John and Amelia Schenck owned a farm in Deer Park, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati) during the Civil War. Their family farm also provided refuge for escaped slaves, aided by the Underground Railroad. John and Clara Ann Thompson fled their enslavement by crossing the Ohio River and settling in a corner of the Schenck farm. Confederate General Morgan led a cavalry of soldiers to raid the Ohio Valley in search of desperately needed supplies. They arrived at the Schenck farm to confiscate food and horses, but a clever ruse kept them from entering the farmhouse. Amelia disguised herself as a nurse and warned the raiders that a child was sick with smallpox and was under quarantine in the house. Seeing the front door covered with a sheet and the windows shuttered convinced the raiders to go on their way. Not only did the Schenck’s hide the Thompsons in the parlor, but they also concealed their two prized horses there. After the war, John and Clara Ann worked on the farm until they earned enough money to buy a home several miles away, where they raised their children–Garland was recognized as an award-winning wood carver, and Clara Ann, Priscilla, and Aaron became renowned poets. Clara’s poems centered on Christian themes. One of Clara Ann Thompson’s (1869-1849) poems, “What Mean the Bleating of the Sheep,” became a national talking point for years in the national debate over race. Her poem takes its lead from a story in 1 Samuel about Saul’s defeat of the Amalekites, Israel’s nemesis. God specifically directs Saul not to take plunder from the battle, but Saul disobeys the command and incorporates Amalekite livestock into the herd. He then has the audacity to tell the prophet Samuel that he has “carried out the commands of the Lord” (1 Sam. 15.13). “What then is the bleating of the sheep in my ears?” Samuel asks (1 Sam. 15.14). Now caught in a lie, Saul tries to pretend that he will offer the sheep in worship to the Lord. Clara Ann likens the cries of her oppressed people to the bleating of sheep, and her poem calls out the hypocrisy of a nation that prizes religious freedom while denying it to selected citizens. She often performed this lengthy poem with Brother Aaron for churches and civic groups. Another of her poems, “Out of the Deep: a Prayer,” from her 1908 collection of poems, leads us to pray:
Clara Ann Thompson
Out of the deep, I cry to Thee, oh Lord!
Out of the deep of darkness and distress,
I cannot, will not doubt Thy blessed word,
Oh, God of righteousness!
I cry, and oh, my God, I know Thou’lt heed,
For Thou hast promised to heed my cry,
I have no words to tell my deepest need,
Thou knowest, oh, Most High!
Thou knowest all the pain—the agony,
The grief I strive so vainly to express,
Oh, let Thy sheltering wings spread over me,
Great God of tenderness.
I cannot cease to cry to thee,
For oh, my God, this heart is not my own,
And as the streams press ever to the sea,
My heart turns to Thy throne.
And when too weak to lift my voice, I lie
In utter silence at Thy blessed feet,
Thou’lt know, that silence is my deepest cry,
Thy throne, my last retreat.
And shouldst Thou hide Thy face for aye, from me,
My heart, though shattered, evermore would grope,
Out through the darkness, still in search of Thee,
Oh God, my only hope.
Clara Ann Thompson, Songs from the Wayside, 1908.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.