Covenant Wednesday Bible Study, May 13th, 2020
Sweet Hour of Prayer—Learning to Pray as Jesus Taught us.
As you read the beginning of this Bible Study, I invite you to listen to Alan Jackson sing this beautiful hymn.
Sweet Hour of Prayer-the words
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 prayerSweet 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 prayerSweet hour of prayer
Sweet hour of prayer
And wait for Thee
Sweet hour of prayerAlan Jackson – Sweet Hour of Prayer
My Sweet hour of Prayer begins each day about 6 am, when I hear the text message sounding on my phone. Yes, that is a prayer for the day sent by my brother, Harris to my family. It is the first thing I read to start my day. This short prayer connects me to God and my family. After this, I get up and pray with my hands on the Bible. Often, I have wondered what is prayer and how does God want us to pray? Pastor Carl asks us to really take time to pray because thoughtful prayer really matters. Prayer connects heaven and earth.* It is a powerful way to reach God.
During this Pandemic, I have found the need to prayer critical to my daily psyche. And prayer has become very important to others too. Our Lord said, “Pray without Ceasing.” Our President Issued a Proclamation for a National Day of Prayer on May 7.* Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, and others led the services. Franklin Graham has taken to the airways to show us all how to pray a simple prayer, asking God to forgive us of our sins and to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Recently, I read* about how Bill and Melinda Gates pray at meal time with their children. They pray aloud asking God to allow them to help others in this crisis because they know they are expected to share more because they have more to share. Prayer is a priority for so many of us because prayer is so healing in these hard, hard times.
When I think about how God wants us to pray, I think of Rose Morgan, who always prays the most perfect prayers at church and other places when we meet. I know her beautiful words go straight to heaven.
So, how does God want us to pray. Well, it is answered in the scripture by Jesus, who taught his disciples to pray. Matthew 6: 9-13. Jesus said: Pray this way:
“6 “When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
So, what is Jesus telling us about how to pray. To answer this, I have turned to a bible study writer, Kay Arthur, in her book, “Lord, teach me to Pray in 28 Days.” She says that each sentence in this prayer is a gift of knowledge. There are 7 sentences with 7 topics.
The Sentence
The Topic 1. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Wor
ship 2. Your kingdom come.
Allegiance 3. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Submission 4. Give us this day our daily bread.
Petition & Provision 5. And forgive us our debts, as we also have
Forgiven our debtors.
Confession & Forgiveness 6. And do not lead us into temptation, but
Deliver us from evil.
Watchfulness & Deliverance 7. For Yours is the kingdom and the power
And the glory forever. Amen.
Worship
Arthur tells us, that to pray according to the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer is to cover every topic of prayer. Here’s how I interpret the Lord’s Prayer: We call to our Heavenly Father and bless his name. We give reverence to his kingdom and acknowledge it is his will to be done. Then, it is time for our asks of our Father in our daily life. We ask for our Father to give us strength to handle the struggles that are given us day by day, physically and mentally. And then, we ask God to forgive us of our sins and confess our short comings. Closing with asking God to keep us from sin and evil. Returning to our Father’s throne acknowledging his kingdom, power and glory. AMEN.
“This, Beloved, is the practicality of knowing and using the Lord’s Prayer. The Master Teacher, Jesus, covered it all in a brief and memorable way. In fact, it’s meant to be memorized.”*
So, now, go ahead and give this Jesus’s way of praying a try. Your turn….
Most of us, know The Lord’s Prayer from memory. We have prayed it at church most of our lives. And we may not use this pattern of prayer every time we pray because we may need to have a shorter time to talk with the Lord. And sometimes, we may talk to the Lord more some days than others.
My Closing Prayer:
Our Lord, we just come praising your name today. You, Lord are our Power and Glory, as we know it is your will and not ours that will be done on earth. As we come today, we ask for you to give strength and healing to all who are sick with COVID-19. Please hold the families who have lost loved ones in this Pandemic. We ask you to help us open our country the right way to limit more deaths. We ask you to give courage and patience to all the doctors, nurses and medical workers who touch and care for patients with the Virus. Bless all the EMS, Grocery and Pharmacy workers who are on front lines. Help us remember, it is these frontline workers that are keeping us going each day. Lord, we miss going to church and gathering to see our friends and family. Give us strength to keep going so we can help others through this crisis. Forgive us for our sins. In thy Holy Name we pray. For thine is the Kingdom, Power and Glory. Amen.
Please enjoy The Lord’s Prayer in song
Please skip the ad in the beginning.
References and Sources:
*The lyric of “Sweet Hour of Prayer” came from William W. Walford (1772-1850), an obscure, blind lay preacher who served in the hamlet of Coleshill, Warwickshire, England.
*Interview with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Facebook
*Excerpt From: Kay Arthur. “Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/us/
book/lord-teach-me-to-pray-in- 28-days/id50477649
*BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
On this National Day of Prayer, Americans reaffirm that prayer guides and strengthens our Nation, and we express, with humility and gratitude, our “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” As one Nation under God, we share a legacy of faith that sustains and inspires us and a heritage of religious liberty. Today, we join together and lift up our hearts, remembering the words of 1 John 5:14 that tell us when “we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
From our earliest days, our dependence upon God has brought us to seek His divine counsel and unfailing wisdom. Our leaders have often encouraged their fellow citizens to seek wisdom from God and have recognized God’s power to lead our Nation ahead to brighter days. When the prospects for our independence seemed bleak, General George Washington proclaimed a national day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer, humbly to supplicate the mercy of Almighty God.” Following the devastating destruction of the Civil War, President Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address and invoked the power of prayer to “bind up the nation’s wounds.” And more than 100 years later, President Reagan noted our long reliance on prayer throughout our history, writing that “through the storms of revolution, Civil War, and the great world wars as well as during times of disillusionment and disarray, the Nation has turned to God in prayer for deliverance.”
Today, as much as ever, our prayerful tradition continues as our Nation combats the coronavirus. During the past weeks and months, our heads have bowed at places outside of our typical houses of worship, whispering in silent solitude for God to renew our spirit and carry us through unforeseen and seemingly unbearable hardships. Even though we have been unable to gather together in fellowship with our church families, we are still connected through prayer and the calming reassurance that God will lead us through life’s many valleys. In the midst of these trying and unprecedented times, we are reminded that just as those before us turned to God in their darkest hours, so must we seek His wisdom, strength, and healing hand. We pray that He comforts those who have lost loved ones, heals those who are sick, strengthens those on the front lines, and reassures all Americans that through trust in Him, we can overcome all obstacles.
May we never forget that prayer guides and empowers our Nation and that all things are possible with God. In times of prosperity, strife, peace, and war, Americans lean on His infinite love, grace, and understanding. Today, on this National Day of Prayer, let us come together and pray to the Almighty that through overcoming this coronavirus pandemic, we develop even greater faith in His divine providence.
In 1988, the Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer, “on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2020, as a National Day of Prayer. I encourage all Americans to observe this day, reflecting on the blessings our Nation has received and the importance of prayer, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in their houses of worship, communities, and places of work, schools, and homes consistent with the White House’s “Guidelines for Opening up America Again.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth. President Trump