Sweet Hour of Prayer: Finding Peace and Hope in the Hymn

This past Sunday, as we sang Sweet Hour of Prayer in church, something felt different. The words weren’t just familiar, they were very personal.

With each verse, my heart kept drifting to my Aunt Joy, (you can read more about her story here) who had just passed away the morning before.

By the time we reached the final verse, I couldn’t help but picture her – no longer praying, no longer carrying burdens, but standing fully in the presence of the Lord.

The next thing I knew, I was scribbling thoughts and lyrics on the back of the bulletin. I was trying to get down everything this hymn was saying to me about prayer, life, and eternity.

Devotional Overview

• The hymn Sweet Hour of Prayer reminds us why prayer is important in everyday life.
• Prayer meets us in distress, grief, temptation, and in our wants.
• The final verse changes our focus from earth to Heaven, where prayer is no longer needed.
• A personal story of loss highlights the beauty of the eternal hope of Heaven.
• In Heaven, every burden we pray about today will be gone forever.

Lyrics of “Sweet Hour of Prayer” (Public Domain)

The author of the hymn Sweet Hour of Prayer is William W Walford. I found that he was a blind preacher of England, who preached each Sunday and quoted many Scriptures with what was said as, “unerring precision.” Amazing!

Walford had the lines to this hymn in his mind for a while before he asked a pastor friend (Thomas Salmon) to write it down for him. Salmon was so impressed that he sent the poem to the New York Observer and they published it. Many years later, William Bradbury put it to music and gave us the hymn as we know it.

Verse 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!

Verse 2

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!

Verse 3

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.”

Why We Need Prayer in This Life

On the back of the bulletin, I started writing down the reasons we need prayer that were mentioned in the hymn.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of our needs, but these are in the lyrics:

• A World of Care – We live in a fallen world, and because of that, life can be heavy at times. Responsibilities, worries, and daily pressures weigh on us. Prayer calls us away from that to rest in God’s presence and let Him carry the worries for us.

• Our Wants and Wishes – We all have wants and wishes in our hearts. These are things we long for, pray for, and sometimes find hard to release. Prayer is where we can be honest and bring those desires to the Lord.
• Distress and Grief – Grief is painful! Prayer can be a place of comfort, where the Lord meets us and gives us His peace and comfort. You can read more about our grief journey and how the Lord has walked beside us here.
• To Escape the Tempter’s Snare – Life is full of struggles, and temptations are real. Prayer strengthens us to stand firm and seek God’s help when we feel weak or tempted.

• To Make Our Petitions Known – God wants us to share our feelings, and many times that is making requests. He already knows what we want and need, but He wants a relationship with us. Relationships involve communication, and that is exactly what prayer is.
• To Seek His Face – Prayer isn’t just about asking Him for things, it is about drawing closer to Him and getting to know Him better.
• Casting Our Cares – We were never meant to carry everything on our own. Prayer is where we lay them all down at His feet and let Him have them.

If you want a few ideas to get started deepening your prayer life, see the ideas I shared in the post, “In the War Room.”

The Verse That Changes Everything

When you read the final verse, everything changes!

“This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
 To seize the everlasting prize…”

When we sang these words Sunday at church, it all became real. For my Aunt Joy, this had just happened. She had laid down the burdens of this world, and she no longer needed to pray for strength, comfort, or help.

She was with Jesus (face to face).

“Farewell, Farewell Sweet Hour of Prayer”

The line that really stood out to me the most:

“And shout, while passing through the air,
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

What a powerful thought! There will come a day when prayer itself will no longer be needed. 

Because one day:

• There will be no more grief.
• No more temptation.
• Burdens will be no more.
• There will be no want or wishes.

We won’t be seeking His face, because we will be in His presence! We will be right there with Him instead of praying.

A Personal Confirmation

When I got home that afternoon, I was asked to help choose the music for my aunt’s funeral.

Right away, Sweet Hour of Prayer came to mind. However, I still questioned it and wanted to make sure I chose the right songs.

Later, we looked back at the order of service from my uncle’s funeral many years ago (her husband), and there it was:

Sweet Hour of Prayer!

I can’t help but believe that she chose it back then. Somehow that felt like confirmation that this was the right song.

Listen to the Song

There are many versions of this song, and they have a variety of verses. However, if you don’t have the last verse, you miss the whole point. Click the link below to listen to a version with the last verse.

Resources to Deepen Your Prayer Life

If you’re looking for simple ways to build a meaningful prayer life, you might also enjoy my post on Simple Bible Study Ideas. These resources are also great for enhancing prayer time and Bible study.

• Men’s Bible (CSB)
• Women’s Bible (CSB)
• Fervent (Book on Prayer)
• Journal for Bible Study and Prayer
• Sticky Notes
• Bible Pens and Highlighters

Any notebook, journal, pens, etc. will work. They don’t have to be fancy, just used.

Until That Day

For now, we still live in a world of care. We still carry burdens, live in distress, and face grief. We still need prayer!

But what a comfort to know that it is not forever! One day, just like the hymn says, we too can say, 

“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.’”

Related Posts

If this touched your heart today, you may also enjoy the following posts:

Can We Grow Through Grief: A Spiritual Journey
Time Lessons: Like Sands Through the Hourglass
An Airplane, Lack of Faith, A Prayer Warrior, and Folders

Until next time,

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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19