John Donne was an English Poet and a member of the Church of England clergy. He was born in London on January 22nd, 1572, and died on March 31st, 1631. During his life he wrote many poems. Today I would like to draw your attention to one of his Sonnets. This one is known as, “Holy Sonnet 14.”
Batter my heart, three-person’d God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp’d town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,
But am betroth’d unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
– John Donne
In this Sonnet Donne is addressing God and asking him to break the prison bars of sin. In Revelation 3:20 the Bible says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” Here the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking. He is addressing the self-satisfied Church of Laodicea. This is a divine call to all who hear the message of the Gospel to repent and believe.
The Bible describes the natural man as being in bondage to sin and the devil. John Donne wrote that he was betrothed to God’s enemy and pleaded for a divorce. This is a good picture of our life outside of Christ. It is like we are married to the enemy of God. By the grace and mercy of God the Lord Jesus Christ steps into our life and makes us free from the controlling power of sin and the devil.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” When we become a Christian, we are a new creature in Christ. The former life is wiped away with all its woe and failings and we are giving a new life of peace, joy and hope in the Saviour.
In this poem John Donne is pleading before God to batter his heart. He is asking God to cause him to repent of sin and to draw him closer to God. Donne is struggling with sin, and he knows that he cannot win the victory over sin without God. Is this your desire also? Do you plead before God to help you to live a life that is pleasing to Him?
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