Prayer is the soul's sincere desire

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 Christian's vital breath,
the Christian's native air,
the watchword at the gates of death
while entering heaven with prayer.

5.
O Christ, by whom we come to God,
the life, the truth, the way;
the path of prayer that you have trod,
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Words:  James Montgomery, 1818, alt.
   Tune:  Stephanie Martin, 1990
                    Music copyright © 1990 Stephanie Martin

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