At the beginning of each month I have a ritual. It goes something like this... I open up an email folder full of correspondence with 24-7 Prayer Rooms from the last 29-31 days. It's a job on my work to-do list that I actually really look forward too. Each month I look through the email conversations and draw out the thoughts and testimonies that stick with me. Some of them arrive here on the 24-7 Blog, all of them go into a word document that is stored away on my hard drive. At the end of each year – for about the last seven years – I make myself a cup of tea and I sit down to read through that document.
It never fails to bring me to tears.
Just before Christmas I looked through my (almost complete) document of prayers and praise from 2010. Currently it stands at 14 pages and almost six and a half thousand words. It is a beautiful read. Here are just a few snapshots of what God has done in the words of the people who have prayed.
From South Korea…
“This is one of the best things to happen in our church in a long time.”
From the United States of America… “For a year, students at Robert Morris University prayed that God would move on their small Pittsburgh-based campus. Since the beginning of the fall 2009 semester, God’s presence has been overwhelmingly evident in the way of many new believers, physical healings and baptisms. With a thriving weekly Bible study and a group of students who meet to pray and walk the campus regularly, the students at RMU are bubbling with stories to tell.”
"A Korean international student at Iowa State University got healed of nine years of back pain AND healed of bitter unforgiveness toward the man who hit him—immediately upon meeting Jesus and falling in love with him!"
From the United Kingdom… “I’ve never seen prayer displayed or experienced like this before. It’s made me realise how many different ways prayer can be appreciated. It’s opened up religion into my life again. Thank you!”
“Many of our prayers were for our dear friend… who had terminal cancer. Ronnie went to be with Jesus just after New Year, but his wife spoke of what a haven the prayer room was for her, a place of peace where she could draw near to God.”
“A young boy who was sick with pneumonia was prayed for and we were delighted to hear that the child had been released from hospital having made a 'remarkable recovery' according to somewhat baffled doctors.”
“God amazed me in how he used the prayer room for outreach and evangelism. Even as a room in a church, a lot of people felt less threatened by going into a prayer room than they might going to church. Friends of ours who don't know God often went in together or with a Christian friend. I think it would be fair to say that they noticed something tangibly different about being in that place, a place where God was so present.”
From Australia…
“I believe because of 24-7 Prayer people have allowed new life to be breathed back into the church.”
“God healed a number of people – including 2 people who had bad backs and were in quite a bit of pain. One person in particular could hardly walk and was sitting very uncomfortably. By the end of the gathering she was sitting on the floor, cross-legged with no pain and complete freedom of movement. Even now, 3 days later, she is feeling the nerve down her leg constantly tingling and said it feels like the whole thing is re-generating! She was also so overwhelmed by God’s presence it was difficult to drive home! She says she just felt like God was pouring and pouring and pouring himself into her. She is a different person today and still cant wipe the smile off her face!”
“We prayed for 253 people over the four days and 25 came to faith.”
From New Zealand… “Our day of 24-7 Prayer went extremely well. We are an addictions centre so we are ministering to people in recovery as well as people discovering for themselves their spirituality. It's an awesome place and I am privileged and blessed to be able to encourage their journey into discovering their spirituality. So a lot of our clients spent time in the prayer room during our 24-7 prayer and had an awesome time with God as they understand Him”
“We have some AA members in church that brought friends and apparently this time of the year is big for relapses so it was cool to see some of the guys (how don't necessarily believe in the God we know) really get into [the prayer room].”
From The Philippines… “My prayer watch is really a part of my life and 24-7 Prayer has changed my life. It gives me so much strength.”
“Prayer is loving on Christ (worship, singing love songs etc) but we feel part of prayer is not complete without a prayer lifestyle which is also loving on Christ through loving the poor... We have two church meetings in the leprosy place sunday mornings... My wife also goes during the week to massage the leprosy ladies there. What they most need is to be loved...”
