The whisper of a soul to its Maker is often the mightiest orison that rises to the throne of grace. A prayer unspoken by the tongue, yet echoing in the secret chamber of the heart, is a dart that pierces the clouds. As Nehemiah breathed his swift petition before the king, so may you in the very instant of need send forth a silent cry, and it shall not fall unnoticed. The Lord hears the unuttered groaning, the inward glance of faith, the motion of the spirit that cannot shape itself into words. Let your soul learn this holy art of constant communion, praying on the spot, in the street, at the loom, by the plow, and you shall find the God of heaven inclining His ear.
Yet what is the aim of these prayers? Is it not that you may love the Lord your God with a whole heart and a fervent soul? The prayer itself is a seed of love planted within you by the Spirit of God. He finds the heart cold and empty, and He casts in a living desire, a spark of sacred affection. That yearning to love Him better did not spring from the ashes of your own nature; it was dropped there by the hand of Him who is Love. And mark this: the prayer for love will be answered by more love, for He who gave the will will not deny the power. He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, but will blow upon that faint spark until it flames.
Beware, then, of divided affections. Half a heart is an insult to a wholehearted God. As you cannot serve two masters, so you cannot love the Lord and the world. The heart must be united, single, sincere. That silent prayer must cut the cables that bind you to the creeping things of earth and let your soul ascend to its true center. Do not think it an easy thing to love God with all your strength; it is a miracle of grace, a work of the Holy Ghost, but it is a miracle He delights to perform. Look to the cross, behold the love of God in Christ Jesus, and as you gaze, the hardness of your heart will melt. The love of God to you, shed abroad in your soul, will transform it, and you will love Him because He first loved you.
Plead this promise before the mercy seat: "I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever." Claim it. Wrestle with the angel of the covenant until you prevail. And when you feel that you cannot pray as you ought, remember the Spirit maketh intercession for you with groanings which cannot be uttered. The Lord does not despise the day of small things; the faintest genuine desire after Him is a prayer already heard. He will direct your heart into the love of God, and that love, once kindled, will be the fountain of all holy service and patient endurance.
Let your life become one sustained, silent prayer, a walking with God in the inner sanctuary, and your heart shall be made the dwelling-place of love. You will find yourself loving not only the unseen Father and His blessed Son, but also the brethren, and the world of souls for whom Christ died. This is the secret of a heaven upon earth, an undivided heart, fixed on the One altogether lovely, strengthened for every duty, and made glad in the God of its salvation.