Prayers That Prevail

A Most Precious Fragrance

"Behold, he prayeth."
Acts 9:11

Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven. The moment Saul began to pray the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for the distressed but praying soul. Oftentimes a poor broken-hearted one bends his knee, but can only utter his wailing in the language of sighs and tears; yet that groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear has been caught by God and treasured in the lachrymatory of heaven. "Thou puttest my tears into thy bottle," implies that they are caught as they flow. The suppliant, whose fears prevent his words, will be well understood by the Most High. He may only look up with misty eye; but "prayer is the falling of a tear." Tears are the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah's court, and are numbered with "the sublimest strains that reach the majesty on high." Think not that your prayer, however weak or trembling, will be unregarded. Jacob's ladder is lofty, but our prayers shall lean upon the Angel of the covenant and so climb its starry rounds. Our God not only hears prayer but also loves to hear it. "He forgetteth not the cry of the humble." True, He regards not high looks and lofty words; He cares not for the pomp and pageantry of kings; He listens not to the swell of martial music; He regards not the triumph and pride of man; but wherever there is a heart big with sorrow, or a lip quivering with agony, or a deep groan, or a penitential sigh, the heart of Jehovah is open; He marks it down in the registry of His memory; He puts our prayers, like rose leaves, between the pages of His book of remembrance, and when the volume is opened at last, there shall be a precious fragrance springing up therefrom.

"Faith asks no signal from the skies,
To show that prayers accepted rise,
Our Priest is in His holy place,
And answers from the throne of grace."

--Charles Spurgeon

~Reviving A Lovely Tradition~
A Common Place Book

There was a time when a sigh of lavender would rise to greet me whenever I opened the cover...a wisp of my mother's spirit returning to remind me of the day when she gave me this gift.
--Marianne Metcalf, March 30, 1835

During precious moments of solitude, ladies often retreat to a cozy sitting room tucked beneath the eaves, allowing time for quiet contemplations and to record sweet memories, fond remembrances and "notable observations" in the company of their own pleasant thoughts and harmonious reflections.

In earlier days, ladies often kept a journal known as a “commonplace book,” which served as a beautiful repository of the things they held most dear, and where memory and sentiment were mingled with joy and pleasure, and where happy thoughts, favorite quotations and little observations of life were contained. In these elaborately embossed volumes, which served as favorite objects of admiration and offered “pleasant recreation and leisurely amusements,” collections of written inspirations were beautifully recorded, providing a glimpse of the thoughts and beliefs that motivated the many famous figures and antebellum ladies throughout history who kept them. This quaint old tradition, originating in the 16th Century, was particularly favored in England during the Victorian Era, and often contained photographs of friends and loved ones, along with pressed leaves, dried flowers, and silken ribbons woven throughout the pages. And though some regarded the commonplace book as little more than a “sentimental trifle,” these beguiling mementos served as treasured heirlooms, recording bits and pieces of a woman’s life and leaving an indelible mark for all the world to remember them by.

Gathering Autumn’s Rich Jewels

The Harvest Home

To exult in the splendors of the seasons, ladies would often gather leafy branches in a glorious medley of patinas, ranging from rich glorious gold’s to deep crimson reds, to decorate the home and to celebrate the harvest. So universally regarded was this autumnal tradition, that in 1882, Mrs. J. R. Rees observed in Appleton's Home Occupations...

“It is needless to enter upon suggestion for the appropriate use of autumn leaves. They are universally known, and whether they serve as ornaments alone, or are used in combination with berries and burrs, they are always graceful, appropriate and beautiful.”

Preserving Leafy Branches

It is fortunate that both fruit and flowers have, at this season, a more lasting quality. Autumn flowers have more stamina than the fugitive flowers of midsummer and this allows me time to complete the harvest...

Leafy branches should be gathered which are 12-36 inches in length, which have just begun to turn in color. The stems should be split, three inches from the bottom, and placed in a bucket of warm water and allowed to remain there for approximately eight to twelve hours or overnight, with any leaves which are brown or wilting being removed. After the branches have soaked, a solution of glycerin and distilled water should be prepared, which will act as a preservative, keeping the branches beautiful for several months or even years.

And one cried to another and said “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of Hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory."

--Isaiah 6:3

--The Riches and Treasures of Home

A Christian Home
Oh give us homes, built firm upon the Savior,
Where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide.
Where every child is taught his love and favor,
And gives his heart to Christ the crucified.

How sweet to know that tho his footsteps waver,
His faithful Lord is walking by his side.
Oh give us homes with godly fathers and mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him.

Whose tender patience, turmoil never bothers,
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim.
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines tho days be dark and grim.

Oh give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,
The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung.
Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,
And praise is natural speech on every tongue.

Where mountains move before a faith thats vaster,
And Christ sufficient is for old and young.
Oh Lord our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil and care.

Their bonds of love no enemy can sever,
If Thou are always Lord and Master there.
Be Thou the center of our least endeavors
Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.
Hymn by Barbara Hart