Prayer, Unanswered

The following was an unpublished poem of hymn-writer Fanny Crosby, recently
discovered by Donald Hustad. The manuscript carried several notations, including
the initials “M. S.” and the name “H. P. Main;’ There is also a question, “Is this
O.K.?” signed by “I.A.S.”-lra Allan Sankey-and the further notes “O.K.” and
“This is fine.” At the upper right the paper is embossed with the name “HAMIL-
1DN.” The poem is entitled, “For What His Love Denies.”
God does not give me all I ask,
Nor answer as I pray;
But, 0, my cup is brimming o’er
With blessings day by day.
How oft the joy I thought withheld
Delights my longing eyes,
And so I thank Him from my heart
For what His love denies.
Sometimes I miss a treasured link
In friendship’s hallowed chain,
And yet His smile is my reward
For every throb of pain.
I look beyond, where purer joys
Delight my longing eyes;
And so I thank Him from my heart
For what His love denies.
1 Robert J. Morgan, On This Day (NashvilJe: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), August 27.