Olney Hymns · Chapter
The Contrite Heart explained
The speaker, in a state of spiritual despondency, questions whether their heart is truly contrite, feeling insensible to divine grace and unable to find comfort in religious practices, and ultimately pleads with God to either break or heal
What happens
The speaker, in a state of spiritual despondency, questions whether their heart is truly contrite, feeling insensible to divine grace and unable to find comfort in religious practices, and ultimately pleads with God to either break or heal their heart.
Themes in this chapter
Prayer and Dependence on God
The speaker's entire poem is a prayer, expressing dependence on God to break or heal the heart, and to renew strength.
Suffering and Affliction
The speaker experiences spiritual affliction, feeling insensible, weak, and without comfort, which is a form of suffering.
Characters to notice
- The Lord
The addressee of the speaker's plea, who bestows happiness on contrite hearts and is asked to decide the speaker's spiritual state.
- The Narrator
The speaker, who expresses doubt about their own contrition and experiences spiritual numbness and weakness.
- The Saints
Mentioned as those who are comforted and love the house of prayer, contrasting with the speaker's lack of comfort.
Key passages
“I hear, but seem to hear in vain, Insensible as steel;”
I listen to your word, but it has no effect on me; I am as unfeeling as steel.
The speaker expresses a sense of spiritual numbness and inability to respond to divine truth.
“But when I cry, “My strength renew,” Seem weaker than before.”
But when I pray for renewed strength, I feel even weaker than I did before.
The speaker's attempts to seek God's help seem to result in greater felt weakness, highlighting their desperation.
“O make this heart rejoice or ache, Decide this doubt for me;”
O God, either give me joy or sorrow, but resolve my uncertainty;
The speaker asks God to end their spiritual ambiguity by either granting comfort or deepening their sense of need.