Olney Hymns · Chapter
Exhortation to Prayer explained
This poem by Cowper exhorts believers to persist in prayer despite hindrances, emphasizing prayer's power to dispel spiritual darkness, strengthen faith and love, and bring blessings.
What happens
This poem by Cowper exhorts believers to persist in prayer despite hindrances, emphasizing prayer's power to dispel spiritual darkness, strengthen faith and love, and bring blessings. It warns that restraining prayer weakens the Christian's spiritual fight and causes Satan to be bold, while prayer makes the believer's armor bright and causes Satan to tremble. The poem references Moses' intercession during the battle with Amalek to illustrate the effectiveness of prayer, and encourages turning complaints into supplication, resulting in joyful testimony of God's works.
Themes in this chapter
Prayer and Dependence on God
The entire poem is an exhortation to prayer, emphasizing its necessity and power in the believer's life.
Spiritual Warfare
Prayer is depicted as essential for the Christian's fight, making the armor bright and causing Satan to tremble.
Characters to notice
- Pray'r
Personified as the means of climbing Jacob's ladder, exercising faith and love, and bringing blessings from above.
- Satan
Trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.
- Moses
Stood with arms spread wide, and success was found on Israel's side; when his hands failed, Amalek prevailed.
- Jacob
His ladder vision is referenced as the ascent of prayer.
Key passages
“Pray’r climbs the ladder Jacob saw”
Prayer ascends to heaven just as Jacob's ladder connected earth to heaven.
The poem uses Jacob's ladder as a metaphor for the ascent of prayer.
“And Satan trembles when he sees / The weakest saint upon his knees.”
Even the most insignificant believer on their knees causes Satan to tremble.
The power of prayer is so great that it frightens the devil.
“While Moses stood with arms spread wide, / Success was found on Isr’el’s side; / But when through weariness they fail’d, / That moment Amalek prevail’d.”
When Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; when he lowered them due to fatigue, Amalek gained the advantage.
This illustrates the importance of persistent prayer in spiritual battles.