Outside, York Minster keeps watch over the city whilst inside, in this one small room, an even smaller chap has come to spend time with God. It's 2.23am and yes I'm sat comfortably in The Richardson Room at The Belfrey which has been transformed into a 24/7 Prayer room. I'm doing the 1.00-5.00am slot.
I'm surrounded by so many people's expressions of prayer. It's not all words and pictures, there's a tangible presence because prayer has saturated this place. God has made a home here for the week and many have come as guests.
These words struck me tonight "you have not, because you ask not". It is easy, particularly working for a large and busy city centre Anglican Church to get caught up in the demands of your job. It is too easy at times to forget what we are in fact called to do and that we should do everything in His name and in prayer. God is working a treat at the moment, exciting things are happening. The Fusion Team who are based here and part of our G2 Congregation provided a banquet for over 100 people last Friday with just 12 hours to plan and prepare. People of all kinds were fed and touched by God's generosity. Things of Biblical proportions are not impossible with prayer.
Here at The Belfrey we meet as a staff team to pray every morning, we also have small staff prayer groups and tomorrow evening is an Evening of Prayer for the whole church to get involved in. I believe we're a praying church. And why? Because without it we have nothing, but through it we have everything. And we believe it works and underpins everything so that's why we do it.
As a church we want to play our part in helping to Serve God's Transformation of the North. Many of the great recorded revivals started with one or two meeting together to pray for God to move. We don't want to be arrogant about our vision, which is why we want to adopt a servant approach to help God in winning back this nation and particularly the North for Him.
Literally feet away from me is Europe's largest gothic cathedral. A beacon of faith, visible from miles away. I often think about the people who put their money in the pot to pay for such buildings to be built. They knew God personally and wanted to glorify him. Having earlier watched a television programme about how the Chinese can construct a 18 storey building to accommodate 1000 people in just 14 days, I am wondering what we with God's help can do to bring this nation back and build His kingdom here. Surely if we know God, we want to help him build his kingdom? Don't we?
I'm still in my early days as Head of Youth & Children's Work but even so I'm excited about the plans he's revealing to us as a team. There's already major possibilities being discussed and prayed about that could change the face of our youth & children's ministry in the city. Please pray that we would listen and honour God in seeking his will through prayer.
Sometimes we limit God by limiting ourselves. In the summer I was in Uganda. The night sky there was incredible. You could see stars there like no where else. "How can anyone not believe in God?" I thought. If we really believe in the power of prayer, then let us not hinder God's work by not doing it. I'm going to spend the next couple of hours praying for the youth & children's work whilst most of you sleep. I may be in the shadow of a man made gothic building of huge proportions but I still believe in Biblical proportions. Let us not have because we haven't asked. Prayer can do anything God can do. So do it.
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