Sweet Hour of Prayer

 Every evening at 7:30 Tom and Martine have their daily worship with their little angle Enoch. Tom is Computer teacher and information technology director. Martine is a cafeteria assistant and French tutor. At the beginning of the year, on a Wednesday night, they invited Violetta (a Ukrainian SM) and I to join them. We decided to give it a try. When we arrived to their warm house we started our worship with a song from the Hymnal, followed by prayer then elaboration on a Bible verse. At the end of our worship Tom and Martine told us that they would be more than happy if we decided to join them again. Violetta and I got a little busy and skipped some days until one night; we were free so we decided to go. Our worship was about prayer. We started by singing the hymn, “Sweet Hour of Prayer”. It was my first time singing this hymn. When we finished singing we started praying for all the students, staff, and faculty on campus. We decided to divide them into groups and each one of us chose a group to pray for two days straight. “Praying for others bless one’s own life.” Martine said.

 

She was right. Praying for others encourages a person not to focus on their own difficulties and hardships. Since that time, “Sweet Hour of Prayer” became Violetta and my favorite hymn.  Every time, when asked what song we want to sing, we choose this hymn.  The words of the hymn takes us away from our busy world and helps us to remember what we are here for.

1.              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!

2.              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 Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3.              Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
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!

4.              Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight.
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the everlasting prize,
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”