John Donne, one of the most famous preachers of the early seventeenth century, was also one of the great poets of the era (although the majority of his poems were only published after his death). While some of his poems are quite well known, even the less familiar have important messages, such as the litany beginning with these striking lines:
Hear us, O hear us, Lord; to Thee
A sinner is more music, when he prays,
Than spheres’ or angels’ praises be… (1-3)
Donne suggests God loves us so deeply that even though we may have fallen short, even though we may suffer from limitations and missteps, our prayers are more beautiful to our loving God than the majesty of the universe or the worship of heaven! During Lent, when we may turn to God in repentance and prayer, aware of our shortcomings, we do so knowing that God’s love for us is beyond all we can imagine.
But Donne also speaks of another example of God’s love which may not occur to us so readily, saying of our prayers:
Hear us, for till Thou hear us, Lord,
We know not what to say;
Thine ear to our sighs, tears, thoughts, gives voice and word… (5-7)
God is not only listening to our prayers; God is actually guiding our prayers, giving voice to our intercessions and needs. Donne is no doubt thinking of Romans 8:26, in which Paul tells us, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” There is something deeply comforting in realizing that our prayers are actually assisted and even created by the very God who hears them! As John Donne puts it at the conclusion of this litany, addressing God:
“Hear Thyself now, for Thou in us dost pray” (9).
from Steve Geitgey