Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)
Sweet Hour Of Prayer Sweet Hour Of Prayer
That Calls Me From A World Of Care
And Bids Me At My Fathers Throne
Make All My Wants And Wishes Known
In Seasons Of Distress And Grief
My Soul Has Often Found Relief
And Oft Escaped The Tempters Snare
By Thy Return Sweet Hour Of PrayerSweet Hour Of Prayer Sweet Hour Of Prayer
The Joys I Feel The Bliss I Share
Of Those Whose Anxious Spirits Burn
With Strong Desires For Thy Return
With Such I Hasten To The Place
Where God My Saviour Shows His Face
And Gladly Take My Station There
And Wait For Thee Sweet Hour Of PrayerSweet Hour Of Prayer Sweet Hour Of Prayer
Thy Wings Shall My Petition Hear
To Him Whose Truth Are Faithfulness
Engage The Waiting Soul To Bless
And Since He Bids Me Seek His Face
Believe His Word And Trust His Grace
I Will Cast On Him My Every Care
And Wait For Thee Sweet Hour Of PrayerSweet Hour Of Prayer Sweet Hour Of Prayer
William w. walford
May I Thy Consolation Share
Till From Mount Pisgahs Lofty Height
I View My Home And Take My Flight
This Robe Of Flesh I Will Drop And Rise
To Seize The Everlasting Prize
And Shout While Passing Through The Air
Farewell Farewell Sweet Hour Of Prayer
The History Behind the Hymn
William W. Walford was a blind preacher of England and the author of the hymn beginning “Sweet hour of prayer.” This hymn first appeared in print in the New York Observer on September 13, 1845.
The Observer contributor who assembled the hymn says:
“During my residence at Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, I became acquainted with W. W. Walford, the blind preacher, a man of obscure birth and connections and no education, but of strong mind and most retentive memory. In the pulpit he never failed to select a lesson well adapted to his subject, giving chapter and verse with unerring precision, and scarcely ever misplacing a word in his repetition of the Psalms, every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories, so as to have the reputation of knowing the whole Bible by heart.”
According to Christianity.com, “Beyond the fact that he was blind and the few details recorded by Thomas Salmon, we know little of William Walford. But his hymn, Sweet Hour of Prayer has touched hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides of the Atlantic, expressing the genuine joy he found in prayer.”
A Lesson for Me
Prayer is probably the hardest thing for the believer because whenever we pray, it has power. Think about it for a moment; if you are praying, you are not succumbing to the wiles of the devil. This is why the enemy strives so hard to keep you from prayer! This is why your thoughts wander and you struggle to stay focused. There is power in prayer and the enemy knows it!
1 Thess 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Col 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Paul taught us in Ephesians chapter 6 about putting on the whole armour of God. Once he was finished with the armour, he exhorted us to praying always! Just how can we pray always one might wonder? Paul didn’t intend for us to do nothing else but pray.
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
What I believe he is telling me here is that I should pray about everything and anything. If I want to follow God’s will for my life, I must ask the Father what His will is. These times bring about anxious thoughts but they need not rule my mind. We are told that we can come boldly unto the throne of grace. But just what does that mean? Born-again believers have a wonderful position with the Father. We are His child! Every child comes to his/her earthly father because that child was born into that family. It is the same with us! At the moment of our conversion, we were placed in God’s family and we have a special honor where we can come to Him without worry.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father’s throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter’s snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Message for today
The Lord wants us to come before Him and tell Him everything that is on our mind. Paul made sure to equip believers with everything we needed in order to walk with the Lord. Just as I go to my spouse with whatever is on my mind, I can go directly to the Father and share with Him what is on my heart.
Phil 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Friend, the Father is perfect in every way. He possesses ultimate grace, ultimate forgiveness and mercy; if we have need of anything, He is the Perfect One to approach with that need! We need the power of prayer ever so much more today! The enemy knows his time is short and his agenda is clearly being revealed to believers world-wide. We absolutely need our “Sweet Hour of Prayer” in order to recognize what is against the will of God. Stay prayed up, believer!
If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
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