suffering and the temptation to murmur, while recognizing that Christ's suffering was far greater.
Prayer and Dependence on God
The entire poem is a prayer to the Lord for patience and grace to endure trials without complaint.
Characters to notice
- Jesus Christ
The one who suffered all for our peace and pardon, and whose example of patient endurance is the model for the speaker.
- The Lord
The one who rebukes and disciplines, and to whom the speaker prays for patience.
- Joshua
Mentioned as an example of one who fell on his face in humility before the Lord's rebuke.
- Achan
His sin of taking the cursed thing brought disgrace upon Israel, illustrating the consequences of hidden sin.
Key passages
“The lighter cross I bear for thee Help me with patience to endure.”
Help me to bear the smaller trials I face for your sake with patience.
The speaker asks for divine assistance to endure his own lighter afflictions, drawing strength from Christ's example.
“Why should th unburnt though burning bush Be angry as the crackling thorn?”
Why should I, who am preserved by grace, complain like a dry thorn that crackles in the fire?
The speaker contrasts his own preservation with the fate of the wicked, questioning why he should murmur.
“Perhaps some golden wedge suppress’d, Some secret sin, offends my God;”
Perhaps there is a hidden sin, like the gold wedge Achan hid, that is causing God's displeasure.
The speaker reflects on the possibility that his trials are due to unconfessed sin.