Sweet Hour of Prayer

This old William Bradbury and W. W. Walford hymn speaks of the great blessing of 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.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,

The joy 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.

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,

Belive His wrd, and trust His grace,

I'll cast on Him my ev'ry care,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.

John Calvin on Prayer

John Calvin said this on prayer, while commenting on Jesus' prayer in Matthew 6:

Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things known to him, or of exciting him to do his duty, or of urging him as though he were relucant. On the conrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek him, that they may exercise their faith in mediating on his promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into his bossom; in a word, that they may declare that from him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things.