Every time an email pings into my inbox from South Africa, Malaysia, Chile or some other nation where people have been praying 24-7, I love to pour over the photos of their creative prayer space. Some weird and wonderful ideas have been tried throughout the years and some stunning artistic outpourings have sat beautifully alongside the less sophisticated but equally heart felt efforts of people like myself. The creativity of varied expression is united by one goal, conversing with God. Sometimes it takes my breath away... I received one such stop-and-stare email in the last week with a selection of photos I loved. Within the report that came with the images I read this beautiful testimony. It's words like this that make me so grateful to be such a small part of all God is doing through 24-7 Prayer:
"When I first arrived and took over from Jill, I was blank, I didn’t know what to pray for, so I just took a few moments to walk around see what was set up." Writes Grant Ambrosio from Hillside, South Africa. "I then thought that I’d just start praying in tongues and immediately felt the Holy Spirit move in me. After spending some time in prayer, just asking the Lord what He wanted from me tonight, I kept getting the sense that He wanted me to return to Him, remember what it is that He did for me on the cross. He wanted me to be reminded that He shed his blood for me so that I don’t need to shed mine. That He has done away with the huge gap between God and us all. That we now have no burdens too great, that He has died for our sins, for our infirmities, He has broken the hold of sin and disease in our lives. That there is nothing in our lives greater that the cross. If we remember what he has done for us, if we remember the cross daily, we can overcome everything...
I then remembered a drawing I once saw of Jesus. A drawing in black and white, of just his head with the crown of thorns upon it. I felt a huge urge to draw that now, and if anyone knows me, I’ve not an inkling of artistic talent in me at all. I can’t draw, paint or even write half neatly either. So I just picked up the biggest permanent marker I’ve ever seen and started on the wall at the back. I set to work and 5 minutes later was looking into the eyes of my lord and savior. I burst into tears, and sat there crying. My life’s problems drifted away and I understood, that nothing else matters except serving the Lord. Jesus I love you. You have saved me and set me free."