Prayer is basically communication. We think of it as more than that, but the whole idea of prayer is to talk — specifically to talk to God and through it put ourselves in a state where we can hear Him. The whole point is to make contact and hear what we need to know.

We have faith that He hears our prayers, even when we pray for things that we shouldn’t. But we also struggle when we don’t think that we have received any response. What is happening when we don’t get a response? Did God not respond? Or is it us?

I believe that a part of the problem is in the nature of this communication. Most of the time answers to prayers come in feelings more than in any language. To me, that suggests that the “language” of the communication may contribute to the difficulty in understanding. Hearing Him requires learning a new language, understanding a language that is unlike any other, but that we also manage to confuse with other feelings. If I’m right, learning the language of prayer takes work — but that work can be done by anyone, regardless of how educated or “literate” they are.

So why use another language? Human language is hardly the perfect medium — we miscommunicate all the time. But communication through feelings has an impact that is difficult for human language to match. To put it simply, answers to prayers come in unique ways that can’t be matched  by our normal language.

 

The Lord can help me make good choices when I am tempted to sin.

These feelings, the communication from God, can be crucial when we are trying to make moral decisions. Like it or not, most moral decisions aren’t completely clear—between our own motivations, the morality of others and the complexity of many situations, a case might be made for most alternatives in moral decisions. I don’t mean that there isn’t a best moral decision in every case, but rather that we can and do find ways to justify our actions. Thus we need communication from God to help in these cases.

In this poem, the proflic poet Joel H. Johnson shows how prayer should be a daily part of our lives, and helps us learn how to face temptation.

 

Father in heaven, by whom I’m taught

To lift my heart in prayer,

Drive from my breast each evil thought,

And rest thy Spirit there.

 

Each moment of my life, may I

Thy love and mercy know;

And ev’ry sinful passion fly,

As from a deadly foe.

 

Help me to break the fowler’s chain,

And cast his pow’r away;

That he may tempt me not again

To turn my feet astray.

 

O, kindle in my longing heart

A never dying flame

Of faith, and love, and sacred trust,

In thy most holy name.

1882

 

The gift of discernment helps me distinguish between right and wrong.

I’m not completely sure of the difference between discernment and prayer. It seems like discernment involves more of our own decisions and knowledge than receiving answers to prayer. But discernment is also something that we build over time— likely through prayer to some degree.

In the following poem, James Bond (yes, that’s the name of this English convert), doesn’t mean that whatever happens is somehow right or good—wrong and evil things do happen. He does mean that whatever happens God does is good, and that we need to learn to discern that. Bond is arguing that we need to trust that what God does is right.

 

When weak, short sighted mortals learn

To trust the God above,

With eyes of faith they’ll then discern

The pow’r of endless Love;

And knowing that our God is just,

Though clouds may veil our sight,

In Providence we’ll put our trust—

“Whatever is, is right.”

 

If smiling fortune favors sends,

And beams on us her rays,

Wit joy will take whate’er she lends,

And give to God the praise;

But should she seem to frown awhile,

Her sun ne’er shine so bright,

With patience wait to catch her smile—

“Whatever is, is right.”

 

If flattering prospects should appear,

And dreams of future bliss,

And happy days be with us here,

They ne’er will come amiss;

Or should a gloom becloud the skies,

Our hopes receive a blight,

New hopes and prospects soon will rise—

“Whatever is, is right.”

 

When peace and plenty reign around,

And heavenly gifts descend,

Then joy shall in our hearts abound,

To know that God’s our friend.

Should hell array ‘gainst us its force,

Our day be turned to night,

In steadfastness we’ll keep our course—

“Whatever is, is right.”

 

And should we in our lives pursue

The way of sin’s dark road,

We’ll own that God is just and true,

If hell is our abode;

Or if we take the better way,

To realms of endless light,

We’ll praise our God, and humbly say—

“WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT,”

1852

 

Through covenants made in the Lord’s house, the Lord dwells with me.

Our communication with God is also influenced by what we do and how we act. Making covenants puts us in a place that allows the Lord to dwell with us and makes that communication better. And I suspect that it also teaches us how to hear Him—that is, the language of prayer.

This kind of relationship with the Lord, one that is built through things like covenants, is the subject of the following poem describing our devotion to Him.

 

O God, the Eternal Father,

We come before Thee now,

To seek Thy loving favor –

The suppliant knee we bow.

And, in the name of Jesus,

Thy dear beloved Son,

Accept our invocation;

Thy holy will be done.

And let thy spirit richly

Dwell in our midst today,

While we are here assembled

To fast, and sing, and pray.

Deliver us from bondage;

Our enemies subdue,

And we will seek repentance;

Our covenants renew.

Unitedly we offer

Our souls’ desires to Thee,

That Thou would’st break our shackles

And set Thy people free.

Incline Thine ear to favor

Thy Zion, Lord, we cry,

And shower on us Thy blessings,

The choicest from on high.

O wilt Thou grant us freedom

And wisdom from above?

That we cement a union,

The perfect fruit of love.

And shout aloud Hosanna;

Also a long Amen;

And rise to meet our Savior

When He shall come to reign.

1889

 

“His heart was not perfect with the Lord.”

Maintaining this kind of relationship with the Lord requires our hearts to be aligned with God. In many ways this is our task as Christians — becoming close to God through becoming like him (as opposed to creating a “Christian” nation through coercion, as too many people seek today).

In this poem the task of the Christian is outlined: “To imitate a Savior’s perfect way.”

 

At early morn I wake and say,

What have I to do today?

My faithful conscience makes me this reply—

Christian! thou hast a God to glorify!

To imitate a Savior’s perfect way;

And, in the narrow path he trod, to stay!

Thou hast a soul to save, which cannot die;

And thou a body hast—to mortify:

Graces—from pitying heaven to implore;

And sins—a countless number, to weep o’er:

Thou hast a heaven to gain—a hell to shun—

Eternity to meditate upon!

Time to redeem, alas, how vainly past,

When every moment might have been thy last!

Thy neighbor, by examples to improve;

The world to fear, lest thou its vices love:

A heart to keep with diligence and care,

Lest any thought of evil harbor there:

Devils to wrestle with—most powerful, too;

And many warring passions to subdue:

And oh, perhaps, ere night shall veil the earth

Thine eyes may close in the long sleep of death!

Thy disembodied soul; in bliss or woe

For this day’s work may judgment undergo!

All this have I to do; I trembling ask,

Lord: Grant thy Spirit to perform the task!

Unless thy gracious aid assist the plan

I cannot act nor think—so weak is man!

Thy Blessed Holy Spirit’s influence send,

Shed o’er my heart, and through the fight defend!

So shall I keep the faith, the prize obtain.

And not perform my daily task in vain.

1912