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Prayer fascinates me. It’s a rich experience. It’s a privilege. I am constantly learning, and wanting to learn more. Here I will share something of my journey with you.

From scripture, from the life of Jesus, and from the saints throughout history, we know that prayer is the foundation for the Christian life and for seeing God’s purposes fulfilled. But we can easily become lethargic with regard to prayer. Or we can develop a sense of self-confidence that says, ‘We can do this on our own’. But reaching the unreached with the Gospel, is a battle, and it is only possible with God’s help, relying on his Spirit to work through us and amongst us. We must pour time, energy and resources into the work of prayer.

Friday 9 September 2016

Praying during Hajj


Joining in prayer
On my way home from holiday a few days ago I saw a number of men and women at the airport dressed ready for Hajj.  They were making their way to Saudi Arabia for this annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam.

The clothing is distinct and easily recognisable.  The men wear two pieces of white towelling material.  The idea is that they all look the same, showing that there is no difference between someone who is wealthy and influential, and someone who is poor and uneducated.

Today, 9th September, is the first day of Hajj.  Around 2 million people are gathered there for Hajj, seeking forgiveness and spiritual fulfilment.  It’s good for us to be praying at this time, praying for them, praying that many really would come to know God’s forgiveness – available not by works, but God’s grace, because of Jesus.

Live coverage
Recently I was sent the link to a short video about Hajj, which I found interesting.  If you would like to know more about what happens on Hajj and how to pray, then you might find this five minute YouTube video helpful too:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-x3WNVw13k&feature=youtu.be

Also, it is possible to watch what’s happening live at the Grand Mosque in Mecca via a webcam.  Here’s the link:  http://mecca.net/mecca-live-prayers/  Scroll down on that page to watch the live streaming.

Above all, let’s pray.
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Thursday 18 August 2016

The impact of prayer




In fervent prayer
A Pastor was leading a time of prayer in his home, adjacent to the church building.  He and the church members were fervently in prayer, when suddenly they heard an angry mob attacking and ransacking the church building next door. 

The mob had come from across the road, where they’d been meeting according to their own religion.  But they’d felt disturbed and unable to fulfil their religious practices.

Escorted to safety
Thankfully the Christians managed to get away unharmed before the mob then entered the Pastor’s house and destroyed things there too.  It was a frightening experience for them.

The connection
What intrigued me when I heard this, was that the people who formed the mob somehow knew that their own praying and religious activity was being disturbed by the Christians across the road – and they wanted to stop it.

They knew it was the Christians in prayer who were disrupting things!  They didn’t put the ineffectiveness of what they were doing down to anything else.

This is a real, practical example of prayer impacting the spiritual climate and disrupting other spiritual powers.

We shouldn’t take prayer lightly!
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Thursday 30 June 2016

How to encourage prayer?





A privilege
Do you ever wonder how you can encourage prayer for our world in your church or your small group?  It doesn’t have to be complicated and there are lots of resources just waiting to help you.

But first of all, we shouldn’t aim to make others feel guilty for not praying enough or for not praying about the right things.  It’s too easy for the very mention of ‘prayer’ to fill us with a sense of guilt, when actually prayer is such a high privilege for which we should be so incredibly grateful.

Operation World
The resource Operation World is described as “the definitive prayer guide to every nation”.  It is arranged with a different country allocated to each day of the year.  So, by following the guide we can pray for every country in the world throughout the year.  At the moment, the focus is on India.  India is so vast and diverse that it actually covers two weeks.  Have a look at the website: http://www.operationworld.org/  On the homepage is a link to the country of the day.  Click on ‘Join the prayer movement’ to sign-up to receive a daily email to help you pray for the country of the day.  ‘Like’ the Operation World Facebook page and join over 36,000 others receiving prompts for prayer this way. 

Prayercast Videos
I highly recommend these videos.  In each one you hear the voice of someone praying for a particular country alongside scenes of that country.  The videos are free to download from the website: http://prayercast.com/  There’s a short video for most countries, plus a number of themes.  So, pray for India and use the India Prayercast video as a helpful aid.

Above all
 The tools and resources are there for us to use.  Above all, we need the discipline of turning to prayer, whether on our own or with others.

Let’s pray for India . . .

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