prayer week update: #1

beloved pray-ers,

just to let you know what has been happening in the prayer room so far...

we started things off by eating together: as promised i had come with five (plus one actually, sainsbury's selling such things in packets of six) small rolls and two tins of sardines, and fortunately Christina had also brought some more substantial fare -- lamb kebabs and pita bread and some home-made cookies -- which fed the gathered multitudes (/handful) most enjoyably. i shall be in the prayer room every evening with such food and would warmly welcome company (if the same strategy is good enough for Jesus on multiple occasions, it's could enough for me ~ mark 6:31-34; 8:1-9).

the prayer room was then open for eleven hours last night, and by my count eleven people came, from an impressive total of nine different churches (including two who aren't even currently living in cambridge! such is the irresistible urge to come and be in the presence of God...), some who had signed up, some who had not. and there was the whole range of modes of biblical prayer: at one point a group singing hymns (cf. ephesians 5:19), at another point two were gathered in the name of Jesus to pray (cf. matthew 18:20); sometimes the prayer was like Jesus groaning in fervent supplication (cf. hebrews 5:7), sometimes -- i have to admit -- it was more like disciples in Gethsemane trying to stay awake to pray but not quite succeeding.

my personal highlight was perhaps the moment when there happened to be seven of us in the prayer room simultaneously, all from different churches, and so in an unplanned moment of profound symbolism, we identified with the 'seven churches' (revelation 1:4,20) which represent the one people of God (1 corinthians 12:12) and each person prayed a blessing for the church of someone else, and then together we asked that God would unite us for the glory of His name.

then, this morning, myself and my good friend andy henman (who has for many years fought the good fight in derby with YWAM, but has recently been called by God to come and help us here in cambridge to pray) had the chance to speak briefly on bbc radio cambridgeshire about the Prayer Week (we appear about an hour and twenty-five minutes into the show).

meanwhile, the prayer week was paused from 7 am to let people sabbath with their various congregations -- but we shall be carrying on from 11pm this evening until 8pm on saturday, hopefully with no gaps.

grace and peace,
peter