In the dark recesses of the soul,
Questions emerged to haunt the restless mind.
Fickle companions,
The comforts of familiar religion;
Their words unable to touch the deepest part of the heart.
Habits of devotion
Practised fervently
In company, and in
Solitude;
The drive to be perfect,
To win love and to receive assurance,
Put on pious clothes
That failed to warm the spirit.
The absence of an anchor
For the soul
Brought anxiety amidst storms.
Anglican priest and Oxford don, heal thyself,
Where is your faith?
Then, grace touched me
Through His Word;
When the Spirit
Breaking through the clouds of illusion
And mists of fear,
Spoke to my spirit
And brought assurance from heaven.
My sins are forgiven.
I know I am His.
Love found me and stayed in my heart.
Lord of heaven and earth,
My heart was strangely warmed
When you crossed the awful chasm
And touched the lonely shores of my soul.
Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon will be speaking at the Aldersgate SG 2019 celebration. This poem was first published in the May 1998 issue of Methodist Message.