The Noon-Hour Prayer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 7, 1913

The Noon-Hour Prayer

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends."

"THERE is a mystery in human hearts, And though we are encircled by a host Of those who love us well, and are beloved, To every one of us, from time to time, There comes a sense of utter loneliness. Our dearest friend is stranger to our joy, And cannot realize our bitterness. 'There is not one who really understands, Not one to enter into all I feel;' Such is the cry of each of us in turn, We wander in—a solitary way.

"No matter what or where our lot may be, Each heart, mysterious even to itself, Must live its inner life in solitude. And would you know the reason why this is? It is because the Lord desires our love. In every heart he wishes to be first. He therefore keeps the secret key himself, To open all its chambers, and to bless With perfect sympathy and holy peace Each solitary soul who comes to him. So when we feel this loneliness, it is The voice of Jesus saying, 'Come to me;' And every time we are 'not understood,' It is the call to us to come again; For Christ alone can satisfy the soul, And those who walk with him from day to day Can never have—a solitary way.

"And when beneath some heavy cross you faint, And say, 'I cannot bear this load alone,' You say the truth. Christ made it purposely So heavy that you must return to him. The bitter grief which 'no one understands,' Conveys a secret message from the King, Entreating you to come to him again. The Man of Sorrows understands it well, In all points tempted he can feel with you. You cannot come too often or too near. The Son of God is infinite in grace. His presence satisfies the longing soul, And those who walk with him from day to day Can never have—a solitary way."

Requests for Prayer

260. An aged sister in Oregon, who is threatened with blindness, asks prayer that her eyes may be strengthened and her health restored; also that her daughter may be healed.

261. An Illinois sister writes: "Please pray for my dear father, who has been injured by falling from a street-car."

262. A brother sends the request from Iowa that we pray for the restoration of his hearing.

263. An isolated sister in British Columbia desires prayer for healing.

264. Writing from Manitoba, Canada, a brother asks us to pray that his health and strength may be restored so that he may actively engage in work for the Lord.

265. A sister requests prayer for healing from neuralgia.

266. An anxious mother in Indiana begs us to pray for the healing of her daughter.

267. A brother in Colorado desires prayer that his eyesight may be preserved and strengthened.

268. A family in Washington request our prayers for strength and comfort in the endurance of a severe trial which has just come to them.