Riding the Wave of Prayer: International Encouragement by Carla Harding, Page 2

Many of you will have been involved in the Global Day of Prayer on the 27th May.  I was humbled at the amount of prayer catalysed, 203 nations crying out to God together… What battles were won in the heavenlies with such an army praying “Your Kingdom to come, Your will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven”?

Nadine Arendse from Cape Town South Africa was overwhelmed by the swell of prayer:

“…there’s an incredible increase in a desire to pray 24-7 here in South Africa.  During the period of 17th-26th May we had 3000 24-7 prayer rooms running across our beautiful country.  In Cape Town there were 30 youth led 24-7 prayer rooms – is that not amazing!  God is gonna do something great, how can He not if His kids I crying out to Him for change and new things!”

If you’ve clicked on our prayer room diary in the last few months you will have seen two prayer rooms in the Philippines and Russia giving themselves to night and day prayer for three months. In Vancouver a group of 55 people have prayed 24-7 for three years without stopping, befriending the people of the inner city, drenching the streets in prayer and kindness!  In Finland, a group in Oulu are giving themselves to monthly rhythms of prayer.  Every time they think it may be time to stop God calls them back into His presence.

These are normal people in normal places catapulted into the extraordinary. God is calling us to pursue Him.  The Global Church is following…

For me, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the vast scope of the commission Jesus left us with.  It’s good to know that however significant our work in 24-7 seems to us, no matter how much we believe pivots on our activity and energy, we exist in the context of a massive wave of prayer propelled by the current of the Holy Spirit.  24-7 is a part of that proverbial “wave”.  We are a strip of froth riding high on it’s crest, standing on the shoulders of many faithful pray-ers who have gone before us.  We don’t need to make things happen, we merely need to draw close to God and refuel before launching out.

It is an honour to be used by God, to respond to His invitation, to give our gifts, to give our best, to serve and mobilise the Global church into Christ-centred, mission-minded prayer.  Please pray for us and send us your stories or thoughts on how we could equip you better.