He just might have been inside his Pangburn, Arkansas home in 1937 (in rural White County), and could he have been engaged in his own prayer when he considered the prayer of another? Was it indeed a personal experience that Luther G. Presley had, which prompted him to write about “A Beautiful Prayer” that God Himself spoke? Luther must have had a variety of methods and stories that he could relate about how and why his 1,000 + songs were penned. His immersion in the music business, on top of his gift for musical poetry since his teenage years, provided a deep well of resources that Luther accessed daily, including on this occasion. This well had not run dry for 50-year-old Luther Presley; indeed, he had many more years of inspiration remaining in his musical life, a life that could be called a beautiful prayer of its own.
It is said that Luther often wrote many of his songs following a personal experience, but whether ‘A Beautiful Prayer’ arose this way too is a mystery. What we can say with certainty, however, is that the verses he crafted must have emerged as he read from his bible the prayer that Jesus spoke so earnestly a short time before His death. Gethsemane (otherwise referred to as a garden, or a place on the Mount of Olives) was the scene that Luther did not need to imagine all on his own, for its events are recorded in four accounts (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 18:1) that Luther could have read, providing a rich insight into the most troubling time in the Divine One’s life. Maybe that’s what drew Luther to this prayer – because the most meaningful and poignant conversations between us earth-dwellers and our Maker is when life itself is in the balance. And, that was no different for God the Son when He spoke with His Father on this occasion. His prayer was multi-faceted. He was concerned for His followers, as Luther reminds us with the refrain words ‘…the anguish death would bring to His own’. His emotions of ‘wonderful love’ (v.1) were mingled with ‘sad (ness)’ (v.2) and ‘deep agony’ (v.3), a reminder that such a time is so difficult perhaps because of the conflicting emotions. Jesus was willing to proceed with ‘thy will, not my own’ (v.2), yet was haunted and asked to be relieved of ‘this cup’ (refrain), if possible. His insides were a twist, even for God. A deathbed experience often has loved ones nearby for comfort, while departure’s inevitability intrudes. Were similar episodes from his own life still in Luther’s thoughts, even from 15 years earlier (in 1922) when his first wife and third son died in childbirth? Was a more recent loss on his mind? Some might say Luther and others who dwell on a prayer about death’s approaching impact are being unnecessarily morbid. Why would God want us to know in detail what was being said, and how Jesus felt in His tormented prayer? Was Luther aware of an answer, as he wrote and thought about this prayer?
What did Luther think about Jesus’ prayer? He thought it was ‘beautiful’, that much we know. And, though this is a deathbed-like prayer, Luther doesn’t try to avoid its realities. Jesus was sad, He agonized over this impending event, and yet was submissive. Read that in your bible – the Almighty was submissive. Seems like a contradiction in terms, right? How can our Creator, the Maker of all things, be a willing victim of death? Luther’s poetry reminds us that Jesus wasn’t immune to those feelings that hover over and sometimes swallow up my sense of balance. Death can do that. Is that why I am allowed to see Jesus struggling here? And yet, He prayed. Luther Presley wasn’t morbid. He just showed me another reason to love and trust my God even more, why I and everyone else can be drawn to this Sacrificial Lamb.
See brief biography on author here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/p/r/e/s/presley_lg.htm
More lengthy bio here: http://www.ucalldatmusic.com/L_G_Presley.htm
Biography here also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_G._Presley
