Prayer For The City

Thursday, 9 August 2012

Thoughts on Prayer (1)

From time to time I will post some thoughts on prayer and observations on praying. I have just packed away the materials from our prayer space, and felt really moved to share the experience of the time I have just spent in prayer as part of Prayer For The City Glasgow.

For some weeks now personally I have been under heavy spiritual attack, and have very much been learning the lessons that the apostle Peter extols us to learn about rejoicing in suffering! I have to say that for the majority of time over the last weeks I have remained positive and sought to rejoice in all things. I have had some amazing support from family & friends, which has enabled me to keep focussed on God. However, the last couple of days have been a real struggle. I have found myself becoming frustrated and hardened to my situation. This is a dangerous place to be. To harden oneself is often a way of trying to protect from further hurt. However, my experience is that ultimately God will break through the heardened heart, but the harder we allow ourselves to become, the more painful it can be when God has to break through.

So it is in this context in which I came to today's prayer space.

I'll be honest, to start with it was kind of like going through the motions. Almost like praying by numbers! I knew the formula so stuck to it!

Then, bang.

We all stopped praying out loud. We just sat there.

I wish I could have bottled the feelings, the atmosphere, the power of those next moments. I have no idea how long we sat there for, probably about 30 minutes.

In silence.

I was able to stop the noise of my head, and let God in. I was able to release the burdens that I have been carrying. I was able to allow Him to soften my heart.

As we sat in slience God spoke very clearly to me. He confirmed to me that He is still in control.

Now that wasn't the best bit!!

The best bit was the fact that sitting in that room with 6 others just sitting in the stillness, in the presence of God, we were connected. We were each experiencing the power and presence of the Father.

In those moments, I tried to capture what was happening:

"The power and the presence of God is at work. Intense. This is a family that roots itself in prayer.

Healing. Restoring. Forgiving. Releasing. Empowering. Redemptive. Freeing."

All of these things were happening in those moments. After the silence we prayed. Tears flowed. Children laughed. We all smiled.

I really want to make sure that I embrace emotion in prayer. We so often try to take emotion out of prayer, and I think that in doing so we are robbing ourselves of something very precious, honesty with the Father.

One of the group said this about how she felt during this time:

"It's like He's talking to you"

WOW!! God was talking! And amazingly, we were listening!

We have little prayer cards that we can send to people we pray for, and at the bottom of this there is a quote from St Augustine which says this:

"True, whole prayer is nothing but love."

Today, I have experienced this. I embraced the love of God. A love which is boundless. It knows no end.

It is Healing.
It is Restoring.
It is Forgiving.
It is Releasing.
It is Empowering.
It is Redemptive.
It is Freeing.

This was my experience of prayer today. It's not always like that. But today it was. I thank God for it.

I pray that we embrace prayer as love, and see it's power in our lives in new and amazing ways each day, each hour and each minute of our lives.

Just pray. Now.

2 Chronicles 7:14

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Tolerance

We pray for tolerance amongst the nations of this Island. We pray that the bigotry and racism, the resentment and bitterness that seems to still be prevalent in our City and our country towards our neighbours is removed in the name of Jesus. We pray for forgiveness for the way in which we have treated our English neighbours. We pray for the Spirit’s power to descend on our land and heal us. We pray that we will not be bound by our history, but rather that we will be able to move forward in hope, in peace and in love. We pray that we will celebrate our differences without them being divisive. We pray that we can celebrate our unity as Christian brothers and sisters. We ask for forgiveness for words said, jokes or comments made about nationality, where we think it is harmless, but the reality is that there are people who have been hurt by our words. We pray for the power of God to descend on our nation and in this City of Glasgow. We pray that our identity is not from where we were born, but rather through our faith in Christ.

Olympics

We pray God continues to protect all those associated with the Olympics. We pray for a continued peace to be upon London and all the venues of the Olympics. We pray for a tolerance amongst nations. We pray for God’s blessings to be poured out on those Christians who have worked tirelessly to serve those attending the games. We pray that God’s power continue to be seen and that we see and hear of multitudes being saved. We pray for a boldness for Christians to speak and demonstrate the Living Word to all who need to hear it.

Thy Kingdom Come

We pray that God’s Kingdom comes in Glasgow. We pray that we see the day of Salvation today. We pray for the Spirit to move and shake up this City. We boldly pray for more souls to be saved, and that more will come to know the love of God and that they will recognise their need for Christ as their Saviour. God we cry out to you for revival in our City. We cry out to you for revival – today.

We pray that Glasgow will once again flourish by the preaching of the Word, and the praising of His name.

Anderston

We pray for the community of Anderston. We pray that as the churches in the community continue to work together for the Kingdom, we will see a transformation take place in the lives of those who live in this community. We pray for a unity amongst the churches. We pray for a shared vision to see God’s kingdom come, for justice and mercy to reign and for the love of God to flood the hearts and minds of the people in our community. We pray for the day of Salvation in Anderston, and we pray that we see that today.

Unemployment & The Economy

We pray for those who have recently lost their jobs. We pray for those who have been out of work for some time, and are struggling to be positive in these days. We pray for a renewal of their spirit. We pray for the economic situation in our City. We pray that the Church will respond to the needs of the poorest and most affected by the worsening economic situation. God help us as Christians to never get caught up in wanting more and prosperity of our wallets, over wanting more of Christ. Help us as the Church to be a church of the poor rather than just a church that serves the poor.

We pray that the imbalance of wealth and poverty will be removed. We pray that those in the church in Glasgow who have been blessed with wealth will use this wisely and in line with the will of God, and ensure that this is used for Kingdom building, and meeting the needs of our City and community.

Elderly & Vulnerable

The Word

We pray that God’s word becomes a reality for our City, and that Justice and Mercy will be evident in all areas of our society. We pray that Christians in Glasgow will be God colours in their communities. We pray that churches will be light in their communities.

A living wage

We pray that all people will be paid a fair wage for the work that they do. We pray that Christian businesses and Christian’s who can influence these decisions will lead the way in this area in this City, and across Scotland. We pray that the leaders of the churches in Glasgow will take the lead in this and that those who work for the church will all be paid a fair an living wage.

Church

We pray for the Church in Glasgow. We pray that it will unite in our Faith in Christ, and that we will not be divided by our differences. We pray that the Spirit of God will empower the churches of Glasgow to make a difference in their communities. We pray that God’s name will be glorified by and through, all that we do in His name. We pray for forgiveness for our inaction as the church. We pray that we will demonstrate the love our Christ to our City. We pray that there will be a boldness is speaking the word of God. We pray that we will stop getting caught up in strategy but allow the freedom of the Spirit to direct us, and when we have heard him speak, that we will be moved to action. Shake the church in Glasgow from its slumber God. Break the shackles that have bound us for so long. Take us to a new place. Let us see your power at work in our churches and in our cities. Let us see your power at work in our lives.

Other prayer requests from around the city and the world:

We give thanks to God for answered prayer!

We give thanks for The Salvation Army Summer Fun Day and the success of this day in bringing together the community. We give thanks for the many God conversations that took place.

We pray for Sarah as she ministers in Thailand. We pray your protection over her and that she will see you at work in the community in which she is ministering.

Beniamin Idru who is the Pastor of Efrata Church in Lugoj, Romania.

We pray for children in our communities in Glasgow who are bored during the summer holidays. We pray that they will be protected from the temptation to get themselves into trouble. We pray that there will be activities that they can get involved with to keep them focussed on being a positive part of their community.

We pray for the churches response to the children in our communities. We pray that they will always be made welcome in our churches and never chased away. We pray that they are part of the family of God within our churches. We pray that they are valued, loved, and nurtured. We pray that we will strive to not only open our doors to the children of our communities, but also our hearts.

We pray for all Christians, that they will be protected from the “slings and arrows” of the evil one.

We pray for those who have recently changed their lifestyle, e.g. from drugs and prostitution, that they may have Christian influences in their lives.

We continue to pray for the influence of The Salvation Army in Anderston.

We give thanks for all those in our community who have come forward to volunteer with The Salvation Army to help with our kids clubs.

We pray for Jean and her family.

We pray for Fraser.

We pray for families going through times of stress.

We pray for the Masih family.

We pray for Sonita’s sister Nila who is suffering from arthritis.

We pray for Graeme, that you would surround him with your love.

We pray for the new build of The Salvation Army in Glasgow City Centre, that we have faith in God for His provision of the finances for this. We pray for those who have to make decisions about this, that Gods will be done.

We pray for Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church that God will bless them in these days.

We pray for Philip that God will strengthen him and heal him.

We pray for Jim.

For the staff and pupils of Anderston Primary School, St Patricks Primary School, Sandyford Day Nursery & Cranstonhill Nursery School.

Lord, there are many hurting people across our city and the world. May you fill them with your love, show compassion, give peace and bring comfort in their time of need.

Thursday, 2 August 2012

Pray with urgency.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Olympics

We continue to pray for the Olympics. We give thanks to God for the positive feelings that have spread throughout the country. We give thanks that the football that has been played in Glasgow has gone well, and that this part of the games was conducted peacefully. We pray for the family of the man killed in the Olympic park. We pray for all those who are having to deal with this incident, may the love and peace of God surround them and guide them in these days. We pray that the Olympics continue in peace, and that the Christians who are serving those coming to our cities will continue to meet the needs of those they meet, and are able to share the hope of Christ with those who need to hear that message.

Thy Kingdom Come

Anderston

Unemployment & The Economy

Elderly & Vulnerable

We pray protection over the elderly and vulnerable members of our community, we pray that there will be Christians who can serve and minister to those who need our help. We pray that in our community of Anderston we will be able to engage more with the elderly and vulnerable in our community and share with them the amazing truth that God loves them just as they are.

The Word
We pray that God’s word becomes a reality for our City, and that Justice and Mercy will be evident in all areas of our society. We pray that Christians in Glasgow will be God colours in their communities. We pray that churches will be light in their communities.

A living wage
We pray that all people will be paid a fair wage for the work that they do. We pray that Christian businesses and Christian’s who can influence these decisions will lead the way in this area in this City, and across Scotland. We pray that the leaders of the churches in Glasgow will take the lead in this and that those who work for the church will all be paid a fair an living wage.

Church Leaders

We pray for the protection of church leaders in these days. We pray that God will renew their vision, and their spirits. We pray for the ministers and leaders in our churches in Glasgow. We pray that any lethargy and lack of focus or vision will be bound in the name of Jesus and the Spirit of God will descend on and in them in new and amazing ways.

Other prayer requests from around the city and the world:

We give thanks to God for answered prayer!

We give thanks for The Salvation Army Summer Fun Day and the success of this day in bringing together the community. We give thanks for the many God conversations that took place.

We pray for Sarah as she ministers in Thailand. We pray your protection over her and that she will see you at work in the community in which she is ministering.

Beniamin Idru who is the Pastor of Efrata Church in Lugoj, Romania.

We pray for all Christians, that they will be protected from the “slings and arrows” of the evil one.

We pray for those who have recently changed their lifestyle, e.g. from drugs and prostitution, that they may have Christian influences in their lives.

We continue to pray for the influence of The Salvation Army in Anderston.

We give thanks for all those in our community who have come forward to volunteer with The Salvation Army to help with our kids clubs.

We pray for Jean and her family.

We pray for Fraser.

We pray for families going through times of stress.

We pray for the Masih family.

We pray for Sonita’s sister Nila who is suffering from arthritis.

We pray for Graeme, that you would surround him with your love.

We pray for Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church that God will bless them in these days.

We pray for Philip that God will strengthen him and heal him.

For the staff and pupils of Anderston Primary School, St Patricks Primary School, Sandyford Day Nursery & Cranstonhill Nursery School.

Lord, there are many hurting people across our city and the world. May you fill them with your love, show compassion, give peace and bring comfort in their time of need.

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Pray without ceasing!

2 Chronicles 7:14

Olympics

We pray for the Olympics. We pray that there will be a spirit of peace and of joy surrounding every element of these games. We pray that there will be a real presence of the Holy Spirit, and that there will be an anointing of Christians to rise up and spread the message of Hope in Christ. We pray for the part of the games taking place in Glasgow. We pray that this City will be a welcoming place for all those visiting for the football at Hampden. We pray that churches and Christians will open their doors and meet the needs of those coming to our City for this event. We pray for warriors of prayer to rise up and cover this event in prayer.

Thy Kingdom Come

We pray that Glasgow will once again flourish by the preaching of the Word, and the praising of His name.

Human Trafficking
We give thanks for all of the work that is being done in combatting Human Trafficking, and for the ways in which the church has been able to show the love of Christ in action as we support the victims of trafficking. We continue to pray for the victims of trafficking, for their healing. We pray that Glasgow will continue to fight for justice for the victims of trafficking, and that we will see an end to this. We pray for a compassionate response from the church. We also pray for those who are guilty of this. We pray for their forgiveness and redemption.

Unemployment & The Economy
We pray for those who have recently lost their jobs. We pray for those who have been out of work for some time, and are struggling to be positive in these days. We pray for a renewal of their spirit. We pray for the economic situation in our City. We pray that the Church will respond to the needs of the poorest and most affected by the worsening economic situation. God help us as Christians to never get caught up in wanting more and prosperity of our wallets, over wanting more of Christ. Help us as the Church to be a church of the poor rather than just a church that serves the poor.

Christians undergoing persecution

Peace

We simply pray for the peace of God that passes all understanding to descend on our City, the Church and in our hearts.

The Word

We pray that God’s word becomes a reality for our City, and that Justice and Mercy will be evident in all areas of our society.
We pray that Christians in Glasgow will be God colours in their communities.
We pray that the churches will light in their communities.

A living wage

Community

We pray for our communities, that God will reign supreme. We pray for the community of Anderston that God will be seen in a real and living way. We pray for the relationships between the older and younger generations in our communities in Glasgow.

Church Leaders

Elderly & Vulnerable

We pray protection over the elderly and vulnerable members of our community, we pray that there will be Christians who can serve and minister to those who need our help.

Other prayer requests from around the city and the world:

We give thanks to God for answered prayer!

We pray for The Salvation Army Summer Fun Day to take place in Anderston this Saturday, that we will have good weather, and that there will be a positive spirit that descends on our community. We pray that we will have the opportunity for God centred conversations. We pray that all who attend will have fun and the event will pass safely. We pray for the protection of God, and that His spirit will descend.

We pray for Sarah as she ministers in Thailand. We pray your protection over her and that she will see you at work in the community in which she is ministering.

We pray for Matthew as he ministers in Romania. We pray for protection for him and the church. We pray that through their persecution that God will be glorified. We pray for a softening of the hearts of those who are persecuting the church.

Beniamin Idru who is the Pastor of Efrata Church in Lugoj, Romania.

We pray for the community of Anderston, particularly that the people of the community will feel safe.

We pray that God will change our society from one in which wealth and fame mean more than honesty and care for one’s neighbour.

We pray that God will work to bring about change in the mindset of children and young people that they may be caring towards others, old, young and animals.

We pray for all Christians, that they will be protected from the “slings and arrows” of the evil one.

We pray for those who have recently changed their lifestyle, e.g. from drugs and prostitution, that they may have Christian influences in their lives.

We continue to pray for the influence of The Salvation Army in Anderston.

We pray for Jean and her family.

We pray for Fraser.

We pray for families going through times of stress.

We pray for the Masih family.

We pray for Sonita’s sister Nila who is suffering from arthritis.

We pray for Graeme, that you would surround him with your love.

We pray for Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church that God will bless them in these days.

For the staff and pupils of Anderston Primary School, St Patricks Primary School, Sandyford Day Nursery & Cranstonhill Nursery School.

Lord, there are many hurting people across our city and the world. May you fill them with your love, show compassion, give peace and bring comfort in their time of need.

Thursday, 19 July 2012

Praying for revival - lord start with me.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Thy Kingdom Come

Olympics

We pray for the Olympics that are about to start. We pray that there will be a spirit of peace and of joy surrounding every element of these games. We pray that there will be a real presence of the Holy Spirit, and that there will be an anointing of Christians to rise up and spread the message of Hope in Christ. We pray for the part of the games taking place in Glasgow. We pray that this City will be a welcoming place for all those visiting for the football at Hampden. We pray that churches and Christians will open their doors and meet the needs of those coming to our City for this event. We pray for warriors of prayer to rise up and cover this event in prayer.

Human Trafficking

We continue to pray for the victims of trafficking, for their healing. We pray for forgiveness for our inaction in previous times when there was human trafficking taking place in our city. We pray that Glasgow will continue to fight for justice for the victims of trafficking, and that we will see an end to this. We pray for a compassionate response from the church. We also pray for those who are guilty of this. We pray for their forgiveness and redemption.

Unemployment

We pray for those who have recently lost their jobs. We pray for those who have been out of work for some time, and are struggling to be positive in these days. We pray for a renewal of their spirit.

Christians undergoing persecution

We pray for Christians who are being persecuted in the work place because of their faith. We pray for their protection and that God will give them a Holy courage to respond with grace and love. We pray that God will be glorified through their suffering. We pray that those facing persecution will know that God’s hand is upon them, and the He is in control.

Violence
We pray that we will see an end to violent crimes in Glasgow. We pray that the Spirit of God will descend in mighty and powerful ways, and flood the city with His peace.

Peace

We simply pray for the peace of God that passes all understanding to descend on our City, the Church and in our hearts.

The Word
We pray that God’s word becomes a reality for our City, and that Justice and Mercy will be evident in all areas of our society.

We pray that Christians in Glasgow will be God colours in their communities.

We pray that the churches will light in their communities.

Matthew 5:13-16 (MSG)

^14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

A living wage

Community

Church Leaders

Glasgow

God bless Glasgow. God let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the Word and the praising of Your Name.

Debt & Wealth
God help us as Christians to never get caught up in wanting more and prosperity of our wallets, over wanting more of Christ. Help us as the Church to be a church of the poor rather than just a church that serves the poor.

Elderly & Vulnerable

We pray protection over the elderly and vulnerable members of our community, we pray that there will be Christians who can serve and minister to those who need our help.

Other prayer requests from around the city and the world:

We give thanks to God for answered prayer!

We give thanks for those returning from mission in Romania, that your Spirit has protected and guided them as they have served.