"Sweet Hour of Prayer"

   

A quiet side chapel in the Cathedral of York
Yorkshire England - a place of prayer

 In the later years of my father's life, I remember coming home for a visit and listening to my father play the organ in our living room.  While my dad had studied music at one time in his life, he never learned to play an organ or piano.  Instead, he relied on a color system to guide his fingers over the keys.  One of his favorite hymns he played each evening was "Sweet Hour of Prayer".  Somehow this beautiful hymn written in 1845 brought comfort to his soul, and the words of the first verse to this hymn express what many of us feel as we come to the Lord in prayer:
     " 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!"
   
     Taking time to pray on a regular basis is a scriptural injunction with rich blessings.  I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us simply:  "...pray without ceasing..."  Setting aside time for God has to become a way of life for us - a spiritual discipline if you will.  In my own life, I find that quiet place while I exercise or go for a daily walk.  My mind is free to enjoy the presence of the Lord and commune with Him before my day begins.  Then, throughout the day, as things occur at the office or in our home, I lift up prayers to the Lord as well.  Knowing that God is with me all day long makes it easy to talk with Him concerning every circumstance in life.  We need not confine our prayers to a church service or for so many minutes during the day.  We are to pray without ceasing...this means all day long at various times and places.  When we realize this, it should free us up in our ongoing conversation with the Lord.
     In addition, the Bible gives us many reasons why we should want to pray.  For example, we are to pray for wisdom if we lack it in any manner and the Lord will give it if we ask in faith (James 1:5).  Then we are encouraged to pray if we are suffering (James 5:13-15), or if we are sick.  Likewise, we are to call upon the elders of our fellowship to pray for us and with us for healing.  God makes provision for all our needs by allowing us to come before Him in prayer.
     God also calls upon us to pray for our leaders both in the church and in our government.  Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Romans.  Our governmental leaders are placed there by God's direction, and by lifting them up, we can put them in the Lord's hands daily for wisdom and direction.
     Finally, we have so many examples of our Lord Jesus Christ taking time out for fellowship with the Father.  He was our perfect example of how to live before the face of God.  He taught us how to pray in the Lord's prayer.  He also demonstrated His love for both God and His fellow man when Jesus prayed in the Garden for us before His sacrifice on our behalf.  Prayer is no small thing!  It was the backbone of our Savior's ministry, and therefore, it should be for us as well.
     In my own family, I had the privilege of watching my Grandfather Engel kneel in prayer each day before he took a nap.  I saw my father and mother pray and meal time was always commenced with prayer.  These examples have stayed close to my heart, and I am so blessed to see our children teaching this to their own children.
     Prayer is the key that moves the hands of God, relieves an aching heart, brings peace when all else fails, provides strength for the day, and a place to leave our burdens at the feet of the only One who can deal with them.  Spending time in God's presence also changes us and molds us into the likeness of His Son.  May we discover today how the "Sweet Hour of Prayer" can change our hearts and lives into conformity with God's will.  He awaits us to call upon Him.  Selah!
   

Have You Ever Said Thank You?

First Presbyterian Church (ARP) Lake Placid, FL

     There is a story in the Bible of Jesus healing ten lepers.  It is found in Luke 17:11-19:  "On the way to Jerusalem He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.  And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices saying, 'Jesus Master, have mercy on us.'  When He saw them He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.'  And as they went they were cleansed.   Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks.  Now he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus answered, 'Were not ten cleansed?  Where are the nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?'  And He said to him, 'Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."  What struck me as I read this passage of Scripture was that so often we take God's mercy, grace and goodness so for granted.  Here were ten men that were very sick with a deadly disease.  They were outcasts from the community.  When they called to Jesus, He brought them all healing, but only one returned to say "Thank you."  The Lord called attention to that fact.  God is aware when we fail to give Him the glory and thank those servants who have helped us along life's way.
     With this in mind, I want to honor and highlight three dedicated servants of the Lord that God has used in our life to help us grow in maturity.  As many of you know, October is pastor appreciation month.  This is the time to let your shepherd know that you are thankful for their ministry.  However, October is not the only time we can let them know our gratitude for their efforts on our behalf.
     As many of you know from previous posts on this blog, my husband and I came to Christ through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1971.  We had both been raised in a Presbyterian Church and even become members but we had never really had our appointment with God until this time at Ohio State University.  Then, the Lord brought all the previous seeds sown into our lives to fruition.
     Our Campus Crusade director encouraged us to plug into a good Bible believing church where we could begin to learn God's Word and grow in our understanding.  He took us on a Sunday to a Grace Brethren Church where Pastor Jim Custer preached the Bible faithfully.   For nearly four years, we sat under this man's faithful teaching and we grew in the Lord.  It seemed we could not get enough.  Pastor Jim's gift was in teaching about heaven and the Second Coming of Christ.  We left each Sunday filled with excitement about our relationship to Christ.  It was hard to leave when my husband completed his degree, but we knew God would bring us into another wonderful sheepfold when we moved.
     Having returned to Defiance, Ohio to commence his practice of optometry, my husband and I prayed to find another good church home where we could hear the Word of God faithfully expounded. It did not take us long to find First Baptist Church under the leadership of Dr. Russell Jones.  He is now with the Lord but we will never forget his excellent presentation of the Gospel.  He was direct, faithful, prayerful and above all a real Bible scholar.  He involved us in Evangelism Explosion, helped us develop a youth ministry there where we assisted in leading the teens in the study of the Word, but most importantly, he tended our souls with great care.   The impact of his ministry was tremendous.  He served up a banquet based on the truth of God's Word.  He stepped on our toes each Sunday by pointing out sin in his messages, but we loved him for his faithfulness.  When we decided to move to Florida,  it was very hard to say good-bye to this church family whom we loved.  However,  God would ultimately lead us to a new home to be fed.
     We came to our current church home after experiencing some deep spiritual wounding.  We had left another church, and in casual conversation, our pastor, Ray Cameron invited us to come to his church when we were ready.  This invitation opened a door for us to find rich fellowship in our Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.  Pastor Ray has not only been a personal friend but a mentor to our children as they grew up.  He introduced us to rich resources such as the Ligonier Conference where we learned more about our Reformed faith and in this church family, we found healing and restoration. It was good to sing the hymns we both had come to know as we were growing up, but more importantly, we were blessed to sit under the faithful preaching of God's Word.   For many years, Pastor Ray's home was open to many of the teens in our church and our son Reid often spent nights there.  How grateful we have been that for the last 23 years we have had the privilege of sitting under this minister of God's Word.
     Many times we forget to say thank you to the men that have taught us, prayed with us, cried with us, laughed with us and cared for our souls.  Not only have they prepared through study and hard work for the call that God has placed on their lives, but they also sacrifice much of their personal time to minister to the needs of others.  We must pray for them daily and ask God's protection on their ministry, their family and their time.  The enemy targets those who serve the Lord.  Likewise, we must realize that they suffer the same issues that many of us go through.  They are not immune from temptation, heartache or disappointment.  This is why it is so important to encourage them on a regular basis.  They are the under shepherds of our soul who are accountable to God for how they tend the sheep.  Therefore, lets remember to say thank you and to praise God for the man He has placed in the role of Pastor.  God is glorified when we honor those who have care over our souls.  Selah!