Yesterday, one of you brought to my mind the beautiful Hymn “Sweet Hour Of Prayer.” I decided to look up it’s lyrics for the purpose of refreshing my memory of it’s message and the more I read the more it inspired me to write about it today, since prayer is one of my favorite topics. More specifically, I am speaking of that special sweet time of communion with our Heavenly Father many folks have discovered. I’m sure you have heard some of God’s children speak of their “quiet time” with Him. Well, the message of this beautiful hymn written in 1845 by William W. Walford is a much better description of our “quiet times” with the Lord than I could have come up with, so today I want to highlight them for you.
It’s author began by saying that the sweet hour of prayer took him away temporarily from the cares of this world and into his Father’s throne. It was the time when he could express his wants and wishes to Him in the midst of the distress and grief of this life. It was at this time his soul would find relief and would shield him from the tempter’s snare. It was a time he anxiously looked for each day, a time when true joy and bliss would fill his soul as he waited for His Savior to meet him there. He also implied a truth we should all keep in mind, namely that God desires these special quiet times with His children more than they do. It is He who bids us to believe in His Word and trust His grace, to cast on Him our every prayer. He ends his song by asking His comfort while here on earth until the day when he takes his flight to his eternal Home where he will receive his heavenly prize. And as he passes through the air, he will shout “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!” Without a doubt, this means that, even though our “quiet times” are precious to us, we won’t have any more “sweet hours of prayer” once we’re in Heaven. Why not? In Heaven, it won’t be an hour, it will be forever!
Dear child of God, have you discovered the joy and bliss one gets in a genuine “quiet time” with God, a “sweet hour of prayer?” I encourage you to do all you can to truly seek the face of your Heavenly Father. As the author of this hymn testified, it will be the time where you are transported away from the cares of this world. And remember this: He wants to have these special times with you even more than you do. John wrote: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) Is asking God to help us develop a better prayer life with Him according to His will? You bet! Once you discover the joy and sweetness that are very much a part of the “quiet times” you’ll be eagerly awaiting it each new day.
God’s word for today: (Psalm 42:8) “By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me - a prayer to the God of my life.”
