The Hound of Heaven

A well-known poem by Francis Thompson reflects on the struggles of the human soul against the forces of life’s distractions. This is a brief modern adaptation which I came across of the long poem, and I share it with you today, about God’s relentless pursuit of the human soul.

I fled from you, God – Your presence like a weight

on my heart, a voice too distant to hear,

I ran through the noise of city street,

Immersed in my own self-doubt.

But like a shadow in ever place I hid,

You were there, unseen but known.

I sought escape in the fast-paced pulse,

the grind, the instant highs of fleeting pleasure,

I dove into distractions – disconnected,

As the world buzzed around me.

But still, You followed, a silent pursuit beneath my skin,

Whispering softly, ‘Come Back.’

 

At night, when the world went quiet,

I could feel your nearness like an ache –

the memories of the love that I ignored,

Like echoes fading but never gone.

I tried to numb it with the  glow of screens,

with empty crowd and shallow conversations,

but the silence between them was filled with Your waiting presence.

I fought back – for I was afraid,

thinking that to yield to you would mean to lose myself,

to fall into the unknown.

But each time I turned away

You were there, waiting for me to see the futility of my flight,

the hopelessness of my chase.

And then, a moment – the blur of life froze. I stopped running.

In the stillness, You came close – The Hound of Heaven,

not in anger, but with a love,

that was both fierce and gentle, both patient and eternal.

And I, lost and weary, finally let myself  be found.