Sweet Hour of Prayer

Hymns that were sung when I was a child were often slow and laborious - downright boring.  Of course they were.  To a child whose greatest concern in life is not to upset his parents anything slow or peaceful is tedious.  As an adult, slow times are a respite from the world.  A moment of meditative reflection can be a delicious comfort.  

One of those hymns that was tedious as a child is exceptionally comforting to me as an adult.  "Sweet Hour of Prayer" was written and composed by W.W. Walford and William B. Bradbury.  It speaks of the beauty of prayer in light of those burdens of life.  

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.  

There are lessons in this verse if I would but listen to them.  With song, we instruct one another and there are valuable lessons to be relished here.  Is it a literal hour or a general time for prayer?  Both would be wonderful in practice.  I wish it called me from the world - to my discredit, it is often my last resort instead of a calling.  God calls, even commands for us to cast our cares upon Him.  But when I do yield to it, what sweet relief.  And again, if I resorted to prayer more frequently, it would be an effective escape from temptation, for the human will is often found lacking and prayer effectively bolsters our resolve.

Even the pose itself offers relief.  The bowed head and bent knees suggest honor for God and the spirit is lead to honor.  The hands clasp together in hope, clench more tightly with the intensity of the petition and open with the intent of the offering.  A body bowed in reverence guides the spirit to hand over the will in recognition of His power.  Altogether, the offering is tactile, spiritual and mental and one is left with a sense of relief.  The burden shifts, even if slightly.  The human will submitted to a Greater Will then feels that someone else is in control - it's not all on me or up to me.  The prostrate man can rise anew and refreshed.  What a sweet hour!

A meditative state away from the cares of our condition.  What a sweet, sweet escape.  

Talking Big Concepts to Little Brains

While putting my son to bed he became whiny and disrespectful to his mother because he didn't want to go to bed.  So he and I had a little talk and as we did, his mother left the room.  This is man talk.  

He must learn to control his desires and compulsions, even the strongest and most fundamental urges for security and belonging.  So he whines when he doesn't want to go to bed and be left alone in that dark room.  Suck it up, that's a necessary life lesson.  But when he becomes disrespectful and cranky to his mother because he is not getting his way, that's a whole different consideration and the root of a larger pattern of behavior that is dangerous.  But he's only three.  What large concepts can he possibly understand?  Well, he can certainly understand from my reaction and the talk that followed that his behavior was somehow unacceptable.  That suffices for now but he will grow into the concepts that I speak to him in hushed, close tones.  

"Son, you must respect and honor your mother.  You love her, don't you?"  

"Yes," comes the faint reply.  

"Then honor her.  You want Mamma to be happy, right?"  A small head nods.  

"Then respect her.  Do not behave in such a way that it is difficult on your mother."  

He needs to start to learn not be so selfish that she is pulled away from her other responsibilities.  Honor her.  Respect her.  I don't tell him all of this, but I do give repetition to the concepts of honor and respect.  

"Because the way that you treat your mother will grow into the way you view and treat other females in your life, from your teachers to your wife."  

His little brow is furrowed.  So I finish with love.  He is familiar with that word and is just beginning his understanding of that concept.  Love her.  Love her.

I know my boy's future behavior patterns are being conditioned now.  But he doesn't.  He has no clue what conditioning means, let alone loftier concepts like respect and honor.  But I still use those words.  Not to use them is a disservice to his growth and maturity.  How do I know it matters?

When I was growing up Dad would listen to talk radio in the truck.  So if I was riding with him, I was usually hearing WBAP out of Dallas.  It's signal carried over a large part of Texas during daylight hours.  Even though I disliked it then, I was becoming familiar with a few things.  The traffic reports were meaningless and boring.  I didn't live in Dallas so why in the world would I find congestion at the intersection of Belt Line and 30 intriguing in the least!?  I eventually moved to the Dallas area and found the highways to be a bit daunting, like most big cities.  But there was familiarity that I found astounding, comforting, and facilitated navigation of this area.  I already had heard of Belt Line Road.  I knew 820 existed.  Jupiter was a familiar roadway.  R. L. Thorton was old hat.  I felt I already knew these places, even having never traveled them.  That familiarity made it easy to learn and navigate. 

So when I talk to my son about loftier concepts, like respect and honor, I know he doesn't get it now, but over time he will become familiar with them.  And as I tie them into concepts he does know, they will become real and useful.  Because I say this now he will be better equipped to navigate life later.  

"Sometimes understanding can wait when obedience cannot."  - Robert Moss