24-7 Prayer on Holy Spirit Street, MadridChris Peterson - 20 May 2009

At 2:30am I get out of bed and stroll through the streets towards Malasaña, the trendy retro bohemian neighborhood of Madrid, Spain.  My final destination is a street literally called Holy Spirit street (calle Espíritu Santo).  Sadly this street, like many others, seems to be filled with everything but the Holy Spirit.  I'm wearing a T-Shirt as it is amazingly warm already this early May. As the breeze hits my face, the smell of beer and urine hit my nostrils as the late night street cleaners spray the alley ways.  Beer cans and broken glass cover the ground as guys and girls go to and fro between the countless bars and clubs in this area.  I catch a couple making out and the next moment I'm being offered hash by some guy.  In this secular milieu, it's no wonder no one finds hope in a place that supports an apathetic pagan carpe diem way of life. It is in the midst of this Friday night that I find an oasis, a place of quiet peace amidst the chaotic night bustle of the city.   This place is in a living room on a street called Holy Spirit.  

I am awake at 3:00am trading turns with my friend John for the night watch of yet another 24-7 Prayer Room.  "God is so good," I pray as I look upon the map of Madrid in the prayer room.  "Greater things are yet to come to this city.  Lord have mercy!"  Tears streak my cheeks as I ask, "when, oh when, Lord will your Holy Spirit become more than a street name, a powerful source that will sweep from this street into every corner of this city, turning hearts towards you, changing lives from fear to trust in the living God? Lord have mercy!"

A prayer walk and a few hours of prayer later and it's now 6am as I write you this account.   The light of early morning has begun to peep through the window pained doors that face the narrow street.  Prayer for this city of Madrid has not only been on my lips but has also been on the lips of others this last month.