I Could Not Pray

[MajestyJo]

Lord, I have knelt and tried to pray tonight,
But Thy love came upon me like a sleep,
And all desire died out; upon the deep
Of Thy mere love I lay, each thought in light
Dissolving like the sunset clouds, at rest
Each tremulous wish, and my strength weakness, sweet
As a sick boy with soon o'erwearied feet
Finds, yielding him unto his mother's breast
To week for weakness there. I could not pray,
But with closed eyes I felt Thy bosom's love
Beating toward mine, and then I would not move
Till of itself the joy should pass away;
At last my heart found voice, - 'Take me, O Lord,
And do with me according to They word.'

For me there is something comforting in this sonnet by Edward Dowden. There is great trust in it. Maybe evening prayer is found as much in a relaxed sleepiness as in an earnest wakefulness.

- Celia Haddon (The Year Book of Love and Wisdom)