I've heard that J.R.R. Tolkien developed his Elven languages for The Lord of the Rings by utilizing a combination of Finnish, and Welsh (or as it it is known among the speakers of Welsh "yr hen iaith" - the old language.) Surely, he must have been a brilliant linguist. Or so methinks. I've been trying to learn yr hen iaith for a little over a year now, and I am not anywhere near fluent. In fact, I am somewhere between dumbfounded, and stumbling.

Welsh is nothing like my far younger, mother tongue - English. Yr hen iaith begins most sentences with the verb. That's like making every sentence a question in English. The pronunciation has sounds which are not normal for the average American tongue, and the stress upon the penultimate syllable creates a sing-song effect similar to the Indian shop owner from The Simpsons.

In the last few weeks, I have begun the task of attempting to "siarad i Dduw yn Nghymraeg." (speak to God in Welsh) The result is that I have a broken prayer language - simple sentences, simple thoughts, simple mistakes. This most ancient of living European languages has become like baby talk to me. I might as well be speaking Elvish.

Yet, I have discovered that the challenge is good. I am forced to think like a child, and have a simple faith like a child. I regularly remind myself that God knows my heart, and can decipher the difference between what I say, and what I mean. Of course, He may have less to decipher than when I speak in English, with my ability to hide my stupidity with pretentious words, and complex thoughts. There is something about the childlikeness of learning a language which returns us to a place of need, and trust.

I may not be speaking well to God, but I do think that my prayer life is improved. Perhaps we all should try to speak to God in Welsh. After all, it has been called "yr iaith nefoedd" (Heaven's language) by those who speak it's singing rythms. It certainly has been that for me.

Pastor Phil