By Alan Parks
One of God’s greatest blessings to us is the gift of prayer. I’ve often thought that the godliest people of the old covenant would be dazzled by our access to the throne room of heaven. No longer must we enter with fear, with accompanying sacrifices of innocent blood, nor through any intermediary—just us alone with God. Yet do we take this gift for granted at times?
A fire in the soul
James Montgomery’s immortal words in “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire” have always thrilled me.1 Often, I’ll find myself singing them quietly, and I receive a blessing every time. The songwriter penned this first verse:
Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
The wisdom of this verse lies, in part, in its application to each type of prayer. Intercessory prayers—praying for the needs of others, whether for health, salvation, or restoration—come from “sincere desire.” Prayers of praise arise from the same place: God’s goodness, holiness, justice, and love (among other attributes) emanate from the soul’s sincere desire. Very personally, prayers of petition represent our deepest requests of God, in accordance with His will. Many other forms of prayer, including confession and unity, also spring from “the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.”
When only God is near
Will you agree that for many—or most—Christians, the second verse (below) encapsulates the prayers that we most often pray?
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? In those stressful, agonizing periods when we feel powerless to affect change, we may feel fearful, anxious, and alone. The Lord allows difficult trials to enter our lives, such as job loss, a serious diagnosis, and persecution. The list is long.
We know that He allows these trials to mold us, to draw us closer to Himself until we live in full dependence and surrender, and to teach us lessons we’d never learn otherwise. The journey through them, however, may seem dark and unending. What an encouragement to review the similar trials that people in Scripture endured. At times, we see their finite humanity on full display, but ultimately, their total reliance on the God who delivers them becomes evident.
Dear friends—missionaries, homemakers, businesspeople, every diverse group in Him—in times of trial, we can see God most clearly. If you’re trembling under the “burden of a sigh” and the “falling of a tear,” remember the key to your earnest prayers: “The upward glancing of an eye when none but God is near.” As Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Sorrow looks back; worry looks around; faith looks up.” When we have intimate, personal access to the Sovereign of the universe, what place can worry have in our lives?
Whatever our greatest burdens are today, let us take time to be alone with God, in obedience to 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” His care for us is profound. It caused Him to send His only Son to this earth to suffer agonies and die for us. He cared for us even before we knew Him. He cares enough that He wants us to live with Him forever.
He cares for us. How simply stated, yet how profound.
Simple yet sublime
In this world of war, turmoil, and hatred, our Lord has equipped us with one of the greatest gifts possible: prayer. It is accessible to every believer, and it is powerful. The third verse of our hymn reads:
Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.
The church has long been borne along on the back of whispered prayers. This must remain so and increase. May we make the words of Christ’s disciple our own: “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)
Alan Parks is a commended worker based in Texas.
Originally published in Missions magazine, February 2024. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe
