Sweet Hour of Prayer

Hymn Story: The Hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” first appeared in “The New York Observer” on September 13, 1845 and was accompanied by a note written by Rev. Thomas Salmon, a British Preacher, who had emmigrated to America.

Here’s how the note read:

“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.” He actually sat in the chimney corner, employing his mind in composing a sermon or two for Sabbath delivery … On one occasion, paying him a visit, he repeated two or three pieces he had composed, and having no friend at home to commit them to paper, he had laid them up in the storehouse within. “How will this do?” asked he, as he repeated the following lines …?” I rapidly copied the lines with my pencil as he uttered them, and sent them for insertion in the Observer.”

This hymn is attributed to William W. Walford, but nothing else is known about him. From the words of this hymn we can gather that he was a man of prayer.

The second stanza says, “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.”

This hymn story appears in “Then Sings My Soul” book 2 written by Robert J. Morgan.

Robert J. Morgan gives some challenging questions to the church that we must consider.

He wrote, “If an hour spent with the Lord is so sweet, why do we race through our day prayerless, then squeeze all our requests into a two-minute segment at bedtime?

If prayer is so powerful, why do we neglect it so consistently?” Why do I neglect it more often than I’d like to admit?

How important is prayer to you? How often do you practice praying? Do you talk more about praying than you actually pray?

FACTS: The early church was used by God to reach their world for Jesus. They saw the power of God save souls, rescue His children, release those bound up by Satan, cities turned to Christ and the whole world turned upside down!

The early church understood the importance and significance of prayer. They spent much time together in prayer, many hours laboring in prayer, and fervent dedication to prayer!

The early church talked to God, pleaded with God, wrestled in prayer to God, warred against the powers of darkness in prayer to God. The church must get back to fervent and faithful praying!

If we are going to be used by God we must daily seek Him in prayer! Prayer was important to the early church! Is it important to you? Is it important to me? Acts 3:1 says, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.”

Luke declared the ministry of the disciples in prayer and the miracle that delivered Peter. The church was focused in dire situations and the Lord was faithful to deliver Peter.

We, the followers of Christ are to exercise persistence in prayer and expect the power of God from prayer. The challenge to the church of Jesus Christ is to pray consistently, fervently, faithfully, and believing God in prayer.

This passage reveals some insights about prayer that should compel us to faithful praying.

Read vv. 5-6

The Purpose of Their Prayer (5a)

“Peter was therefore kept in prison,”

In Acts 12 we find Peter arrested and waiting execution. The apostle James, the brother of John and the son of Zebedee, had just been martyred at the hands of Herod. Peter was arrested and he was next in line.

Herod was on a roll; his approval rating had skyrocketed and the Jewish people were probably proud of their king!

And seeing Peter’s predicament, the church understood the urgency of the situation.

Verse 1 says that Herod had stretched out his hand to harass the church. And he was doing a good job of it.

“kept” - The tense of this Greek verb means that he was continuously guarded.

Peter was kept by four squads of four soldiers each! They would rotate shifts so that four soldiers were on guard at all times. They did this so that the soldiers would remain fresh, attentive and alert. Humanly speaking there was no way in the world for Peter to escape!

The church had a great purpose to petition the throne of God! One of their own was in prison and facing imminent death!

APPLICATION: There are multitudes around us that are spiritually in prison; lost and undone and facing eternal death in the lake of fire. We are to be praying for those who need our prayers! We always have a purpose to pray!

Verse 5 reveals the purpose of prayer. We also note:

Their Persistence in Prayer (5b)

“but constant prayer was offered to God for him”

(KJV: Without ceasing) or fervent.

This word is a medical term which describes the stretching of a muscle to its limits.

They were persistent in their praying for Peter. They prayed on purpose with persistence and purpose. The church knew that only God could come through and deliver Peter.

There was a sense of urgency and unity as they prayed with persistence. The church was not just going through the motions. They prayed diligently and persistently. Constant prayer was offered to God!

They didn’t quit praying. They prayed through.

Sometimes we have to wait. Other times it’s quick. But it’s worth the wait.

During mine and Katharine’s belated Valentine’s Day dinner this week, we had an unusually attentive and personable server. He came to our table right away, took our order, and kept our glasses filled the entire time. We truly felt waited on.

When it comes to praying, many are like the little girl I heard about. This little girl went fishing with her dad. They began to fish and the little girl waited a little while. Then after getting no nibbles, she said, “I quit.” Her dad said, “Why?” The little girl said, “Dad, I can’t seem to get waited on.” Too often we give up and quit before God sends the answer! When we do that we show a lack of faith!

The Bible tells of their constant prayer offered to God. The church was in an ongoing state of prayer for Peter. They were praying in the right way to the right One.

Constant and persistent prayer was offered to God for him.

Their praying was persistent and their praying was pointed! The church was praying specifically for Peter! They were praying for Peter’s release; Peter’s rescue!

They were not general in their praying! They were diligently asking, seeking, and knocking on Peter’s behalf! It is good to know when prayer is offered up to God for us!

We may ask ourselves the question, “When is the last time; what is the last request; and who is the last person that we prayed for with this kind of persistence?”

The purpose of prayer; their persistence in prayer; we also see in Verse 5:

The People in Prayer (5c)

“by the church”

Only the church of Jesus Christ can truly pray! Only those who have been born again and have surrendered themselves to Jesus and by faith have trusted in Him can pray knowing they have a relationship with God!

When there is a need we must call on the church to pray!

The church knew Who to pray to, the way to pray, when to pray, and where to pray! A GOOD WORD: Prayer was not their last resort, but prayer was their first response.

What an example we have from the early church to be men and women of prayer!

The apostles learned from the Lord Jesus to pray; the church learned from the apostles to pray; and it was passed on to others by their obedience to God in prayer!

May we be challenged by the example of the early church to be the people of God in prayer!

We’ve learned about the purpose of prayer; their persistence in prayer; the people in prayer; and we also notice:

The Power of Prayer (6ff)

Peter was in a desparate situation.

J. Edgar Hoover once said, “The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man-made or man-controlled powers because prayer is man’s greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God.”

Read v. 6

It was getting close to the time that Peter would be tried. It was getting down to the nitty gritty. If God didn’t come through Peter would be killed!

If God didn’t answer the prayer Peter would be finished. There was nothing humanly possible for them to do! There was a desperate situation that led the church to desperate supplication.

Even though the situation was desperate and things didn’t look good for Peter, to give him credit he was trusting in God!

On the night before he was suppose to be brought out and tried and killed, Peter was not worrying he was resting.

He was not fretting he was sleeping!

He had confidence in the Lord and his faith in the Lord gave him peace even in the midst of supposedly helpless situation.

John Polhill wrote, “That Peter could sleep so soundly the night before his trial is perhaps indicative of his calm assurance that he was in God’s hands.”

Peter knew one way or the other that God would not leave him.

He trusted in the Lord! Peter had surrendered his life to Jesus and was a dedicated servant of God! He was willing to live for Jesus and he was also willing to die for Jesus!

Church history tells us that the Apostle Peter was martyred by the Romans under Nero. He was crucified upside down!

Years ago the American Baptist Publication Society had on its seal the picture of an ox standing between the altar and the plow. This picture tells us that the ox was ready to serve by pulling the plow and he was ready to die on the altar.

Peter was there as a servant of God! He was ready to live for God’s glory, but he was also ready to die for God’s glory! Peter was sleeping bound up between two soldiers. There were four guards on duty at all times! There was no human way that Peter was going to escape!

Next week we’ll hear how God came through.

What are some next steps we can take this week?

Establish a daily prayer routine to begin with. And move out from there. The goal is to cultivate a habit of turning to God in prayer, bringing both your needs and gratitude before Him regularly.

Find partners in prayer. Communal prayer is powerful and it will strengthen your corporate and individual faith.

Commit to praying for church leaders and global missions. By doing so, you’re playing a crucial role in the spiritual battle.