Sweet Hour of Prayer

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Sweet Hour of Prayer
"Sweet Hour of Prayer" is a beloved Christian hymn by William Walford from the 19th century. This hymn celebrates the joys and serenity that genuine prayer bestows upon us in communion with God our savior. Read the full lyrics of this hymn and the background story of Walford below!

1 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! 

2 Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! 
the joys I feel, the bliss I share 
of those whose anxious spirits burn 
with strong desires for thy return! 
With such I hasten to the place 
where God my Savior shows his face, 
and gladly take my station there, 
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer! 

3 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! 
thy wings shall my petition bear 
to him whose truth and faithfulness 
engage the waiting soul to bless. 
And since he bids me seek His face, 
believe his word, and trust his grace, 
I'll cast on Him my every care, 
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer! 

United Methodist Hymnal, 1989

Songwriters William Walford Published by Public Domain

The Story Behind Sweet Hour of Prayer

William W. Walford was a blind preacher of England and the author of the hymn beginning "Sweet hour of prayer." This hymn first appeared in print in the New York Observer on September 13, 1845.

The Observer contributor who assembled the hymn says:

"During my residence at Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, I became acquainted with W. W. Walford, the blind preacher, a man of obscure birth and connections and no education, but of strong mind and most retentive memory. In the pulpit he never failed to select a lesson well adapted to his subject, giving chapter and verse with unerring precision, and scarcely ever misplacing a word in his repetition of the Psalms, every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories, so as to have the reputation of knowing the whole Bible by heart."

According to Christianity.com, "Beyond the fact that he was blind and the few details recorded by Thomas Salmon, we know little of William Walford. But his hymn, Sweet Hour of Prayer has touched hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides of the Atlantic, expressing the genuine joy he found in prayer."

Photo credit: GettyImages/Kamonwan Wankaew

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