Sweet Hour of Prayer

Prayer, The Cornerstone of Faith

Good Sunday morning…

When God created mankind, He did so for the purpose of providing himself a relationship with his creation. That is evidenced, in Genesis, by his walks through the garden to communicate with Adam and Eve.

The first prayer recorded in the Bible comes at Genesis 4:26, just after the first child on earth (Cain) murdered the second child on earth (Abel):

"At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord".

Prayer, simply put, is just talking to God.

The song featured this morning, Sweet Hour of Prayer, was written as a poem by William Walford, a pastor in Coleshill, England, probably in the early 1800s. It was published as a poem in the New York Observer and was then set to music by famous hymnist William Bradbury, who also gave us “Just As I Am,” “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us,” and “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.”

The version above is by the late Tennessee Ernie Ford, one of the purest bass singers ever to grace a microphone, in my opinion.

The world is moving so fast for most of us that we seldom take advantage of a sweet hour of prayer.

God’s word encourages us to extended prayer, as well as praying without ceasing. We need both.

Matthew 6:6 KJV tells us “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;”.

I read a biography of Martha Washington years ago in a Reader’s Digest condensed version that told of how the wife of “the father of our country,” would go to her room, close the door and pray for at least 30 minutes each day. She spent a lot of time alone, except for her servants, as George was away fighting a war or surveying half of this country.

Prayer was a serious commitment for her.

In the popular Christian movie “War Room” the main character, Elizabeth, uses a closet for her war room. One review of the movie says Elizabeth goes into the war room to pray and strategically plan her spiritual battles against the challenges in her life, particularly focusing on her troubled marriage. The walls are covered with Bible verses and prayer requests, essentially using prayer as a weapon to fight her struggles.

Elizabeth demonstrated a serious commitment to prayer.

We are also, however, called to continual prayer.

“Rejoice evermore.¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

As we walk (or run) through daily life, we can, at any time, call upon the Lord.

“God, help me,” is a constant prayer for me, when I’m struggling with a task or in need of a sudden burst of patience.

The first verse of “Sweet Hour of Prayer” contains powerful truths.

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,

A dedicated time of solitary prayer offers a great escape from the cares of the world.

And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.

God wants us to bring to him all of our wants and wishes, trials and troubles.

In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,

When times are tough, giving our cares and woes to the Master is a comforting exercise.

And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Destructive temptations are held at bay when we call out to God for his help.

Today is a good day to recommit to a daily prayer time, and to pray without ceasing. Both are worth the effort. God sees to it.

Thanks for reading. Your comments would make this post much better.