There are a lot of modern hymns written that describe or address some aspect of spirituality, that can be set to well known tunes.  An important aspect of our ministry as musicians is whether we are helping people to pray, and the following hymn addresses the question, ‘what is prayer?’  You may agree or disagree with some of the ideas expressed, but it is an example of a hymn that could easily be sung by a congregation.  The words are ‘common metre’ and so it could easily be sung, for example, to ‘Amazing grace’ or ‘Crimond’ (The Lord’s my shepherd) or ‘Belmont’ (My God accept my heart this day).  Some of its verses follow

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 Christian’s vital breath, the Christian’s native air,
our watchword at the gates of death, we enter heaven with prayer.

4     The saints in prayer appear as one, in word, in deed, and mind,
while with the Father and the Son, sweet fellowship they find.

5     Prayer is not made by us alone: the Holy Spirit pleads,
and Jesus, on the eternal throne, for sinners intercedes.

6     O Christ, by whom we come to God, the Life, the Truth, the          Way,
the path of prayer yourself have trod, Lord, teach us how to pray.

The words were written by James Montgomery (1771 - 1854), who incidentally was born in Irvine.  When he was five his family moved to the Moravian settlement near Ballymena, County Antrim.  Montgomery wrote about 400 hymns and this was for Edward Bickersteth, who wanted them for his book ‘Treatise on prayer’.  Bickersteth was closely related to at least 3 Anglican Bishops.  Montgomery died and was buried in Sheffield.