Tag: Hebrews 4:16

Hymns 2.0 – Sweet Hour of Prayer

On August 16, 2023

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 Prayer

Sweet 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 Prayer

Sweet 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 Prayer

Sweet Hour Of Prayer Sweet Hour Of Prayer
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
William w. walford

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!

Comfort During the End Times – Day 17

By Kate Plourde

On April 7, 2023

In Comfort During the End Times, Devotionals

Good morning, Reader! How does today’s verse speak to your heart? Do you see the wilting roses as you think about your age? Or do you see that same verse and rejoice that the Lord renews your heart (the inward man) day by day despite of your body aging? It’s the proverbial cup half-full or half-empty, isn’t it?

Born-again believers have a wonderful relationship with God because we are covered under the blood of Jesus Christ and have been renewed. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Because we have been made new (born-again), we can now have the same intimate relationship with the Father as Christ does. The Father has become a personal Father. He is not some unreachable god.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Hebrews 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.

Just as Jesus spoke to His Heavenly Father calling Him Abba, Father, so can we! How exciting is that? For the Christian who was not raised with a father in the home, this speaks volumes! For the Christian who had no friends and was lonely, this intimate relationship with the Creator means everything! The word Abba (pronounced ab-bah’) means father; the word Father in the Greek is “pater,” meaning father, as a parent! So Jesus is actually saying Father, my Father/Parent!

Mark 14:36a And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee;

For the born-again believer, I picture in my mind a child going to his own earthly father to plead his cause. This is exactly the point that Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 are communicating to us. This tells me that we can now pray to the Father the same way Jesus did! We can now come boldly before His throne and talk to Him! So I, too, can address God as my Father, my Parent! I had a wonderful relationship with my earthly father and I praise the Lord for him. But now that I am saved, I can address my Heavenly Father/Parent in the same manner! As we acknowledge His power and majesty, we gain a healthy reverence of his love, as well as His holiness!

So why am I discussing this and not the end times and how to deal with them? We are not like those in the world who do not know God. We are His children and we know that when we get discouraged, we can go to Him and He is ready to encourage our hearts. David did this over and over in the Psalms he wrote! God never sleeps so He’s always on the job! (Psalm 121:3-4) That’s what today’s verse is about. (2 Corinthians 4:16) Even though we are getting older, our hearts can feel refreshed because of the living water from the Word of God! Turmoil can be all around us but the storm is calmed within our heart! Psalm 23:2 reminds us that God and His Word will refresh us as “he leadeth me beside the still waters”!!!! It’s hard to take a drink out of a water source that is tumultuous; our hearts must be stilled and ready to drink in the Word of God to encourage us during these end times!

Every day brings a different set of issues that have surfaced just in the last few months! Attempts to silence the conservative’s voice is happening daily. Are you watching? Are you preparing yourself? We are criticized at every turn because we take a stand on God’s values like abortion and the LGBTQIA+ movement. Friend, this is the spirit of antichrist! (1 John 4:3) We have to be vigilant and stand ready to defend God’s Word! The only way we can do that is by being close God and to diligently read the Bible so we are equipped to defend the faith!

Yes, the news is discouraging. Yes, we live in a world that is growing more evil with each passing day. Yes, the enemy is lurking around every corner of our lives waiting to pounce on us with temptations and hatred. But friend, we have the Spirit of the Living God within us and if we don’t tell others about salvation, who will? He places ears and eyes in our path for this very reason. No one comes to you by coincidence. Be bold in these last days. Allow the Holy Spirit of God to work in your life. He’s ready, are you?

You don’t need to be troubled because there is Someone who can take those worries upon His own shoulders and relieve you of that fear!

I love the hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”! The refrain speaks so sweetly about what the Lord can do during your trials if you just let Him into your life! Read the words – I hope they bless you!

1. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

2. Thro’ death into life everlasting,
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion–
For more than conqu’rors we are!

3. His Word shall not fail you–He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

We know from the Scriptures that terrible times are ahead. But for those who do not know Him as Saviour, they’ll have to go through the Tribulation! The born-again believers, however, will be spared and won’t have to go through the Tribulation. This is why we have peace because God’s Word teaches this to us. Jesus Christ will come down from Heaven in the clouds and will call His Church to Heaven forever to be with Him. This is called the Rapture of the Church! This is what renews the inward man in every Christian. We can turn to the Word and be encouraged by it. We don’t have to tread the waters of darkness that the world treads!

As believers, we have so much at our fingertips to pull from for encouragement. We can read our Bibles, search out songs to encourage our hearts, and bow before the Lord of lords and Kings of kings in prayer! We can have intimate fellowship with the Creator of the universe!! But to the person who is not born-again, he has only himself to turn to and there’s no comfort in one’s own heart. The unbeliever doesn’t have the comfort that the believer does; they may be able to access the resources but that comfort just isn’t there. Friend, don’t be willfully ignorant of the end times. (2 Peter 3:5) If you are not born-again, confess your sins and repent of them. The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. 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 to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!