You Love the Lord You Cannot See
poem 487
You Love the Lord You Cannot See - meaning Summary
Faith in Absent Presence
The poem addresses a believer who loves an unseen God by composing daily devotional notes. Dickinson presents prayer as an intimate, habitual act — brief messages written upon waking and again during the day — which express longing to see the divine. The speaker acknowledges that this yearning is heartfelt but reframes it: God’s dwelling is always near, while the speaker’s own “house” is in heaven, implying a reversal of expectations about presence and absence. The poem compresses faith, routine, and consolation into a calm reassurance about spiritual closeness.
Read Complete AnalysesYou love the Lord you cannot see You write Him every day A little note when you awake And further in the Day. An Ample Letter How you miss And would delight to see But then His House is but a Step And Mine’s in Heaven You see.
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