In the early years of learning to
play the piano, one of the pieces which caught my imagination was the
Harmonious Blacksmith by Handel. Apparently inspired by the rhythmic sounds
coming a blacksmith’s forge, it begins with a relatively simple melody which
expresses a sense of joy in response to the beat of the blacksmith’s hammer. But
Handel wasn’t content to leave it as a short piece. He began to play around
with what he had written – the theme – and created a different melody which
followed the shape – the rise and fall – of the first and kept the same pattern
of harmony underneath. This was the first variation on the theme. After that he
did it again, and then again, creating six variations in all. Many composers
have done similar things, experimenting with different ways of expressing the
same musical idea, pushing the boundaries to find out how far they can go
before one theme transforms into a totally new one.
I think prayer can be a bit like
that. When we are waiting for what seems like a long time for answers we are
encouraged to be persistent. But praying the same thing over and over again can
become a numbing experience. How many times have you prayed ‘Our Father who art
in heaven…’ and got to the end of the prayer without being conscious of what
you were praying? And does that matter? Given that our minds work on different
levels of consciousness, the activity may still have value, but on a conscious
level many have given up praying for a particular issue too soon because the
answers haven’t come quickly enough and the prayer loses the passion which
first inspired it.
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