Olney Hymns · Chapter
Chapter 91 explained
The chapter is a prayerful hymn of humble waiting before the Lord, acknowledging His promise and command as the reason for gathering.
What happens
The chapter is a prayerful hymn of humble waiting before the Lord, acknowledging His promise and command as the reason for gathering. The speaker asks for a meeting with God through words of peace, a heart filled with love, and the grace to cease from follies and prove faithful.
Themes in this chapter
Prayer and Dependence on God
The chapter is a direct prayer, expressing dependence on God's promise, command, and word.
Grace and Unmerited Favor
The request for peace, love, and the ability to cease from follies implies a reliance on God's grace.
Characters to notice
- The Lord
The one whose promise and command brought the speaker to this place, and from whom a word of peace is sought.
- The Narrator
The speaker humbly waits before the Lord, asking for peace, love, and faithfulness.
Key passages
“Thy promise, Lord, and thy command, Have brought us here to-day”
We have come here today because you promised and commanded us to.
The speaker attributes their presence to God's initiative.
“Meet us, we pray, with words of peace, And fill our hearts with love”
Please come to us with peaceful words and fill our hearts with love.
A plea for God's presence and a transformation of the heart.
“That from our follies we may cease, And henceforth faithful prove”
So that we may stop our foolish ways and be faithful from now on.
The purpose of the request is to enable a change in behavior and character.