A Beautiful Prayer

 1  

In the Bible we read of a beautiful prayer,  

A prayer sent to heaven above;  

It was prayed by a heart that was laden with care,  

And filled with such wonderful love.  

2  

You can catch the sad tone of His voice as he said,  

"Thy will not my own must be done;"  

As a lamb to the slaughter He soon must be led  

To die as the Crucified One.   

3  

As he prayed there alone in such deep agony,  

It was a most beautiful prayer;  

Just to think His great heart was all broken for me,  

That He my great sorrow must share. 

Refrain:  

When the Savior was praying,  

In the garden of Gethsemane,  

He said, "loving Father,  

If you will, let this cup pass from me;"  

I know He was thinking  

Of the anguish death would bring to His own,  

How deep was His sorrow,  

When Jesus was praying alone.

    

Author: Luther G. Presley (1887–1974)   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXqg7xNY1lQ&list=RDEMOqv1okK_8NEocukl0biy5g&start_radio=1&rv=2TT1FmJkjEU

This song has an alto lead on the refrain, which I always hear in my grandmother's voice.

 Matthew 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder… 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Hide Me, Rock of Ages

1

O thou blessed rock of ages (Rock of Ages I am)

Trusting now dear Lord in thee (Dear Lord, in thee I’m trusting)

Keep me till my journey's ended (Journey’s ended, keep me)

Till thy blessed face I see

2

Keep me when the storm clouds gather (storm clouds gather, keep me)

Till the sun comes shining thru (comes shining thru the shadows)

Keep me till my work is over (work is over, keep me)

Till I bid this world adieu.

3

When my journey is completed (is completed, Savior)

And there's no more work to do (no work to do, O blessed)

Savior guide my weary spirit (weary spirit to that)

Happy land beyond the blue.

REFRAIN:

Hide me, O blest Rock of Ages (Ages, Rock of Ages, hide me)

Till Thy blessed face I see (Thy face I see in glory)

When the storm around me rages (Round me rages, blessed)

Rock of Ages, hide thou me

Author: Brantley C. George

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ntf00-rpH8&list=RD0ntf00-rpH8&start_radio=1

When I was growing up I attended a little country church in Watervliet, Michigan. It was a small congregation, but filled with good singers. There was one man in our congregation who had the deepest bass voice I've ever heard. A lot of the songs in our songbooks featured either an alto or bass "lead" on the refrain. This song was one of them. Every time I hear it, I think of Chet Linville.

For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. ~Psalm 31:3

* * *

The phrase "Rock of Ages" does not appear in the Bible, although there are many instances in scripture that use the word "rock" to describe God and Jesus. The concept of being hidden in the rock brings to mind this passage from Exodus 33 --

17 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

We'll Work Till Jesus Comes

 

1 

O land of rest, for thee I sigh!

When will the moment come

When I shall lay my armor by

And dwell in peace at home?

2 

To Jesus Christ I fled for rest;

He bade me cease to roam,

And lean for comfort on His breast

Till He conducts me home.

3 

I sought at once my Savior's side, 

No more my steps shall roam;

With Him I'll brave death's chilling tide,

And reach  my heav'nly home.

Chorus:

We'll work till Jesus comes,

We'll work till Jesus comes,

We'll work till Jesus comes,

And we'll be gathered home.

Author: Elizabeth Mills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkbdUpME0Fc&list=RDSkbdUpME0Fc&start_radio=1

Nearer, My God, to Thee

 1 

Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

still all my song shall be,

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

2 

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

yet in my dreams I'd be

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

3 

There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;

all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;

angels to beckon me

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

4 

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,

out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;

so by my woes to be

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

5 

Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,

still all my song shall be,

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Author: Sarah Flower Adams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwLl5nY5WPI&list=RDrwLl5nY5WPI&start_radio=1

Genesis 28

1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother. 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. 

6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife. 

10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 

18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 

20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

 

Take Time to Be Holy

 1

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

2

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

3

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;

And run not before Him, whatever betide.

In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,

And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

4

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each motive beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Author: William D. Longstaff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFApbg-wcmE&list=RDrFApbg-wcmE&start_radio=1

TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY

Leviticus 20:7-8

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you.

HELP THOSE WHO ARE WEAK

1 Thessalonians 5

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

FEED ON HIS WORD

Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

SPEND MUCH TIME IN SECRET

Matthew 6:6

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

BY LOOKING TO JESUS LIKE HIM THOU SHALT BE

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

BE CALM...BENEATH HIS CONTROL

Isaiah 26:3

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Must I Go, and Empty Handed?

 1  

Must I go, and empty-handed,  

Thus my dear Redeemer meet?  

Not one day of service give Him,  

Lay no trophy at His feet?  

2  

Not at death I shrink or falter,  

For my Savior saves me now;  

But to meet Him empty-handed,  

Thought of that now clouds my brow.  

3  

Oh, the years in sinning wasted,  

Could I but recall them now,  

I would give them to my Savior,  

To His will I’d gladly bow.  

4 

Oh, ye saints, arouse, be earnest,  

Up and work while yet ’tis day;  

Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,  

Strive for souls while still you may.    

Refrain:  

Must I go, and empty-handed?  

Must I meet my Savior so?  

Not one soul with which to greet Him,  

Must I empty-handed go? 

 Author: Charles C. Luther   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltod87dnCgE&list=RDLtod87dnCgE&start_radio=1

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Blest Be the Tie

1 

Blest be the tie that binds

our hearts in Christian love;

the fellowship of kindred minds

is like to that above.

2 

Before our Father's throne

we pour our ardent prayers;

our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

our comforts and our cares.

3 

We share our mutual woes,

our mutual burdens bear,

and often for each other flows

the sympathizing tear.

4 

When we asunder part,

it gives us inward pain;

but we shall still be joined in heart,

and hope to meet again.

5 

This glorious hope revives

our courage by the way;

while each in expectation lives

and longs to see the day.

6 

From sorrow, toil, and pain,

and sin, we shall be free;

and perfect love and friendship reign

through all eternity.

Author: John Fawcett

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RUu93KoX-0&list=RD_RUu93KoX-0&start_radio=1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ~Psalm 133:1

Hebrews 13:1

Let brotherly love continue.

Ephesians 4:1-6

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Acts 4

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Galatians 6:2

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.