Poetry · Chapter
Christmas Prayer explained
A humble prayer inviting Christ into a cold, poor heart, comparing it to the stable in the rock and promising transformation into a divine temple.
What happens
A humble prayer inviting Christ into a cold, poor heart, comparing it to the stable in the rock and promising transformation into a divine temple.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the speaker tu…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Redemption and Grace
The heart's transformation from lowly stable to divine fane through Christ's presence.
- Love as Ultimate Strength
The invitation for Christ to enter and cause the heart to grow and shine like ruby and diamond.
Characters to notice
- Jesus Christ
Implored to enter the speaker's heart, which is likened to a stable in the rock.
- Unknown
The speaker whose heart is cold, poor, and low, seeking divine indwelling.
Key passages
“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!”
My heart is cold, poor, and lowly, like the stable where you were born; do not abandon it as an orphan, for it comes from your own family.
The speaker acknowledges the heart's humble state and pleads for Christ's recognition of their shared lineage.
“Come thou in, and it will grow High and wide, a fane divine; Like the ruby it will glow, Like the diamond shine!”
If you enter, my heart will expand into a grand, holy temple, glowing like a ruby and shining like a diamond.
The promise of transformation and radiance through Christ's indwelling presence.
