Two things stand out about the life of John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892): his poetry and his devotion to Christ. These two central ambitions combine to effect lasting change in the battle over slavery. First, his poetry. John became the most popular of the “fireside poets” in 19th century America, so-called because families gathered around the fire in the evening to read and discuss their poetry. High-brow poets criticized John’s defects in rhyme and mocked his overly sentimental view of New England life. Pshaw! His simple, direct poems forged deep connections with his vast readership. It was not a small accomplishment for one with a scant formal education, who was too poor to afford college and largely self-taught. Second, his faith. John was a devout Quaker who not only adhered to their customs of plain dress and their refusal to take oaths but also learned the Scriptures by heart. The inner light, a distinctive feature of Quaker theology that can lead to all manner of distortion, did not dissuade John from his lifelong quest to follow the indwelling Christ.
A letter John received from abolitionist William Garrison in 1833 became his defining moment. Garrison pleaded with John to become a founding member of the American Anti-slavery Society, “Whittier enlist! Your talents, zeal, influence — are all needed.” While this might seem a no-brainer to us, for an aspiring poet in the 1830s to join the abolitionist cause was the kiss of death. He would be ostracized in elite literary circles. In the end, his Christian convictions won out. The lines he addressed in a poem to a fellow abolitionist considering a run for political office he also applied to himself:
“Bend thou these yokes,” God said…
Forego thy dreams of lettered ease…
The rights of man are more than these,
He heard and answered, “Here am I.”
John wielded his pen to challenge those who used Christianity to justify the slave system:
“Feed fat, ye locusts, feed!
And in your tasseled pulpits, thank the Lord,
That, from the toiling bond man’s utter need,
Ye pile your own full board.”
In earlier days, I cared little for poetry. It was too simply much work to untangle its dense symbolism and complex literary forms. I see it differently now. God used the literary prowess of poets like Whittier to change hearts. In 1864, John published a collection of poems, In War Time and Other Poems. Amid the uncertainties of the Civil War, he composed the poem “Thy Will be Done.” At the end of every stanza, he repeats the refrain, “Thy will be Done.” The repetition underscores the essence of what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.: May your will be done through me today: