First Sunday In Lent

On this Lord’s Day Sunday, I invite you to share two lines of a hymn by Henry Burton, entitled, ‘There’s A Light Upon the Mountain.’ Here are the two lines.

There’s a hush of expectation and a quiet in the air,

And the Breath of God is moving in the fervent breath of prayer.

In these lines Mr. Burton has painted for us a most vivid description of an atmosphere of fervent prayer, which immediately draws us into it.   

There’s a hush of expectation, an awesomeness, an inner assurance that seems to hedge in the person in prayer, with God. There is that reverence, respect, and utter humbling of the one in prayer before the One Holy God. The hush of expectation is in the belief of a God who is in prayer and of whom prayer is His Way. There, a hushed expectation of the heart comes, cancelling all doubts, fears, worries and anxieties, concerning prayer to Father God.

This atmosphere which engulfs the one who is in prayer, seems to be mirrored in the very atmosphere of inner peace. There is a quiet in the air. Can you feel it? Can you sense it? There is a quiet in the air of belief; the air of faith; the air of trust; the air of freedom and the air of hope. Prayer is in the air. 

If indeed prayer is of God, by God and to God, then we certainly need the Holy Spirit to not just teach us how to pray, but to be prayer in us. God is everywhere. The Spirit is moving everywhere, so that His Breath is moving, is working, is blessing and is prevailing in prayer, fervent prayer.

Through those lines, have we not encountered some irresistible Blood Promises, and unfailing truths about fervent prayer, which rise up in us, as we meditated on them? Allow me to list some promised truths, freely granted to all whom the Spirit leads in prayer. These have been inferred in those of the hymn.

• Prayer is expectation.

• Prayer is alive and living.

• Prayer is the power that brings quiet to the atmosphere.

• Prayer is the moving Breath of God.

• Prayer is God.

• Prayer is fervent.

• Prayer is for all who by faith, believe.

By faith we must take each of these and the many more, as a promise of Jesus; a Blood Promise, for they are staked on His impeccable and most trusted Life.

During this week, we shall take a look at Jesus in prayer, which will take us to a very surprising path. Who can unhinge the work of the Holy Spirit? Who can rearrange His plan? This may not be the course which you and I have charted, nevertheless, as the Spirit leads, we follow. We bow low to the Holy Spirit, knowing that whatever He has planned for us, we are everlastingly and eternally grateful, for we are not wise enough nor powerful enough to order our ways.

Thank You Holy Spirit for where You will lead us during this week. We accept by faith that it is all to our edification and better Christian living, as we receive unmerited Blood promises from our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen!