Prayer - a poem

 

Prayer, John Phillip

Prayer

A song in the wringing of tears,

A spring in the desert of grief,

A warmth in the freezing of fears,

A reaching and a relief;

A crowding of whispering words,

A thronging of unspoken thoughts,

A world of longings unheard,

A battle unseen and unsought;

A practice of patience and hope,

An arrow shot into the fight,

An effort of faith grabbing hold,

A seeing that goes beyond sight;

The breath of the newly-born soul,

Fresh from the water and blood;

The pulse of the heart freed from stone;

The rhythm and lyric of love.

"Prayer is the only refuge in sorrow. The lesson from the garden prayer is that we should take all the hard things, the anguishes, the insufferable pains, the bitter griefs of our lives, to God in prayer. We may be sure, too, that God will answer. If He does not relieve us of the suffering, He will strengthen us so that we can keep it, and still go on trusting and singing."

~ J.R. Miller