I was sitting at my desk on Monday morning, looking at data to prepare a report when I heard the church bells begin to chime. I took no notice of it because it started to become familiar. 9 o clock, the bell rings, 12 o clock the bell rings. However, todays tune struck a cord when it played slowly and reverently a chime to the old hymn, “Sweet hour of prayer.”
Wow I thought, “From adhan to church bells.”
The adhan is a special Islamic call to salat (or prayer). A muezzin calls adhan from the minaret of a mosque to announce every prayer and worship event. This call saturates the entire city as mosque are on every corner and all muezzins perform this call at the same times every day. During my time in Turkey, I became so accustomed to hearing the adhan five times a day that I began to not hear it as I continued with daily life.
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 escape the tempest snare,
by thy return sweet hour of prayer!
William W. Walford, 1845
What is your call to prayer or your call to quiet stillness?
Are we listening to those inner bells and alarms ringing loudly on the inside of us when we begin to consume ourselves in work, deadlines, busy schedules and appointments? Or are we ignoring them because they have been ringing for so long unanswered?
I believe that because we are connected to God, there is something inside of us that becomes activated when we begin to drift too far away from His presence.
The bells are ringing today.
Listen closely.
They are calling us to make better decisions and to seek guidance for our next move.
They are calling us to be refreshed in the silence.
They are calling us to renew our faith.
The bells are ringing reverently, whispering our need to get still before our Maker and bring all of our worries to the Lord, our gracious Father.
Prayer is simple communication with God. I encourage you today to seek God’s will in all that you do, through prayer. The bible encourages us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but it seems that often we attempt prayer as a last resort in times of chaos.
Prioritize talking to God every day and watch how grace fills your life as He directs your daily steps.
Sweet hour of prayer; the bells are ringing.
About Lashawn Gray
Lashawn studied in Izmir, Turkey and graduated from Dokuz Eylul University with a Master of Science Degree in Financial Economics and Banking. She is currently employed at the Central Bank of The Bahamas and leads dance ministry at Bahamas Harvest Church, in Nassau, Bahamas. She is a child of God, who enjoys foreign languages, travel and the arts.
She’s also the founder of the blog; dagreatexchange through which she aims to make her country (The Bahamas) bilingual by 2050 and also provide scholarship opportunities to Bahamians around the world