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ch. XLII

Our Lord God wills our true understanding
of three things in prayer.
First, by whom and how our prayer springs:
that He is its ground, from His goodness.
Second, how we should pray,
and how use our prayer.
that our will be turned to the will of our Lord,
enjoying.
This is His meaning when He says,
‘I make you to will it.’
Third that we should know the fruit and end of our prayers:
To be united and like our Lord in all things.

For this was His lovely lesson shown.
He will help us to make it so.

Our Lord wills our prayer and trust be both alike,
large.
If our trust be less than our prayer,
our worship is less,
we delay and increase our pain;
not truly knowing our Lord,
the Ground of our prayer,
gives us our prayer
by the grace of His love.

Sometimes we think we have prayed long
but nothing is given.
But we should not be depressed.
We are awaiting a gterater time,
More grace, or a greater gift.

Our Lord wills us to know more fully
that HE IS.

He wants this understanding grounded
in all our strength, intent and meaning;
that we dwell in it to understand
our noble, excellent making;
our dear redeeming from the debt of sin;
all that is made for us
and in our care.

‘See what I have done for you
even before your prayer.’

He has already done the greatest deeds
that we may be one with Him.
We need not be prevented from our prayer
for fear we are unworthy.
His passion was for no unworthy cause.

He wants us to continue in our prayer.
All His creation, all that He has done,
is done in love.
Our lover would be one with us in prayer;
our prayer fulfilling our great debt of love;
whether we pray for just one special thing
Or in general.

‘I am your Ground of life and of your prayer.’
This blessed word then fully overcomes
our weakness and our doubt.

XLIII

Prayer then unites the soul to God,
which, though it is His image,
restored by His good grace,
often comes unlike Him by our sin.
Then prayer shows we will as He wills,
comforting conscience,
enabling us to grace.

For this we are taught to pray,
To trust we shall have our true desire,
Held in His love,
partners in His good deed.

He stirs us to pray truly,
for what He desires to do,
and for this prayer, for this good will
He gives us true reward,
endless honour, endless praise.

God showed such pleasure and content
for our fervent prayer
as though He were greatly in debt to us
for each good deed we do
(yet it is He that does it)
that He will do all that seems good to Him.

But when by grace our courteous Lord
shows Himself to our soul,
we have our desire.
For a time we feel no need to pray.
All our intent, all our might,
is in beholding Him.

Yet this too is high, unperceived prayer,
united in the sight of Him,
marvelling with precious awe,
and so great sweetness and delight in Him,
that we cannot pray until He stirs us.

The more the soul sees of God,
the more it desires of Him,
and is one with Him.
Its prayer is its love of Him.

But when because of our failing
we see Him not so,
to strengthen ourselves
we feel the need to pray to Jesus.
but when the soul is tempestuous,
troubled, lonely in unrest,
then it is time to pray,
to make itself pliant,
obedient to God.
No prayer makes God pliant to the soul,
for He is always alike in love.

And this I saw:
when we see the need to pray,
our Lord follows us,
helping our desire.
When by His grace we see Him plain,
we see no other needs.
We follow Him,
He draws us to Himself by love,
His marvellous, plentiful goodness filling all our powers;
His continual work in all things,
done so goodly, wisely, mightily,
surpasses all we can imagine.

We can only see and enjoy Him,
with a high, mighty desire to be one with Him,
centered to His dwelling,
enjoying Him,
delighting in His goodness.

Then shall we with His sweet grace,
in our meek continual prayer
come to Him in this life
by many sweet touches,
sweet spiritual insights and feelings,
given according to our simple understanding
by grace of the Holy Spirit
until we die longing for love.
Then we shall come to our Lord
ourselves fully knowing,
God fully having,
fully seeing,
feeling, hearing,
delectably breathing,
sweetly drinking.

Then we shall see God face to face,
homely and fully.
The creature shall behold
and endlessly enjoy the Maker.
No man may see God and live;
that is in this deadly life.

But,
when He of His special grace,
will show Himself here,
He strengthen the creature above itself,
apportioning the shewing
as is profitable for the soul.

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