A Poem for Those Whose Faith Feels Stale

Faith

Lord, how couldst thou so much appease
Thy wrath for sin as, when man’s sight was dim,
And could see little, to regard his ease,
And bring by Faith all things to him?

Hungry I was, and had no meat:
I did conceit a most delicious feast;
I had it straight, and did as truly eat,
As ever did a welcome guest.

There is a rare outlandish root,
Which when I could not get, I thought it here:
That apprehension cur’d so well my foot,
That I can walk to heav’n well near.

I owed thousands and much more:
I did believe that I did nothing owe,
And liv’d accordingly; my creditor
Believes so too, and lets me go.

Faith makes me any thing, or all
That I believe is in the sacred story:
And where sin placeth me in Adam’s fall,
Faith sets me higher in his glory.

If I go lower in the book,
What can be lower than the common manger?
Faith puts me there with him, who sweetly took
Our flesh and frailty, death and danger.

If bliss had lien in art or strength,
None but the wise or strong had gained it:
Where now by Faith all arms are of a length;
One size doth all conditions fit.

A peasant may believe as much
As a great Clerk, and reach the highest stature.
Thus dost thou make proud knowledge bend & crouch,
While grace fills up uneven nature.

When creatures had no real light Inherent in them,
thou didst make the sun Impute a luster,
and allow them bright;
And in this show, what Christ hath done.

That which before was darkned clean
With bushy groves, pricking the looker’s eye,
Vanisht away, when Faith did change the scene:
And then appear’d a glorious sky.

What though my body run to dust?
Faith cleaves unto it, counting evr’y grain
With an exact and most particular trust,
Reserving all for flesh again.

Savoring the Poem

Far too often, old truths turn stale. All the wonder leaks out. So we need fresh ways of seeing and saying that re-colorize the picture and reawaken awe. Poetry does that. Imagination does it too. In this poem, Herbert uses both to celebrate the ludicrous, hilarious (this poem is funny) miracle of faith. Imagine that by simply thinking of food, you had a feast before you. Imagine that by simply conceiving a cure, you were healed. Or that by believing your debt was forgiven, it was! It sounds like a fairy tale, but that’s what faith does. “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Rom. 4:5). This is the glorious Reformation doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ. (It’s no accident that Herbert uses the word “impute” in line 35 to describe what the “sun” does.) Faith rewrites the biblical story, excusing us from the dead-end role of Adam (where sin had us) and exalting us (the peasant no less than the clergyman) with the glorious Christ. If you look closely, you’ll see Christ throughout this poem. He’s the “most delicious feast” enjoyed at the Communion table, the “root” (Isa. 11:10; 53:2; Rom. 15:12; Rev. 5:5; 22:16) who heals serpent-bruised heels (Gen. 3:15), and the creditor who releases debtors from the crushing weight of what they owe. And all this comes to us by faith. Most miraculously of all, faith guarantees life beyond this life, tracking (accountant-like) every grain of our flesh, ensuring we’ll be raised whole-bodied to enjoy God forever. What a wonder!

The most immediate application of this poem is: believe God. Trust Christ.

Shepherded by the Poem

The most immediate application of this poem is: believe God. Trust Christ. Herbert is gunning for our faith. But notice he never says that. Rather than commanding belief he celebrates it. This poem sparkles and inspires. Herbert blows the dust from dusty doctrine, flooding us with wonder at the miracle of faith. That’s because he’s a skillful pastor. He knows we often respond better to inspiration than exhortation. He’s gently guiding us to deeper trust. In which areas of your life is it currently hardest for you to trust God? His call upon us is to believe (Mark 11:24), and his gift to us is the very faith he requires (Phil. 1:29). We can learn a lot from Herbert’s approach in this poem. Do some Christian truths taste as stale as the crackers in the back of your cupboard? May it never be! We’re not George Herbert, but how might we exercise our sanctified imaginations in order to renew our wonder and inspire it in others? Pick a doctrine and have a go. If it doesn’t make you sing, you haven’t understood it yet.

This article is adapted from In All Things Thee to See: A Devotional Guide to Selected Poems of George Herbert with selections and contributions by Stephen Witmer.

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