I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.
Today’s song is Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire from 1818.
1 Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
unuttered or expressed,
the motion of a hidden fire
that trembles in the breast.
2 Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
the falling of a tear,
the upward glancing of an eye,
when none but God is near.
3 Prayer is the simplest form of speech
that infant lips can try;
prayer the sublimest strains that reach
the Majesty on high.
4 Prayer is the contrite sinners' voice,
returning from their way,
while angels in their songs rejoice
and cry, "Behold, they pray!"
5 Prayer is the Christians' vital breath,
the Christians' native air;
their watchword at the gates of death;
they enter heav'n with prayer.
6 O Thou, by whom we come to God,
the Life, the Truth, the Way;
the path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray!
I don’t ever remember singing this one, but I am aware of it. It’s one of the few hymns about prayer. Why aren’t there more? Well, maybe most hymns address God directly and could be seen as prayer in addition to being worship. But I generally think of prayer as involving some conversation and petition in relation to specific personal needs, while worship is more about delighting in God’s presence. This one doesn’t address God directly, but reminds us of the value of prayer.
But generally, when I want a hymn about prayer, I go for What a Friend We Have in Jesus. That’s much more familiar to me, and I’ve sung it many times in church.
But when I explore the lyrics of today’s hymn, I do appreciate them, and I’m keen to learn and promote the hymn. It’s great to be reminded of the value of prayer. I’m beginning to think that I can spend the rest of my life getting better at praying even if I don’t get much better at anything else 😀.
Here are some other versions of today’s hymn:
Hibernia Gospel 