Olney Hymns · Chapter
The Child explained
The poem is a prayer for childlike humility and trust in God, asking to be made teachable, mild, and free from distrust and envy.
What happens
The poem is a prayer for childlike humility and trust in God, asking to be made teachable, mild, and free from distrust and envy. It expresses reliance on God's daily provision and wisdom for the future, and a desire to abide with God as a Father, Guard, and Guide, protected from Satan's wiles until the promised hour of experiencing the full love of God as His children.
Themes in this chapter
Faith and Trust in Christ
The entire poem is a prayer for childlike trust in God's provision and guidance, relying on His care rather than one's own strength.
Prayer and Dependence on God
The poem is a direct prayer to God, expressing dependence on Him for daily needs and future guidance.
Characters to notice
- The Lord
Addressed as the one who quiets the froward heart and provides daily care.
- God
Referred to as Father, Guard, and Guide, and the one whose boundless love will be experienced by the sons of God.
- Satan
Mentioned as the source of wiles from which the believer is preserved.
- The Narrator
The speaker of the prayer, expressing a desire for childlike trust and dependence.
Key passages
“Quiet, Lord, my froward heart, Make me teachable and mild, Upright, simple, free from art, Make me as a weaned child”
Lord, calm my stubborn and restless heart, and make me humble, honest, and without pretense, like a child who no longer craves what it cannot have.
The opening stanza asks for transformation into childlike innocence and submission.
“What thou shalt to-day provide, Let me as a child receive; What to-morrow may betide, Calmly to thy wisdom leave”
Help me to accept today's provisions with childlike trust, and to leave tomorrow's uncertainties in Your wise hands.
The second stanza emphasizes daily dependence and trust in God's providence.
“As a little child relies On a care beyond his own; Knows he’s neither strong nor wise, Fears to stir a step alone”
Just as a small child depends on someone else's care, knowing he is not strong or wise and afraid to move alone, so I want to rely on You.
The third stanza uses the metaphor of a child's dependence to illustrate the desired relationship with God.
“Thus preserved from Satan’s wiles, Safe from dangers, free from fears, May I live upon thy smiles, Till the promised hour appears”
In this way, protected from Satan's tricks, safe from dangers, and free from fears, may I live in the joy of Your favor until the promised time comes.
The final stanza expresses confidence in God's protection and hope for the future fulfillment of His promises.