The Mercy of Older Words

A public-domain paper on prayer from E. M. Bounds, presented for focused reading and spiritual formation.

A strange mercy of the Christian tradition is that it refuses to flatter us. It gives us words when our own words have become too polished to be honest.

The source text, drawn from E. M. Bounds, turns on a simple pressure: the soul cannot heal itself by becoming more articulate. It must be addressed, searched, forgiven, and led.

The author is not trying to be novel. That is precisely the relief. The prayer belongs to a Church old enough to have buried many fashions.

The old words are not museum pieces. They are tools with worn handles. Pick them up.