At nearly 88 years old (next month), my dad is still writing poetry! Last Saturday evening he sent me his latest poem, not knowing that it addressed the same topic as the sermon that I had prepared for the following day: prayer! Enjoy the poem, and may it encourage you to pray!
You get up each morning, and what do you do?
First, put on a fresh pot of coffee to brew;
Eat breakfast, then shower and get yourself dressed,
And all the while thinking you needed more rest.
Perhaps read the paper, or turn on TV,
Depressed by the news or whatever you see;
Put saucer and coffee cup down in the sink,
Then off to your job, not a moment to think.
If that sounds at all like your daily routine,
You’re part of the great All-American team.
In some form or fashion, it’s practiced about
By multiplied millions, day in and day out.
This being your plight, you’re in pitiful shape,
Stuck deep in a groove that you cannot escape;
With movements robotic, your mind not in gear,
Well, something alarming is going on here.
It’s not you’re engaging in anything wrong;
There’s just no excitement, and where is the song?
The joy of a spanking new God-given day?
That spring in your step as you go on your way?
It’s what you’re not doing that makes your life bleak,
Endeavors so cheerless, your outlook so weak.
It’s that which is lacking that robs you of joy,
And marks with such blandness your daily employ.
Well, friend, you should know there’s a wonderful truth—
A life-changing principle known from my youth—
A secret incredible I’d like to share:
Just spend a few moments with Jesus in prayer.
Engage yourself in it at start of the day—
Before you leave home and you go on your way;
And spend a few moments in God’s holy word—
Be faithful about it, do not be deterred.
You must be committed, because you will find
The Devil insisting you don’t have the time—
That other things need your attention as well;
But do not believe it-- that lie is from Hell.
Get up, if you must at an earlier hour;
Eat breakfast more quickly, or shorten your shower.
But no matter what, ‘fore that threshold is crossed,
You keep that appointment, whatever the cost.
You make it a habit, I promise you this:
Your hum-drum existence will turn into bliss.
Instead now of living your life in a rut--
An outlook that’s healthy, a fire in your gut.
Excitement restored to the dawn of your day,
A spring in your step as you go on your way.
A new zest for life, free of worry and care,
By just those few moments with Jesus in prayer.
Yes, time spent with Jesus will richly reward
Each one who engages in prayer and the Word.
Such wonderful moments, so precious and rare—
Those moments with Jesus in bless-ed sweet prayer.
And maybe, just maybe, some day you will find
Those scriptures you read are now etched in your mind—
And moments with Jesus you took time to share
Have somehow morphed into “Sweet Hour of Prayer.”