reflections from the prayer room: introductions

reflections from the prayer room: introductions

6/9/2012

[taking a few weeks break from the 'picture a day', but bear with me. hope these next few posts gives you another picture of my life here in the Philippines.]

I’ve been coming to the prayer room (chain) at LRC church in Tatalon for almost a week now. I knew they had started it a few weeks ago, after a close friend of the church was brutally murdered in her home, and the church came together to pray for healing and pray for renewed strength, vision, and protection over the church and its community.  Often it takes such tragic events to move us to action, or back on our knees at the foot of the cross, though our prayers should go up in times of plenty or times of want.

Needless to say, the church leadership has provided a blessing for the church, community, and even me to have a holy (set apart) place for people to pray.  Though about a half the size of my parents closet back home (and the size of my bedroom back in Chicago and bedroom here – small but comfortable), it is a room off our pastors office that people from the church can sign up for in hour long time segments.  While I’ve been part of 24/7 prayer rooms back in the States (lasting only one week), this prayer room has been functioning for over a month now with no end in sight.  From what I understand it is also connected with believers in Australia who are partnered with LRC church, not to mention the thousands of churches and ministries world wide that are currently participating in the 24/7 prayer movement.

While prayer time looks different for every believer, I have found myself engaged in a number of activities during my daily time of prayer at the church.  I’ve done everything from simply listen and allow my spirit and mind to worship to Christian music (using the CD player provided in the room), to reading and meditating on Scripture, to dancing and singing to the worship music, to writing and journaling about what God is doing in my life, to praying over the numerous prayer cards posted on the wall or prayers that come to my mind and heart for people and ministries I’ve met here in the Philippines as well as those back in the States and around the world.  It has been nurturing to my soul to spend such unadulterated and distraction-less time with the Lord, and renewed my soul.  [It has also made me adjust my schedule around the time I have picked, 11pm-12am at night; and even caused me to get sick for a few days while my body adjusted to the schedule, but the Lord has provided strength for the task!] 

I know myself and that I’ve struggled to block off quality time in my schedule to pray and worship the Lord on my own, so this time and place (like a scheduled class, meeting, or work day) has been a huge blessing.  I’ve decided to type up and post a few of my reflections from my time in the prayer room here on my blog in the next few days, so I pray you might be encouraged by them as well. But if nothing else, don’t underestimate the power of prayer in your life, and in the life of a church community or ministry.  May God continue to sustain us in our journeys!