“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.“
This beautiful song, originally written in 1842 and published in the New York Observer in 1845 speaks to our need for prayer as part of our lives. It considers prayer as a relationship where we can bring our battles with temptation, distress, grief, wants, and wishes to the Father’s throne. As I sing these lyrics, I envision the sweetness of the moment of prayer where I can be transparent, raw in my emotions, and brutally honest with my struggles and thoughts. God is big enough to hear my prayer and the sweetness comes in knowing He is there to not only listen but to act on the prayers I pray.
I have discovered recently my tendency to make prayer into a more complicated experience where I seek the results for my prayers instead of the relationship with the One with whom I am praying. I pray seeking answers; I pray seeking change; I pray seeking results. I pray with the end in mind and miss the power of the relationship. Some might say it is “utilitarian prayer.”
Jesus invites us into relationship and in teaching about prayer in Matthew 6 instructs the disciples, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” The beauty of this invitation is it sounds a lot like a private, intimate conversation where the focus is on the people who are “present” in the room. The conversation and discussion based in the intimacy of the participants moves from “business” to “pleasure” as the participants listen and share throughout the time they are together in this sweet moment. The clock no longer plays a major role as we lose ourselves in the presence of God where we know God is listening and in the stillness of our moments spent in prayer, we know God is speaking.
Living the Adventure Ministries recognizes prayer is the breath of our ministry. Without prayer, we are powerless and are at best guessing where God desires us to be in ministry. We are grateful for God who gives us direction and gives us the breath of life we need for our daily comings and goings around the nation and around the world. We are also grateful for people like you who pray for us. The partnership in prayer deepens our relationship with God and one another as we pull in the same direction toward the goal of obedience to God and the transformation of people’s lives.
How are you making prayer more difficult than it should be? Are you praying based on the results or are you praying out of the intimacy of relationship with our God?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the sweet hour of prayer. Thank you for your invitation to spend time with you in intimate conversation. Forgive us when we make prayer more complicated than what you desire. Help us to be present with you, not concerned with the results, but focused on the relationship. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.