Welcome to Daily SPARC – each weekday our chaplains, friends from the Penn Religious Communities Council and other voices from campus will be posting messages of support and encouragement. 

Today’s message includes hymn and scripture shared by Stanley Williams, Pastor for the UPenn student group God’s Property:

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”  Luke 18:1 [NLT]

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.

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

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer

May I thy consolation share

Till from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height

I view my home and take my flight

This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise

To seize the everlasting prize

And shout, while passing through the air

Farewell, Farewell, sweet hour of prayer

‘If I throw out a boat hook and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore?  Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.’

• E. Stanley Jones, A Song Of Ascents, pg 383

Written in honor and memory of my aunt Mary Alice Clark who transitioned from this life 4/18/20 due to CoVid related complications.