Prayer rooms

My church held a 24-hr prayer rally this weekend. The goal was to come together in prayer. People signed up for time slots or just dropped in when they were able. The point was for it to keep going.

The prayer rally started on Friday evening and I went in on Saturday afternoon. There was one room set up to be the room where you prepared your heart, whether you were coming from work, home, etc. There were a lot of little touches like cds of worship music to use, Bibles and books on prayer, paper for taking notes or drawing, curtains for privacy, etc.

After the preparation room, one could wander into a second room to join others. There wasn't a lot of conversation going on, just continual prayer, but some participants were sharing quietly about what God was putting on their hearts. There were lists posted of possible needs to focus on: Global and local issues, church issues, individuals, healing, guidance, and others.

As people finished, they just got up and quietly left.

I like that there was the preparation room. Sometimes all we need to enter into prayer are those practical details, like a quiet room. Nothing fancy.

I liked how the sanctity of the atmosphere was respected. It felt good for once not to hear any frivolous talk or gossip (and not to participate in any), but to hear only silence or soft voices of Christians having fellowship.

Sometimes when I enter a church meeting I'm torn between wanting to sit down and focus and wanting to be friendly and greet people. Of course a third option is if I'm participating in the service and then I don't have much of a choice! It makes sense to spend time preparing at home, but let's be honest, a lot of things can happen between when you walk out the door and when you get to church.

I am not sure about the 24-hr part since it's not a typical situation. But I like the idea of having a quiet place always available for prayer.