Here Follow Several Occasional Meditations
The sermon describes the author's experience of seeking God and God's response, emphasizing the importance of a lifelong commitment to love and serve Him.
Anne Bradstreet, in her sermon, reflects on her personal journey of seeking and finding God's comfort and provision in times of distress. She describes how God filled her hungry soul with goodness, collected her tears, healed her wounds with His blood, and removed her doubts and fears. Bradstreet expresses her gratitude by committing to serve and love her Savior for eternity.
Text
1
By night when others soundly slept,
And had at once both case and rest,
My waking eyes were open kept
And so to lie I found it best.
2
I sought Him whom my soul did love,
With tears I sought Him earnestly;
He bowed His ear down from above.
In vain I did not seek or cry.
3
My hungry soul He filled with good,
He in His bottle put my tears,
My smarting wounds washed in His blood,
And banished thence my doubts and fears.
4
What to my Savior shall I give,
Who freely hath done this for me?
I'll serve Him here whilst I shall live
And love Him to eternity.
Sermon Outline
- The Author's Experience of Seeking God
- God's Response to the Author's Seeking
- The Author's Response to God's Love
- The author's gratitude and service
- The author's lifelong commitment to love God
Key Quotes
“He bowed His ear down from above.” — Anne Bradstreet
“He in His bottle put my tears, / My smarting wounds washed in His blood, / And banished thence my doubts and fears.” — Anne Bradstreet
Application Points
- We should seek God earnestly and sincerely in our prayers.
- God responds to our seeking with comfort, healing, and redemption.
- We should respond to God's love with gratitude, service, and a lifelong commitment to love Him.