George Herbert on Prayer (6)

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name forever. Psalm 86.11

Prayer the church’s banquet, angel’s age,
   God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
   The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth
Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tow’r,
   Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
   The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
   Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
   Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
   Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood,
   The land of spices; something understood.
                                               - George Herbert

 The Christian life is often likened to a journey. We see this, for example, in Psalm 84, as well as in the “Psalms of Ascent” which people sang as they were walking together up to the temple in Jerusalem. We also see it in the way such verbs as “walk” and “run” are used to refer to our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Implied in all such metaphors are two things: The Christian life has a destination, and we are supposed to make regular progress toward it.

Our destination is conformity to the image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18; Phil. 3.14). We will only realize this destination when finally we stand before Jesus and see Him face to face (1 Jn. 3.1-3). In the meantime, we strain to “see” Him Whom we cannot see, looking, with the “eye of the heart”, to discern the broad outlines and as many as possible of the specific details of Him, seated at the Father’s right hand, reigning in glory (Eph. 1.15-23; Col. 3.1-3).

But unless our hearts are committed to this journey – our affections – we will not make much progress. The heart is the heart of the matter in the life of faith. We will pursue what we desire, what we love the most, that on which our hearts are most firmly and unswervingly set.

George Herbert understood the power of prayer to affect our hearts. In prayer we take up the “heart’s pilgrimage” toward Christ. Through conversation and communion with the Lord, meditating on His presence and entering into His glory, our hearts are stretched toward Jesus and away from the things of the world. If we struggle with not loving the Lord as much as lesser things, the cure is to pack your heart up in the car of prayer and head out for a road trip, as often as possible.

Prayer focuses on Jesus, when we pray as we should. Prayer engages us with the Lord. We rejoice in knowing that He hears us, and cares, and we listen carefully, in silence, for His Word and Spirit to speak a specific word to our souls. In prayer we discover what David knew, that in the Lord’s presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16.11).

It’s a pilgrimage we can teach our heart to relish.

As our hearts then are “united” – to use David’s image – within themselves, fully integrated into the Lord, and united with the rest of our souls, they train us to love God as we ought and strengthen us for our daily journey in the world. Prayer is the key to disciplining the heart to love the Lord.

We will travel more consistently with Christ, and along the path of His righteousness, if in prayer we journey in our hearts to – and with – the Lord.