The Painful Discipline of God

As I was pondering the purposeful but painful discipline of God, I came across this poem. I offer it here without comment.

When God wants to drill a man
And thrill a man, and skill a man
When God wants to mould a man
To play the noblest part,
When he yearns with all His heart
To build so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed
Then watch His methods, watch His ways!

How he ruthlessly perfects
Whom he royally elects;
How he hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into shapes and forms of clay
Which only God can understand
While man’s tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands …

Yet God bends but never breaks
When man’s good he undertakes
How He uses whom He chooses
And with mighty power infuses him
With every act induces him to try His splendour out
God knows what he’s about!

Authorship uncertain, possibly Henry Francis Lyte (with additional verse)

Comments

[Caroline]

I am the clay within your hands
I am the clay upon your wheel
and I would have you mold me
I would have you shape me
place my life into your hands
but still I hold back, Lord have mercy
still I hold back, Lord have mercy
still I hold back, Lord have mercy
now on me.

...

[ron]

It's rather ironic, we pray...Lord, bend me, shape me, mould me. Then His hand comes upon His earthen vessel, He bends, shapes, moulds. Next we're praying...Lord, where are thou in the midst of my pain. Let us pray for courage and discipline to sit on the potters wheel while he has his way. Thanks for sharing this gem, Richard. Shalom...Ron+

[Lorna]

This is beautiful. Hard. Thought-provoking. True

[r]

Dale Martin Stone is listed elsewhere as the author of the poem you have cited as Joni's. I think he pre-dates Joni as the author. That does not, however, decrease its value or the fact that in many ways Joni has lived it.