"O the pure delight of a single hour that before thy throne I spend."

Hymn: “I Am Thine, O Lord” – Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)
Tune: I AM THINE

O the pure delight of a single hour that before thy throne I spend
When I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God, I commune as friend with friend.

There is not a whole lot I can add to that. This hymnline speaks for itself.

Our understanding of prayer as a communication between friends makes a lot of difference in how we approach the throne. Prayer is not a duty, it is a privilege – one that should be cherished and anticipated, much like we look forward to catching up with our dearest friends. There are no off-limits subjects, we talk about everything and anything, we are at ease, there is no sense of tension.

My seminary roommate and I have talked by phone every Monday for years. It is a loosely scheduled weekly catching-up time. These sometimes-brief conversations continue to be a blessing. I’m trying to reshape my prayer life to be more like my visits with David: just talking to God and asking him for nothing. Too much of my prayer time is centered around what I want God to do for me. I’m trying to alter that… or altar that!

Spending an hour in prayer is probably a stretch for most of us, but whatever time we carve out to dedicate to dialogue with this great Friend should be delightful. Some days I may visit with God an hour… five minutes at time! But those occasional intense, lengthy audiences are the richest because they yield superior results. O the pure delight…

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