Father of Light! great God of Heaven!
Hear'st thou the accents of despair?
Can guilt like man's read more

Father of Light! great God of Heaven!
Hear'st thou the accents of despair?
Can guilt like man's be e'er forgiven?
Can vice atone for crimes by prayer?

Don't pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.

Don't pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.

And from the prayer of Want, and plaint of Woe,
O never, never turn away their ear!
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And from the prayer of Want, and plaint of Woe,
O never, never turn away their ear!
Forlorn, in this bleak wilderness below,
Ah! what were man, should Heaven refuse to hear!

God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers,
And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face,
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God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers,
And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face,
A gauntlet with a gift in 't.

There is a vast difference between saying prayers and praying

There is a vast difference between saying prayers and praying

But maybe prayer is a road to rise,
A mountain path leading toward the skies
To assist read more

But maybe prayer is a road to rise,
A mountain path leading toward the skies
To assist the spirit who truly tries.
But it isn't a shibboleth, creed, nor code,
It isn't a pack-horse to carry your load,
It isn't a wagon, it's only a road.
And perhaps the reward of the spirit who tries
Is not the goal, but the exercise!

Every wish
Is like a prayer--with God.

Every wish
Is like a prayer--with God.

Hope, he called, belief
In God,--work, worship . . . therefore let us pray!

Hope, he called, belief
In God,--work, worship . . . therefore let us pray!