14/07/2020
THE STORY BEHIND THE HYMN – SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER
The lyric of “Sweet Hour of Prayer” came from William W. Walford (1772-1850), an obscure, blind lay preacher who served in the hamlet of Coleshill, Warwickshire, England in the mid-19th century.
He was a simple wood carver with no education, He owned a small trinket shop in the village where he sold shoehorns and other intricate items he had whittled, fashioned and polished from bones.
Though a man of obscure birth and connections with no formal education yet he had a very strong mind, and retentive memory. He held the reputation of “knowing the Bible from heart”—an impression given by the fact that this humble Englishman was able to quote the Scriptures accurately, including the precise chapter and verse, in spite of being absolutely blind! Walford relied on others to read the Scriptures to him which he then rehearsed and committed to memory as he whittled away bone to make shoe horns, or wood to make trinkets.
Walford’s mind so dwelt upon Scripture, and his communion with the Lord was so sweet, that this humble little man was often asked to share a sermon at the Congregational services he attended in a rural English church.
Willam Walford composed sermons in his head to deliver on Sundays. 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 (kii gbojo fun aina), every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories. Walford memorized many chapters of the Bible, quoting them verbatim in his sermons; some of his folk thought he had memorized the entire Bible cover to cover.
The overflow of the Word of God within him also came forth in the form of poetry. So, he was able to compose poetic lines of verse … and he prayed.
Rev. Thomas Salmon, a New York native who was settled as the Pastor of the Congregational Church at Coleshill Warwickshire, England, in 1838, where he became acquainted with William Walford.
It happened that one day around 1842, when Reverend Thomas Salmon visited Walford, he repeated two or three pieces which he had composed and perfected unto memory, having no friend at home to commit them to paper, he had laid them up in the storehouse within one of which is “Sweet Hour of Prayer. He asked Salmon to write it down for him.
Rev Salmon rapidly copied the lines with his pencil
BRIEF NOTE
(The faintest pencil is sharper than the best brain.) I pity people who don’t pen their vision in black and white (Hab 2:2-3).
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
As Rev Salmon was writing, Walford asked "How will this do?" asked he, as he repeated the lines, with a complacent smile touched with some light lines of fear lest he subject himself to criticism.
Three years later, in 1845 Rev Salmon returned to the United States. Salmon, seeing the beauty of the poem, showed the poem to the editor of the New York Observer, requesting its insertion in the Observer, if you consider worthy of preservation. The Observer did consider them worth preserving, and as such were published on September 13, 1845 issue, becoming a beloved hymn. In other word, the hymn (Sweet Hour of Prayer) first appeared in print in the New York Observer on Saturday (Ojo Abameta) September 13, 1845.
1845 - 175years ago = Odun márùndínlọ́gọ́sàn án.
BRIEF NOTE
Don’t hide your ideas or vision. Share it.
Jer 23:28: The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
A vision not shared may never come to pass.
The case of a friend. We were so close that I was his best man yet I didn’t know the title of the movie production in view not to talk of having the whole script as part of the production crew. He refused to share with anybody for the fear of plagiarism and duplication of copyright. The movie today is never produced despite the fact that it was given by the Lord and very touching. He died and the vision died with him. So Sad!!
Worthy of note also is the fact that Rev Salmon didn’t parade himself as the owner or composer of the hymn lyrics, just a mere writer, rather he. Stop taking credit for what you didn’t do.
About 15 years later, William B. Bradbury (1816-1868), a composer from New York, wrote the tune that is usually associated with this song. Bradbury also composed the music for other popular hymns, including “Jesus Loves Me,” “He Leadeth Me,” “Just As I Am” and “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”
Many years after Walford’s death the poem was set to music by William Bradbury, at which time the poem then flew around the world upon the wings of its popularity and was translated in to several foreign languages. The Hymn is “Sweet Hour of Prayer.”
Bradbury died 7 years after giving tones to it.
Meter: 8 8 8 8 D (D.L.M.- Double Long Meter) Key D major
Language: English
Bible Reference: Psalm 55:17, I Thess 5:17
Time signature: 6/8
Stanzas and Lines: The original consists of 4 stanzas of 8 lines (Yoruba da ara si lfi je mewa). But the 2nd Stanza has been omitted and dropped in many hymnals today, but it stresses the eschatological nature of prayer as the gateway to heaven:
Liturgical Use: Prayer Songs
When To Sing It: Prayer and revival meetings. Any gathering where prayer is counted relevant, necessary and important.
Where To Sing It: Congregational, family and personal altar
LIST OF LYRIC SOURCES – WHERE IT CAN BE FOUND
The text first appeared in the 1859 Baptist hymnal Church Melodies, edited by Thomas Hastings and Robert Turnbull. From which it has become a staple of hymnals around the world.
It has been Published in 1180 hymnals - okòó din ni ẹgbẹ́fà
1. Baptist Hymnal 1956th Edition #327
2. Baptist Hymnal 1991 #445
3. Baptist Hymnal 2008 #429
4. The United Methodist Hymnal 1989 #496
5. The New National Baptist Hymnal #333
6. Sacred Songs and Solos Lyrics (Revised and Enlarged) Hymn
No.318
7. African American Heritage Hymnal #442
8. Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #478
9. Church Hymnal, Mennonite #224
10. CAC Gospel Hymn Book 577
11. RCCG Hymn Book 504
12. Cherubim and Seraphim 2nd Edition: 438
(c) Reverend Daniel Olujimi Olubiyi
The Ancient Hymns
08038040929
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