In Prayer

O Lord,

In prayer I launch far out into the eternal world,
   and on the broad ocean my soul triumphs
   over all evils on the shores of mortality.
Time, with its happy pleasures and cruel disappointments, never appears so inconsiderate as when I'm praying.
In prayer I see myself as nothing;
   I find my heart going after you with intensity,
   and long with tremendous thirst to live to you.
Blessed be the strong winds of the Spirit
   that speed me on my way to the New Jerusalem.
In prayer all things here below vanish,
   and nothing seems important
   but holiness of heart and the salvation of others.
In prayer all my worldly cares, fears, and anxieties disappear
   and are of as little significance as a puff of wind.
In prayer my soul inwardly exults with lively
   thoughts at what you are doing for your church,
   and I long for you to get yourself a great name
   from sinners returning to Zion.
In prayer I am lifted above the frowns and flatteries of life,
   and taste heavenly joys;
   entering into the eternal world
   I can give myself to you with all my heart,
   to be yours for ever.
In prayer I can place all my concerns in your hands,
   to be entirely at your disposal
   having no will or interest of my own.
In prayer I can intercede for my friends, ministers,
   sinners, the church, your kingdom to come,
   with greatest freedom and ardent hopes,
      as a son to his father,
      as a lover to the beloved.
Help me to be all prayer
   and never to stop praying.