And Then We'll Pray Some More...

Let's just be honest...  It has been rough year the world over and we are just over halfway through.  From an already desperate economic climate to the Japanese tsunami, and now in the wake of the senseless brutality of the Oslo shootings and more we also have man-made destruction in the city of London.  The modern age has brought the world so much closer and social networking, amongst other technologies, have given us real-time feeds of life on the other side of the world.  This is how in fact, I was able to learn last night that my friend was upstairs in her flat in Southeast London as looters ransacked the Tesco just down the street, worrying how close they would come to her.  Some wonder what we can do in times like this when we are geographically distant or simply emotionally shocked by the terrors around us.  To simply answer with a word "Pray" sounds too cliche, too weak, too... easy.  Maybe that would be the case if God were not real, but He is real, and He is able. 

It isn't about the words we say 

                    -- it is about the God to whom we say them. 

So what do you say; shall we pray some more?  For some more insight on this most recent event, give a listen to this short video by Pete Greig of 24-7 Prayer. 

Pete Greig is the founder of the 24-7 movement and Director of Prayer for Holy Trinity Brompton, in London. He and his family live in Guildford, England, where they are actively engaged with establishing a new missional (‘Boiler Room’) community. Pete’s books include Red Moon Rising, The Vision and The Vow and God on Mute.

A Call to Pray

I am one who personally knows that God works through prayer.  My most recent post, But God..., dealt with a very personal journey of faith.  For just over a year, a large group of people from various churches in Ireland and abroad had been praying regarding a government policy that directly affected workers in the church, and in turn, me.  This week I learned that earlier this year, God answered this prayer in a different way than expected, but in a clearer and more secure way.  On Sunday, my personal prayer was answered with great ease, as well as with healing from those related African wounds.  God is good and I am overwhelmed.

That's just one miracle of many, and yet I believe God wants to do more.  He asks us to pray, commands it really.  

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. 

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.  

-- James 5:13-18

Today I am praying for my friend who just got out of surgery.  I am praying for my home state which is enduring dangerous drought and heat.  I am praying for my country of residence which has suffered harsh economics, corrupt officials, and tragic religious abuses.  I am praying that His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.  I would love it if you would join me in these prayers.

Even as we pray for these situations closest to our hearts, can I urge you to pray more?  Can we also look beyond our own circles and pray for the desperate situations of the world?  I am involved with 24-7 Prayer, a network of folk all around the world who have taken the initiative to pray in faith, living lives of prayer, mission and justice. You have heard me mention them before in several posts.  Today, Rebecca Dunning posts a call for prayer for the crises in the newly formed Southern Sudan where the northern Sudanese government has ordered the destruction of all the Samaritan's Purse churches and the clearing of the Nuba Mountains.  Now even as I write this, there are news alerts about the explosion that shocked Oslo, Norway today.  This is a broken world and we cannot ignore God's call if we want to see hope brought into these situations.

Even here in the blogosphere, we make an impact.  Our faith is strengthened by our shared stories of God's faithfulness.  How many more stories will we have when we also take the time to pray for each other, our blog followers, our local communities and our world?

Will you take a moment now and pray for these things?  
                                                                         I'll join you.

Praying through Lent

We are a few weeks into Lent already.  Some people have set restrictions during this time to help them recognize the sacrifice that was made for us.  Others choose by themsleves something to give up, whether it be a bad behavior or just the daily cup of joe, for the same reason.  Looking through all my friends' Facebook statuses over the last few years, I have even seen some people actually pick up something new instead of dropping something in honor of the season.  These things are usually spiritually edifying things like daily Bible readings or acts of service for others.

Even now, mid-lenten season, I would challenge ye to consider doing both.  Sacrifice five minutes of your day and pick up prayer.  God loves it!  David sings in Psalm 141:2...

May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. 

I've written about 24-7 Prayer before, having attended the yearly gathering that brings folk from all over Europe together to pray for our continent and countries.  The account from last year's event is here.  For this Lent, the lads from 24-7 have put together Prayer Spaces, daily video podcasts for the 40 days of Lent.

Walk through the life of Jesus with daily inspiration from Pete Greig, Carla Harding, Etienne Piek and others.  From Ash Wednesday through Easter morning, you will be sure to enjoy these moments with God.  Let's pray together, shall we?

The podcast is free and is available through iTunes, Facebook and YouTube.  

Each video is also available at the 24-7 Prayer website.

Saviour of the World

"So we lift up a shout for his fame and renown
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord
Jesus, Saviour of the world..."