THE SECRET PLACE OF PRAYER.
By J. M. HOPKINS.
“WHEN thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” “In the secret place of prayer, where no eye but God’s can see, no ear but His can hear, we may pour out our most hidden desires and longings to the Father of infinite pity; and in the hush and silence of the soul, that voice which never fails to answer to the cry of human need, will speak to our hearts.” “It is our privilege to keep our wants, our joys, our sorrows, our cares, and our fears, before God. We cannot burden Him; we cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of our head is not indifferent to the wants of His children.” — “Mount of Blessing,” page 117. In the secret place of prayer
When no one but God is near,
When no ear but His can hear our humble plea,
We may take our every care
To our Father waiting there,
Who will never from His children turn away. We may tell Him all our grief,
We may ask Him for relief;
And His tender heart of pity and of love
Will respond to every woe,
And a healing balm bestow,
And a joy and comfort send us from above. Are there trials hard to meet?
Do the burdens wound your feet?
Are the burdens you must carry hard to bear?
Jesus trod the way before,
Met those conflicts o’er and o’er;
He will strengthen in the secret place of prayer. Have you some besetting sin,
From without or from within,
Which no one but you and God should ever know?
In the secret place of prayer
You may tell your Father there,
Of His grace to overcome He will bestow. Whatsoe’er your lot may be,
Whether bondman, whether free,
Whether joy and comfort, whether pain or care,
Surely God will grace impart
For the need of every heart,
If you seek Him in the secret place of prayer.