Prayer :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: March 14, 2026 by RR10

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

I admire people who seem to overcome the challenges in life by serving God with all their heart. I think of Fanny Crosby, who was blind but still wrote hundreds of hymns that are still favorites over a century later. She was blind, yet lived a very satisfying life as she served the Lord.

Then there’s Terry James, who is also blind. He loves the Lord and is a very prolific author. He also speaks at prophecy conferences and is Todd’s partner at Rapture Ready.

I also admired my husband, Ron, and I watched him grow stronger in his faith as his health failed. He had a neuro-muscular disease, and his muscles just wouldn’t work. He couldn’t hold his eyelids up, so when he studied Scripture or typed his commentaries, one hand would hold his eyelids up while the other typed.

“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2).

Another man who was able to overcome the challenges of blindness was William W. Walford. He was born in 1772 and became a preacher. Although he was blind, it is said that he never misquoted Scripture and his sermons were inspiring and to the point. He also wrote one of the most touching hymns ever written. As my own eyesight is failing and other troubles that come with age set in, I’m grateful for the inspiration of people who have faced challenges in life but glorify God in spite of it all.

SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

By William W. Walford (1772-1850)

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!

We all have troubles and challenges in life. Too often, we think that once we give our life to Jesus, life will be easy. Not so. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The words to Sweet Hour of Prayer seem to come from the heart of a man who spent much time in prayer. Did Mr. Walford pray for healing of his eyes? Did he pray for members of his congregation? Maybe he prayed for guidance in his walk with the Lord. Like all of us, he faced times of great distress and grief in life, as well as temptations. It was prayer… talking with God…where he found peace.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

Do you know that when you pray, you come before Jesus? Your prayers do rise above the ceiling and to God. If you think about it, that’s very humbling. You can talk to Jesus about everything, and He will hear. He will answer your prayer, but you need to accept His answer. He won’t give you something that will cause you harm or lead you away from Him.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). What a blessing that is!

Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows his face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Have you ever been a part of a community prayer time? Or even a prayer service in your own congregation is a blessing. I once lived in a town where an hour of prayer was held weekly. It was held in a secular setting, and all Christians were welcome to attend. We prayed for individuals and for our little town. We also prayed for our federal government and world problems. It was a very good experience, and I looked forward to it. God loves to hear from His people.

The first disciples saw Jesus praying many times, and they learned from His example. After they saw Jesus ascend into Heaven, they returned to an upper room and prayed. “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” (Acts 1:14).

God is always with us, but He wants to talk with us. Talk with Him, but listen for His reply.

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!

Jesus encouraged His listeners to seek the Lord rather than material gain. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

What shall be added? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of how God cares for His creation. Flowers are adorned in beauty, but it’s God who designed them. Birds are able to find food even in winter; God provides, He cares for His creation and will care for people even more. Do you have clothing? Do you want more clothing that is fancier? Perhaps you should pray and see if God wants you to be content with what He has provided. Do you have food to eat? It may not be top sirloin or lobster tail, but simple foods are delicious. God will provide.

I’m sure Mr. Walford found contentment with his life. He was blind but used his mind to seek the Lord with all his heart. He prayed and loved his time spent in prayer.

I sometimes think of all the conveniences I enjoy each day that my ancestors didn’t have, yet they loved God and passed their love on to each generation. My great-great-grandfather was a preacher who traveled from congregation to congregation on horseback. It would have been much easier if he had a car, but that was many years before cars came along, and he was determined to serve the Lord. I’m sure he talked to God as he rode his horse through summer heat and winter storms.

Do you pray and seek the Lord as you drive to your job each day in a comfortable vehicle? That’s a much better way to spend the commute than listening to secular songs. Seek the Lord in prayer, and listen for His reply.

Today, we can find so much to be anxious and troubled over. The state of the economy, the war in the Middle East, radical leftists trying to destroy America, and so much more. We are living at the end of time, and the Rapture will happen soon. Hopefully, you don’t face the challenge of William Walford in that you are blind. You can read your Bible and study prophecy. If you do that, you will know that we are in perilous times.

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).

Pray about this season of time we are in. Don’t slack off from studying your Bible and praying. Be sure to care for brothers and sisters in Christ and witness to the lost. You don’t have to set a specific hour aside for prayer. Lately, it seems as if God has been waking me up in the wee hours of the morning. I try to go back to sleep but can’t. I use that time to pray. I pray for the protection of God’s people in this war in the Middle East, I pray for people I know who need to give their hearts to Jesus, I pray for friends who are facing health problems, I pray for my family who are facing challenges, and much more. I do enjoy that time spent in prayer. It’s a blessing that Jesus wants to talk with me.

So, as we come to the end of this age, draw closer to God. There are many anxieties in this life. We see war raging in the Middle East, we see violence in city streets, we see public schools teaching our children things that shouldn’t be taught, AI is taking over jobs and grows more powerful by the day. Our refuge from all of this is prayer.

Pray often, listen for His answer, and submit to His guidance. Sweet hour of prayer!

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

The Foolishness of Pride :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: March 7, 2026 by RR10

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).

Scripture warns us against pride. It has caused the downfall of many strong leaders and stops us from humbling ourselves before God. Many times, pride is referred to as being “puffed up.” It causes us to judge people and think that we are better than others. In truth, pride is a tool of Satan.

In many congregations, the Old Testament is ignored. There are many lessons to be learned from the Old Testament accounts of history. For instance, Satan was very puffed up about himself, and pride caused him to think he could raise himself above God. There’s nothing in all of creation higher than God. Pride is what Satan used against Eve. He first twisted God’s words to confuse her into questioning God’s truth, then he convinced her she could be like God if she only would eat the forbidden fruit.

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to be God. He is the only one I want to follow. Satan had touched the pride in Eve and convinced her to go against God’s truth. When life is lived according to God’s words, there is peace within you.

Let me say that just because something is spoken from the pulpit, that doesn’t mean it’s correct. I saw a video clip of a woman preacher (she shouldn’t have been in the pulpit in the first place) teaching that God really wants to worship you. That’s a lie straight from Satan.

We all know what happened to Adam and Eve. Eve believed Satan, then convinced Adam to ignore God’s truth, and all of creation has been under the curse of death ever since. Set your foolish pride aside and humble yourself before the Lord.

God has given us Scripture to guide our path. A wise person will prayerfully study Scripture and conform to God’s word. People have never stopped twisting God’s words into something other than what is clearly stated. For instance, we read in Genesis about the corruption of mankind.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” (Genesis 6:1-2).

People twist these words to mean that Seth’s sons married Cain’s daughters. How that ever came to be believed is beyond me. “Ben ‘elohim” is translated “sons of God” and is always “angels”, but “ben set” would be “sons of Seth.” “Bat adam” is translated “daughters of men,” while “bat qayin” would be “daughters of Cain.” This misinterpretation has led to many wrong ideas.

By missing the point that the fallen angels had children with humans, you can only conclude that God was unfair for sending the flood to kill all life just because humans were naughty. The naughtiness went far deeper than just being mean to each other; genetic tampering was happening. We are living in a time that is similar to Noah’s time. Scientists today are genetically altering food and also the genetics of people and animals. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Christians have freedom in Christ, but that doesn’t mean we should allow our pride to corrupt us.

It’s very important for Christians to study all of God’s truth and believe it. There are many accounts of good and bad behavior, pride and humility, throughout Scripture. It’s important to study in context and glean lessons for our own lives. First and foremost, we need to seek God and His righteousness in all we do.

Israel is the one nation established by God. Other nations may support Israel, or claim to be Christian, but if God isn’t kept first, then the nation will fail. Israel didn’t always honor Him, but He has always provided for their well-being.

The greatest king over Israel was David, although he didn’t always fully honor God. The important lesson from David is that when he sinned, he recognized it and humbly and desperately went to God for forgiveness.

When David died, his son Solomon became king. When Solomon died, his son Jeroboam became king, but there was a split in the kingdom, and it became two kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom, called Israel, fell deep into idolatry and sin. The Southern Kingdom, called Judah, was also guilty of sins against the Lord. Eventually, Ahab became king over Israel, and Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. Ahab wanted to go to war with Syria and asked Jehoshaphat to join him. Jehoshaphat was willing, but wanted God’s approval.

“And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day” (1 Kings 22:5).

That was wise advice. Ahab was prideful and wanted no advice that was contrary to his own desire. He gathered 400 of his own prophets and asked them if he should go to war. Jehoshaphat didn’t trust Ahab’s prophets.

“And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?” (1 Kings 22:7).

The 400 prophets were not true prophets, but men who would only give Ahab the advice he wanted to hear. Ahab was very evil and full of pride; he didn’t want to know what God had to say.

“And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so” (1 Kings 22:8).

Micaiah was called. He was told that all the prophets said to go to war so he should say the same thing. “And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak” (1 Kings 22:14).

So it was, Micaiah didn’t say what Ahab wanted to hear. It takes courage to stand firm on God’s word in the face of opposition, but Micaiah was a man of integrity. Because he spoke truth that didn’t please Ahab, he was sent to prison and fed only bread and water. Ahab insisted on war but should have humbly followed the advice of the man of God. Because of pride, Ahab was killed.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

Remember that as you face challenges in life.

A little pride is good; it helps us to dress appropriately and to comb our hair and brush our teeth. Rainbow-colored hair is a symbol of pride taken to the extreme. Paul had good advice for men and women about how they should behave.

“I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (1 Timothy 2:8-10).

The world today encourages extreme attitudes that are ungodly. When you go out into a public place, such as a store, it’s easy to see very revealing clothing, multi-colored hair, heavy makeup, vulgar words on t-shirts, and more. This is all evidence of foolish pride. We might expect such behavior from worldly people, but as Christians, we should always point people to Christ.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10).

Model your life after Christ, and honor Him in all you do.

Pride will always lead to trouble. Unfortunately, it’s easy to give into a prideful attitude, and we must learn from an early age to submit. Children must submit to their parents, a wife must submit to her husband, and a husband must submit to Jesus. God’s ways are always best, and everybody needs to submit to God.