Like Jacob, early in his...
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Like Jacob, early in his life, Francis Thompson seemed to be an unlikely recipient of God's grace. However, Francis Thompson is now ranked among the major religious poets England has ever had. He was born December 18, 1859 at Preston, England. As a young man, he tried to follow in his father's footsteps and became a physician but was unsuccessful. In 1885, at the age of 25 he moved to London and soon found himself overcome by poverty and addicted to opium. By chance Thompson mailed a brief poem to Wilfred and Alice Meynell who were prominent poets at that time. They immediately recognized the potential of this young man and searched for him until they found him in one of the worst slums of London. They cared for him and sent him to live with Franciscan monks. While there, Thompson had an encounter with God and eventually wrote an autobiographical poem titled The Hound of Heaven. In this poem he described how he ran from God, but it seemed as if God chased him like a hound from heaven. Wherever he ran or tried to hide, God seemed to be right before him if not ahead of him. Finally, one day Thompson realized that he had not only heard the sound of God's approaching steps but also God's voice of love. -- Angus
