I memorized this in college, and it has come back to me many times since. As I tried to bring this poem back to mind, I of course, re-thought of it with a few words changed. I will give you my personalized version first, (the one I have hung on to many times) and James Montgomery’s original version second. Feel free to make the poem your own.
PRAYER IS THE HEART’S SINCERE DESIRE
Prayer is the heart’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That burns within the breast.
Prayer is the uttering of a sigh,
The falling of a tear
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.
. . . . . . . now the original version.
Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.
This is the part I memorized in college. I didn’t know who wrote the poem or that it included many more verses. I will add a link where you can read the entire poem.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/prayer-is-the-soul-s-sincere-desire/
“O THOU that hearest prayer. . .” Psalm 65:2
“LORD, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1
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.
good night all,
–rebecca
I thought perhaps you were talking about William Cowper’s hymn/poem “An Exhortation to Prayer”. I first encountered it on the Christian’s Daily calendar years ago. Your grandma only used the third verse (slightly changed):
Neglecting prayer, we cease to fight:
Prayer makes the Christian’s armour bright;
And Satan trembles, when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
Here is the address of the whole: http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/cowper7.htm
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Thankful the Lord gives us the right to pray “in His Name”, plus encouragement to pray!! Trusting to learn more and pray more as I am OLD….
Really special to see you all!!
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Wonderful seeing you also. I hope it isn’t so long between visits.
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Thanks for the link. Another poem to memorize.
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Love this!! Thanks~
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