He was raised in a church that believed only in extemporaneous prayer. Spontaneous prayers were considered more spiritual than written prayers. But when asked to lead the pastoral prayer each Sunday in worship, he changed his mind. Giving careful thought and attention to corporate prayer can also be spiritual. Wendell Hawley (1930-) joined the staff of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, adjacent to the campus of Wheaton College, in his senior years. The nine other pastors were relatively young, so the elders determined that an older, more seasoned pastor was needed to balance the staff. Wendell pastored churches in Eugene and Portland, Oregon as well as served as an Army Reserve chaplain for 28 years, including active duty in Vietnam. He was given two assignments at College Church: to visit people at home and in the hospital and to lead the pastoral prayer Sunday worship. He was deeply impacted by the staggering number of people he visited struggling with health challenges, financial crises, family discord, and seemingly unanswered prayer. As he sat with his weekly prayer, he felt their pain, heard their cries, and wrestled with their unanswered questions. He sought to write prayers in the spirit of the Puritans, who drew upon various Bible verses and hymn lyrics to incorporate into prayer. Most every Sunday, he was asked for a copy of his prayer, so he compiled them in book form, A Pastor Prays for His People. I’m grateful for the time and care he took in writing his prayers. One of the 73 prayers in his collection follows here:
Wendel Hawley
Our Father and our God, You are eternal; as for us, our days are numbered.
Seasons and years come and go,
but they do not diminish you one iota;
meanwhile, we are very much aware of what
the march of time does to us.
You, O Lord, are the same yesterday, today and forever.
We begin life’s journey thinking that we are invincible,
only to find out we are very fragile.
You are the source of all life; every breath we take is a gift from you.
We learn from your eternal Word of our destitute condition,
and we praise you for permission
to approach your throne of grace.
We give thanks for your matchless condescension,
that we fallen creatures, desperately in need of reconciliation,
may experience the imputed righteousness of Christ, our Savior.
Your gracious announcement to us is:
“The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out.”
With that assurance ringing in our hearts, we come boldly
to your mercy seat and spread our desires and needs before you.
Cleanse our hearts,
remove our iniquities,
soothe our hurts,
establish our steps,
take away our fears,
lift our burdens,
to see your work of saving grace among our loved ones.
Tune our hearts to anticipate with great joy the awesome cry,
“Behold, the bridegroom is coming.”
Give shelter to the homeless,
food to the hungry,
work to the unemployed,
care and assistance to the needy,
comfort to those who mourn.
Give us receptive hearts to the message from your Word today.
Amen.
Wendell Hawley, A Pastor Prays for his People
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.