Here’s a contrasting set of prayer examples which remind us that the blessing and benefit to be derived from prayer often depends on the spirit with which we carry it out. If we approach prayer as a privilege to be relished rather than as a duty to be discharged, we’re far more likely to have greater enjoyment and profit in it.
About the main characters in these contrasting examples: Amy Carmichael grew up in Ireland, then served as a Christian missionary in India for fifty-six years. Her fruitful ministries to over 2,500 orphans were marked by great faith and compassion. Betsie and Corrie ten Boom were sisters from Haarlem, Holland, who were imprisoned in a German concentration camp for sheltering Jews from the Nazis during World War 2. While Betsie died there, for three decades after the war Corrie carried the message of God’s love and forgiveness to more than sixty countries around the world.
Once as a young girl, Amy Carmichael attended a Wednesday evening prayer meeting where the speaker’s theme was “Our Departure from This World.” To amuse herself, Amy paged through the hymnal and counted up all the various things song writers said Christians would do at the precise moment of their earthly departure. She could not imagine how a dying person could possibly manage all those things at once.
Coming across William Walford’s familiar hymn, Sweet Hour of Prayer, she read the last verse:
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
May I thy consolations share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home, and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing thro’ the air,
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!
Amy was especially encouraged at the prospect of shouting while passing through the air, “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!” She thought the words must surely apply to that very prayer meeting, which was apparently running rather long to her youthful way of thinking!
Very much by way of contrast, long before dawn one frigid winter morning, Betsie and Corrie ten Boom walked toward the square where roll call was to be held in Ravensbruck, the concentration camp where they were prisoners. The cruel head of their barracks had heartlessly ordered everyone out into the bitter cold a full hour earlier than necessary.
Corrie and Betsie went to the square by a different route than their fellow prisoners. The bright early morning stars were their only light. They could faintly see the outlines of the barracks, the gas chamber, the crematorium, and the guard towers.
As they walked hand in hand they prayed, savoring the Lord’s and each other’s company. First Betsie prayed, followed by Corrie. Then they were both quiet and sensed God’s reassuring presence with them.
Suddenly Betsie broke the silence by exclaiming: “Isn’t this a bit of heaven! And, Lord, this is a small foretaste. One day we will see You face-to-face. But thank You that even now You are giving us the joy of walking and talking with You.”
For us, may prayer not seem like a duty to be discharged while carefully keeping one eye on the slowly moving clock. May it instead prove to be a welcome privilege, to relish fellowship with our heavenly Father while simultaneously seeking His gracious blessings in the midst of life’s ongoing challenges.
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These and numerous other beneficial examples relating to prayer and additional key aspects of the Christian life can be found in my book Timeless Stories: God’s Incredible Work in the Lives of Inspiring Christians. If you’ve appreciated and benefited from this blog, thanks for sharing it with others.
Copyright 2026 by Vance E. Christie
