Thy Kingdom Come

            One of the great privileges of my ministry is leading worship at a local care home. Every month, I'm invited to pray and praise with folks who are otherwise unable to attend different buildings for church - so we celebrate being the body of Christ where they are.

            This month, I was thanking one of the volunteers for her assistance in the service, and she in turn paid me the compliment of saying that prayer was my gift, a gift she wished she had. This resonated with me; I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer. I pray the divine office, I am involved with the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, my doctoral studies are focused on prayer.

            For me, therefore, it was shocking to consider that someone might not feel comfortable praying, might feel inadequate to have an intimate discourse with the divine. We chatted a bit about that, how I believe that God hears the whispers of our hearts whether our mouths capture our intended vocabulary or not. And, as with all relationships, our communication skills increase as we practice them more.

            It was fitting that this conversation should happen the same week that the Archbishop of Canterbury's invitation to the world to enter into 11 days of intentional prayer. "Thy Kingdom Come" is an exciting initiative running from Ascension through Pentecost (right now!), with a different prayer focus each day. This is an opportunity to pray with the whole body of Christ, as prayers are posted on a virtual prayer wall. Daily emails include short videos encouraging prayer, by a number of spiritual leaders from around the world (our own ++Fred Hiltz will be featured soon!). It's a great thing, with plenty of resources - see http://www.thykingdomcome.global for more information.

            So, based on the conversation, and my personal conviction and practices, I extend the Archbishop's invitation to prayer: may we devote ourselves to prayer,  becoming the network of 'prayer warriors' delighting in the privilege of sharing our hearts, minds, souls, and strength with the Holiest of Holies.