Prayer is the breath of God in man
Prayer is the breath of God in man. Benjamin Beddome* (1717-1795).
JJ reported that this was first printed by Robert Hall in the collection of Beddome’s hymns, Hymns Adapted to Public Worship (1817, 1818), published some twenty years after Beddome’s death, and that the date of 1787 (Rippon's Selection of Hymns*) was an error (p. 907: it was in the 27th Edition of Rippon’s book).
It was entitled ‘Importance of Prayer’. It had five stanzas:
Prayer is the breath of God in man,
Returning whence it came;
Love is the sacred fire within,
And prayer the rising flame.
The Christian’s life with it concludes,
And with it doth begin;
’Tis this invigorates the soul,
And is the death of...
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. "Prayer is the breath of God in man."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 17 Jan. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/p/prayer-is-the-breath-of-god-in-man>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Prayer is the breath of God in man."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed January 17, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/p/prayer-is-the-breath-of-god-in-man.