An Interrupted Prayer, by James W. Foley

I was dusting the small library one day and my eyes spotted this very, very old scrap book that belongs to my husband's grandfather. It was called "The Friendly Foley Book" by James W. Foley. This was a book containing new verses of human folks as the author calls it, which was copyrighted 1916.




I love verses and I love poetry. Now here is one that got me...





The Interrupted Prayer



I sat in my pew

And he sat just in front,

Where I laid down my hat

Underneath, as my wont;

And when he knelt to pray

My heart went pit-a-pat,

For his two feet someway

He had thrust in my hat.



When I laid my hat there

It was not in my mind

That he might somehow kneel

With both feet straight behind;

But he did, as I say,

I saw sole, heel and spat,

When he knelt down to pray

With both feet in my hat.



I am prayerful, myself,

I am that way inclined,

But to things of the flesh

I can hardly be blind,

And the prayer in my book

Grew somehow state and flat,

When I happened to look

At his feet in my hat.



'Twas a stylish new hat

That I kept with much care,

It was edged round with silk

And it gave me an air

Of distinction and dash,

And I though as I sat

That it cost too much cash

To have feet in my hat.



And the Rector intoned

Things I needed to hear,

But I sat there and groaned

With an unheeding ear,

For, say, how can a prayer

Be but idle and flat,

When a sinner's in front

With his feet in your hat?



And the prayer said: "Now, Lord,

Guide our footsteps aright,"

To which I could subscribe

With my heartiest might;

And I added a clause

That I deemed to be pat:

"Please, Lord, won't you guide

His feet out of my hat."



And I know for the truth

That you miss half the power

Of that finest of prayer,

Of its richness and flower,

And the rector's appeal

Seems dull, idle and flat,

When a sinner's in front

With his feet in your hat.
 
 
This poem speaks to my heart that in prayer we need to get connected with the Lord God. Let Jesus Christ be our focus. Our heart, mind, body and soul is in communion with God. We will miss the blessing and the richness of God's grace, if even in our prayer... our heart still see the weakness of the flesh.
 
The enemy has plotted a long list of agenda on how to distract the Christians in their prayer and especially in praise and worship. Let the Holy Spirit be our guide to bring us into the deepest level of God's presence where distraction has no power over us.