Saying Farewell to Prayer

 

                                                   Saying Farewell to Prayer

Old hymns seem to crouch in the back alleys of my mind. And sometimes they just appear, leading me to wonderful memories and great truths.

Here's one for today: "Sweet Hour of Prayer." It goes back over 150 years and has brought people of all ages and groups together in prayerful worship since our great grandparents sang the words.

All the verses are wonderful, but today I am remembering the last verse:

    Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,  may I thy consolation share,

    Till from Mt. 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!'

I love the imagery here --  Mt Pisgah is the peak where God showed Moses, just before he died, the Promised Land where his people were headed. And what about the "farewell, farewell" message? Just a reminder that we won't need to talk to God through prayer when we get into His presence. We will be communing with Him all the time, without time and space restriction. Our prayer time will be a thing of the past, along with our regular prayer services. 

We will be with Him FOR REAL!

I guess we could say, "Beam me up, Scotty!"

What a great way to start today!