Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire
Prayer is the soul's sincere desire
Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire is a hymn text by James Montgomery (1818) in C.M. meter. Found in gtg 466, lw 304, th 572, tlh 454. Sung to AZMON.
The hymn articulates a deeply Lutheran understanding of prayer as the response of faith to God's grace, emphasizing sincere devotion and heartfelt petition rather than mere formalism. It reflects the priesthood of all believers, teaching that prayer is the fundamental privilege and responsibility of every Christian soul.
History & Background
Written by James Montgomery in 1818, this hymn was first published in his collection 'The Christian Psalmist' and quickly became one of the most beloved English-language hymns on prayer. It has been included in countless Lutheran hymnals since the 19th century.
Hymnal Appearances
- Glory to God — 466
- Lutheran Worship — 304
- Trinity Hymnal — 572
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 454
- United Methodist Hymnal — 492
- Voices Together — 757
Bulletin Note
Written by James Montgomery in 1818, this hymn celebrates prayer as the sincere desire of the soul—reflecting the Lutheran conviction that all believers have access to God through Christ alone, without priestly mediation.
Preaching Connection
This hymn amplifies the Gospel by teaching that authentic prayer emerges when Law drives us to recognize our need and Gospel assures us of God's hearing and mercy.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law to Gospel: human inability to praise adequately (stanzas 1-2) → Christ's redemptive power transforming sinners (stanzas 3-5) → Trinitarian doxology (stanza 6)
Overview
James Montgomery's definitional hymn on prayer, written at the request of Edward Bickersteth for his Treatise on Prayer. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, spoken or not (st. 1); a sigh, a tear, a glance upward (st. 2); a child's simplest speech and the sublimest strain (st. 3); the penitent's voice at which angels rejoice (st. 4); the Christian's vital breath, his watchword at death (st. 5); the saints' unity (st. 6). Then the decisive turn: 'Nor prayer is made by man alone— / The Holy Spirit pleads, / And Jesus… intercedes' (st. 7); 'Lord, teach us how to pray' (st. 8).
Central theme: Prayer as the breath of faith, carried by the Spirit's pleading and Christ's intercession
Structure
Eight common-meter quatrains: definitions (1-6) — the divine intercessors (7) — 'teach us to pray' (8).
Law & Gospel Shape
Gospel climax: 'The Holy Spirit pleads, / And Jesus… for sinners intercedes' (7). The penitent's prayer welcomed (4).
Confessional Connections
Luke 11:1 (TLH's text): 'Lord, teach us to pray.' St. 4: 'Behold, he prays!' (Acts 9:11, of Saul) — repentance and prayer together; 'joy in heaven over one sinner who repents' (Luke 15:7). St. 7 is the theological center: prayer is not merely human effort — 'the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words' (Rom 8:26), and Christ 'always lives to make intercession' (Heb 7:25). LC Lord's Prayer III.8-11: God commands and promises to hear; prayer rests on his Word, not on our fervor. St. 8: Christ 'the Way' by whom we come (John 14:6; AC XXI: Christ the sole Mediator).
Liturgical Use (Study Notes)
Rogate (Fifth Sunday after Easter); prayer services; catechesis on the Lord's Prayer.
Historical Notes
Montgomery (1771-1854), Moravian-raised Sheffield newspaper editor and poet; written 1818 for Bickersteth's Treatise on Prayer.
About the Tune
BURFORD (John Chetham's Psalmody, 1718).
Scripture References
Luke 11:1 Rom 8:26-27 Ps 38:9 Ps 56:8 Ps 8:2 Isa 6:3 Luke 15:7 Acts 9:11 Acts 7:59 Acts 4:24 1 John 1:3 Heb 7:25 John 14:6 Heb 5:7
Stanza by Stanza
Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, spoken or unspoken, the movement of a hidden fire that trembles in the heart.
'O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you' (Ps 38:9).
- Scripture
- Ps 38:9, Rom 8:26
- Imagery & language
- Sincere desire; unuttered; hidden fire.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — God hears the heart.
- Connection to previous
- Desire.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh, the falling of a tear, the upward glance of an eye when no one but God is near.
'You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle' (Ps 56:8).
- Scripture
- Ps 56:8, Matt 6:6
- Imagery & language
- Sigh; tear; upward glance.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — God sees.
- Connection to previous
- Sigh and tear.
Prayer is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try; prayer is also the most sublime song that reaches the Majesty on high.
'Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength' (Ps 8:2). 'Holy, holy, holy' (Isa 6:3).
- Scripture
- Ps 8:2, Isa 6:3
- Imagery & language
- Infant lips; sublimest strains; Majesty.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — prayer for all.
- Connection to previous
- Simplest and sublimest.
Prayer is the voice of the repentant sinner returning from his ways, while angels rejoice in their songs and cry, 'Look, he prays!'
'Behold, he is praying' (Acts 9:11, of Saul). 'Joy in heaven over one sinner who repents' (Luke 15:7).
- Scripture
- Acts 9:11, Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10
- Imagery & language
- Contrite voice; returning; angels rejoice.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — the penitent welcomed.
- Connection to previous
- Behold, he prays.
Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, the Christian's native air, his watchword at the gates of death — he enters heaven praying.
Stephen died praying (Acts 7:59). 'Pray without ceasing' (1 Thess 5:17).
- Scripture
- Acts 7:59, 1 Thess 5:17
- Imagery & language
- Vital breath; native air; death's gates.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — prayer to the end.
- Connection to previous
- Vital breath.
The saints appear as one in prayer, in word, deed and mind, while they find sweet fellowship with the Father and the Son.
'They lifted their voices together to God' (Acts 4:24). 'Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son' (1 John 1:3).
- Scripture
- Acts 4:24, 1 John 1:3
- Imagery & language
- Saints as one; fellowship.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — communion of saints.
- Connection to previous
- As one.
Prayer is not made by human beings alone — the Holy Spirit pleads, and Jesus on the eternal throne intercedes for sinners.
'The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words' (Rom 8:26-27). 'He always lives to make intercession for them' (Heb 7:25).
- Scripture
- Rom 8:26-27, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1
- Imagery & language
- Not man alone; Spirit pleads; Jesus intercedes.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — divine intercession.
- Connection to previous
- Spirit and Son.
You, by whom we come to God, the Life, the Truth, the Way, who yourself walked the path of prayer — Lord, teach us how to pray.
'No one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6). 'Offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears' (Heb 5:7). 'Lord, teach us to pray' (Luke 11:1).
- Scripture
- John 14:6, Heb 5:7, Luke 11:1
- Imagery & language
- By whom we come; path of prayer; teach us.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — Christ the Way.
- Connection to previous
- Teach us.
Themes
Prayer and intercession Divine grace and mercy Christian devotion Trust in God Thanksgiving