Mid-Week Poetry: Prayer by George Herbert

This week, I listened to a lecture on George Herbert's life and ministry by John Piper. His main point was to make a "poetic effort" in seeing and savoring the glories of God. I strongly recommend the message to you. He ended his talk with this poem. I encourage you to take each image in slowly:      


PRAYER the Churches banquet, Angels age,
        Gods breath in man returning to his birth,
        The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth ;

Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner's tower,
        Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
        The six days world-transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear ;

Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
        Exalted Manna, gladness of the best,
        Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,

        Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the souls blood,
        The land of spices, something understood.


*I have updated the spelling of several words for the ease of reading.