"Christmas Prayer" is a devotional poem in which a speaker lays bare a heart described as cold, poor, and low — humble as a stable carved in rock. The poem's quiet urgency rests on a single plea: that a divine presence would enter and transform this emptiness into something radiant, glowing like a ruby and shining like a diamond. The contrast between the speaker's felt poverty and the brilliant potential of grace gives the poem a striking, jewelled intensity.
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Cold my heart, and poor, and low, Like thy stable in the rock; Do not let it orphan go, It is of thy parent stock! Come thou in, and it will grow High and wide, a fane divine; Like the ruby it will glow, Like the diamond shine!
George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister of the 19th century, widely regarded as a pioneering figure in fantasy literature and spiritual writing. "Christmas Prayer" reflects his characteristic blending of intimate devotion and vivid imagery, here condensed into just eight lines of remarkable compressed beauty.