Language of the Heart

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Prayers of thanksgiving can be whispered words standing alone, or beautifully composed sentences preserved in books of poetry. Our prayers transcend definition by literary genre and known languages of the world's people; they become the language of the heart.

O, that prayer would become our native tongue, that first language we speak before we translate our deepest thoughts into spoken words. When we begin to offer our thanks, praise, confession, cries for help and pleas for others, the words may follow unfettered.

And in those times when words fail, and our prayers seem bound or silenced, know that the Spirit prays for us in a manner unconstrained by the limitations of language.

With all due respect to Emerson, words are overrated. God looks upon the heart and knows - yet still loves - us.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your name, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14