It has been an amazing ten days.  Originally we set aside four days and three nights to pray 24/7.  By the second day it was clear that people wanted to continue and so we opened the prayer room for twelve hours each day for the whole of the following week.  That in itself was amazing, but there’s much more.  The stories that people are telling and the things that people are writing after their visit to the prayer room have been fantastic.  Some have heard God speak, others have found a new freedom in prayer and some have been deeply touched by His presence.  Alongside all this,  many prayers have been prayed –  drawn, written and acted – crying out to God for friends, family and others around the world.

The book of testimonies is a wonderful read.  Here is what two people wrote after their time in the prayer room.

I can hardly believe it – I danced before the Lord in praise and thanksgiving.  I moved in spite of all the physical limitations and self-imposed inhibitions.  I felt the incredible gift of freedom, as though our all-seeing, all-knowing God was drawing something out from deep within my spirit and inviting me to risk the experience of His liberating power.  Thank you, Jesus.  There was yet more – as I lay beneath the net (where the labels hung with the names of people we were praying for, who didn’t yet know Jesus), I saw the twinkling lights as angels of the Lord, penetrating the darkness, and saying, ‘it’s all right – all these dear ones are known to us, and we are watching over them.’ Thank you Jesus.

I have been so pleased to come into this peaceful and cosy space for a second time.  I was apprehensive when I was making my first hour, not sure what to expect or how I would feel, but it was amazing.  So peaceful, so timeless, a space to lose yourself, no distractions, and no one to hinder me from being in God’s presence.  I don’t want this room to disappear; I want to be able to come always, whenever I want.  I’m thinking I will need to find a corner at home, a chair, somewhere I can retreat to so that I can be renewed.  Thank you to all who have made this possible and for the commitment of many for keeping it going into this week.  Awesome, amazing, brilliant, just don’t want it to end.

So, is it over?  Well, yes for a while at least.  Will we have a prayer room again?  Almost certainly.  Make sure you don;t miss it!  But what of now?  In truth, many of us have discovered a new connection with God that we have longed for.  Jesus talked about us having our own prayer room (or space):

Matthew 6:6 (NIV) ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Why not put some thought into creating your own prayer space?  Take the things that you most appreciated and bring them to your space.  If you were blessed by the visual things, then create something visual.  If by drawing or painting, then gather the things to draw and paint.  Maybe it’s as simple as some paper to write a letter or a list of truths about God for you to focus on.

Is it over?  Hardly.  It’s just beginning.