day two... it began as we huddled under the memorial to Wilberforce's Anti-Slavery Act in Victoria Park Gardens. A memorial to freedom. We prayed that God would mark our lives, and the Government in our nation, with His freedom. This is the year of the favour, the liberty, of our Lord Jesus. And then we set out prayer-walking...
While David Landrum's team set off across the bridge to trace and pray around the perimeter of the Parliamentary estate, our team set off up Whitehall... on the way there, Phil Anderson paused briefly to thank two policemen outside the Houses of Parliament for their faithful service, much to their surprise! :o)
Up Whitehall, we stopped and prayed outside various Government departments, asking Holy Spirit's guidance and insight... at the Treasury, we prayed against the love of money, and for a shift in our economic practise towards justice and the poor.
...at the Foreign Office, we prayed for Europe, and for peace to overcome where extremism and hatred are growing. We felt God reminding us of our nation's call to be a blessing to the nations... we prayed that we might learn, again, how to be hospitable and welcoming.
...at Downing Street, we prayed for Gordon Brown, his family, and his Government. We prayed for godly wisdom in decision-making, for good governance to prevail... and we prayed for Sabbath, for rest.
...at the Ministry of Defense, we prayed for peace and an end to all war - Father, have mercy on us.
...and then at Portculis House, where many MPs have their offices, we prayed for Holy Spirit's guidance and encouragement, for the current media-frenzy/hysteria to fade. We prayed for a new generation of leaders to emerge, godly women and men who have heard God's clear call on their lives to come and serve as leaders in our nation.
Over lunchtime, Pete Greig led us in a short Bible-study around the familiar "if my people..." Chronicles verses. He pointed out the significance of the words, 'when', 'if' and 'then' in the verses. When pressure comes, when bad things are happening... if God's people will pray, humble themselves, turn from wickedness... then something will happen. It's not a formula, but the if is very important. There are things that will only happen if we pray, if we act...
And then in the afternoon, for a couple of hours, we turned a meeting room in Portculis House into a prayer room. We talked about the things we felt God might be saying, we read the Bible together, and we prayed... in all, I would say that this has been one of the most significant days of prayer we've had in six years.
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And here's today's 24-7 PrayerCast, featuring our good friend, David Landrum, who works for the Bible Society in Parliament. He's amazing... even though he supports Everton FC.
(For those reading this on facebook, the YouTube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dTp59BYh2M)
If you'd like to get involved in the rest of this Week of Prayer, come and join the prayer-walking every morning from 10.30am, or download some of the guides and resources from the Christians in Parliament website.
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