Prayer And The Heart

Ἐκ βαθέων ἐκέκραξα σοι, Κύριε... Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Κάτωθεν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς καρδίας ἀναπέμπω τὴν ἱκετείαν. Τῶν γὰρ μόνοις κεχρημένων τοῖς χείλεσιν ἡ θεία κατηγορεῖ Γραφή. Καὶ νῦν μέν φησιν ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν· Ἐγγὺς εἶ οι στόματτος αὐτῶν, καὶ πόῤῥω ἀπὸ τῶν νεφρών αὐτῶν· νῦν δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου Ἰουδαίων κατηγορεί λέγων· Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ, τῇ δὲ καρδίᾳ πόῤῥω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Οἱ δὲ νῦν ἱκετεύοντες ἀπὸ τοῦ βάθους τῆς καρδίας τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπουσι. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΡΚΘ’ Source: Migne PG 80.1900a-b

From the depths I cried out to you, O Lord... 1 That is, 'I sent forth my prayer from the depths of my heart,' for Holy Scripture condemns those who make use of their lips alone. And certainly now the prophet Jeremiah says to the God of all things, 'You are near to their mouths, and far from their hearts,' and now God says through the prophet Isaiah for the reproof of the Jews, 'This people honour me with their lips and the their hearts are far from me.' 2 Only those who pray from the depths of the heart send forth a prayer. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 129 1 Ps 129.1 2 Jerem 12.2, Isaiah 20.13