A Prompt to Pray
While Ray and I explored the little seaside town of Bar Harbor, Maine, we went inside St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church, established in 1876, to see its ten Tiffany windows. A brochure inside gave us permission to take pictures of the windows but unfortunately stated that we could not share them publicly. The arched windows along the cloister were pretty . . .
. . . and so was this kneeling pillow.
Ray and I like to tour churches and have done so many times. We have never seen a sign like this in any other church. It reads: “Whosoever thou art that enterest this Church, leave it not without one Prayer to God for thyself, for those who minister, and those who worship here.”
Prayer is a gift that is too wonderful to adequately describe. If I called the President of the United States, I doubt seriously that I would get through. Powerful people are busy people — too busy to do things for every individual that they affect by their decisions. While I was in college, I worked in two different offices where one of my responsibilities was attaching the signature of an “important person” to his correspondence. In one office, I stamped his signature with a rubber stamp.
God is different. He longs to hear from us, each individual one of us. When I was a little girl, we sang Mary Kidder’s hymn published in 1876 at church often. It was a powerful reminder to me and has been a great comfort through the years.
Did You Think to Pray?
Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?
Refrain
O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.
When you met with great temptation,
Did you think to pray?
By His dying love and merit,
Did you claim the Holy Spirit
As your guide and stay?
Refrain
When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?
Refrain
When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was bowed in sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?
Refrain
I know that you know this, just as many of the people visiting St. Saviour’s Church knew it, but I encourage you not to get too busy to pray — and to make sure that your children aren’t too busy either.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6