Chapter 41

After this our Lord shewed concerning Prayer. In which Shewing I see two conditions in our Lord's signifying: one is rightfulness, another is sure trust.

After this, our Lord revealed something about prayer. In this revelation, I see two things he means to show: what is right and a sure trust.

But yet oftentimes our trust is not full: for we are not sure that God heareth us, as we think because of our unworthiness, and because we feel right nought, (for we are as barren and dry oftentimes after our prayers as we were afore); and this, in our feeling our folly, is cause of our weakness.¹ For thus have I felt in myself.

But often our trust is not complete. We are not sure that God hears us, we think, because we are unworthy and feel nothing at all. (We are often just as barren and dry after our prayers as we were before.) And this sense of our own folly is the cause of our weakness.¹ For this is how I have felt myself.

And all this brought our Lord suddenly to my mind, and shewed these words, and said: I am Ground of thy beseeching: first it is my will that thou have it; and after, I make thee to will it; and after, I make thee to beseech it and thou beseechest it. How should it then be that thou shouldst not have thy beseeching?

Our Lord suddenly brought all this to my mind. He revealed these words and said: I am the source of your prayer. First, I will that you have what you ask for. Then I make you want it. Then I make you pray for it, and you do. How, then, could you fail to receive what you pray for?

And thus in the first reason, with the three that follow, our good Lord sheweth a mighty comfort, as it may be seen in the same words. And in the first reason,—where He saith: And thou beseechest it, there He sheweth [His] full great pleasance, and endless meed that He will give us for our beseeching. And in the second reason, where He saith: How should it then be? etc., this was said for an impossible [thing]. For it is most impossible that we should beseech mercy and grace, and not have it. For everything that our good Lord maketh us to beseech, Himself hath ordained it to us from without beginning. Here may we see that our beseeching is not cause of God's goodness; and that shewed He soothfastly in all these sweet words when He saith: I am [the] Ground.—And our good Lord willeth that this be known of His lovers in earth; and the more that we know [it] the more should we beseech, if it be wisely taken; and so is our Lord's meaning.

In the first reason and the three that follow, our good Lord offers great comfort, as we can see in his words. In the first reason, he says: And you ask for it. Here he shows how greatly our asking pleases him and the endless reward he will give us for it. In the second reason, he says: How could it then be? etc. He said this of something impossible. For it is utterly impossible that we should ask for mercy and grace and not receive them. Everything our good Lord leads us to ask for, he himself has ordained for us from before the beginning. Here we can see that our asking is not the cause of God's goodness. He showed this truthfully in all these sweet words when he said: I am the Ground. Our good Lord wants those who love him on earth to know this. And the more we know it, the more we should ask, if we understand it wisely. That is what our Lord means.

Beseeching is a true, gracious, lasting will of the soul, oned and fastened into the will of our Lord by the sweet inward work of the Holy Ghost. Our Lord Himself, He is the first receiver of our prayer, as to my sight, and taketh it full thankfully and highly enjoying; and He sendeth it up above and setteth it in the Treasure, where it shall never perish. It is there afore God with all His Holy continually received, ever speeding [the help of] our needs; and when we shall receive our bliss it shall be given us for a degree of joy, with endless worshipful thanking from² Him.

Prayer is a true, gracious, and lasting desire of the soul. The Holy Ghost gently works within us, joining and binding that desire to our Lord’s will. As I see it, our Lord himself is the first to receive our prayer. He receives it with great gratitude and delight. He sends it up above and places it in the Treasure, where it will never perish. There, before God and all his holy ones, our prayer is continually received and always helps us in our needs. When we receive our bliss, our prayer will be given back to us as a measure of joy, with endless, reverent thanks from² him.

Full glad and merry is our Lord of our prayer; and He looketh thereafter and He willeth to have it because with His grace He maketh us like to Himself in condition as we are in kind: and so is His blissful will. Therefore He saith thus: Pray inwardly,³ though thee thinketh it savour thee not: for it is profitable, though thou feel not, though thou see nought; yea, though thou think thou canst not. For in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in feebleness, then is thy prayer well-pleasant to me, though thee thinketh it savour thee nought but little. And so is all thy believing prayer in my sight. For the meed and the endless thanks that He will give us, therefor He is covetous to have us pray continually in His sight. God accepteth the goodwill and the travail of His servant, howsoever we feel: wherefore it pleaseth Him that we work both in our prayers and in good living, by His help and His grace, reasonably with discretion keeping our powers⁴ [turned] to Him, till when that we have Him that we seek, in fulness of joy: that is, Jesus. And that shewed He in the Fifteenth [Revelation], farther on, in this word: Thou shalt have me to thy meed.

Our Lord is very glad and joyful when we pray. He looks for our prayers and wants them. For by his grace he makes us like himself in character, as we are already like him in nature. This is his blessed will. Therefore he says: Pray inwardly,³ though you think you find no pleasure in it. Prayer is beneficial, though you do not feel it, though you see nothing, and even though you think you cannot pray. For in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in weakness, your prayer is very pleasing to me, though you think it gives you little or no pleasure. And so is every prayer you offer in faith, in my sight. Because of the reward and the endless thanks he will give us, he eagerly desires us to pray continually before him. God accepts the goodwill and effort of his servant, whatever we feel. So it pleases him that, with his help and grace, we work at prayer and good living. He wants us to use our powers⁴ reasonably and wisely, keeping them [turned] toward him. We do this until we have him whom we seek, in fullness of joy, that is, Jesus. He showed this later in the Fifteenth [Revelation], in these words: You shall have me as your reward.

And also to prayer belongeth thanking. Thanking is a true inward knowing, with great reverence and lovely dread turning ourselves with all our mights unto the working that our good Lord stirreth us to, enjoying and thanking inwardly. And sometimes, for plenteousness it breaketh out with voice, and saith: Good Lord, I thank Thee!⁵ Blessed mayst Thou be! And sometime when the heart is dry and feeleth not, or else by temptation of our enemy,—then it is driven by reason and by grace to cry upon our Lord with voice, rehearing His blessed Passion and His great Goodness; and the virtue of our Lord's word turneth into the soul and quickeneth the heart and entereth⁶ it by His grace into true working, and maketh it pray right blissfully. And truly to enjoy our Lord, it is a full blissful thanking in His sight.

Thanksgiving also belongs to prayer. It is a true inward awareness that turns us with all our strength toward the work our good Lord inspires us to do. We turn toward that work with great reverence and loving awe, rejoicing and giving thanks inwardly. Sometimes our joy is so abundant that it bursts out in words: Good Lord, I thank you!⁵ May you be blessed! At other times, the heart is dry and feels nothing, or else is troubled by the enemy’s temptation. Then reason and grace move us to call out to our Lord aloud, recalling his blessed Passion and his great goodness. The power of our Lord’s word enters the soul and brings the heart to life. By his grace, it leads⁶ the heart into true work and makes it pray with great joy. And truly to rejoice in our Lord is a deeply joyful thanksgiving in his sight.