KC 2012: Year in ReviewTheresa Stone - 14 Jan 2013

In 24-7 Prayer we often talk about the link between intimacy and involvement, prayer and mission, and how an encounter with God can change everything. We talk about these links because we've seen the impact one prayer can make on a person's life or even on a country. 

Our prayer for 2012 was;

'Let your Kingdom Come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'

Now, looking back on a Year of Prayer, 'Kingdom Come 2012,' hosted by Alpha and 24-7 Prayer, we are so encouraged by the incredible ways God heard and answered this prayer in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Did you know that over 650 24-7 Prayer Rooms prayed in 2012, over 25 prayer and worship events were held nationally, and prisons and schools prayed 24-7 for the first time?

Here's a few stories from the year to make you smile.

After being prayed for in a Holy Trinity Brompton 24-7 Prayer Room last August, an 8 year old girl called Margo was healed from severe eczema. Margo’s family were at HTB’s annual church retreat week, ‘Focus,’ on the Lincolnshire coast when the miracle happened. Margo’s mother described in an interview afterwards with Pete Greig, how her child’s toenails were previously falling off and her skin was constantly cracked and broken. Someone prayed for her in the prayer room and the condition left. 

As a result of mission and prayer teams on the streets in Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens last June, a man called Brian got invited to church. He went along and received deep heart knowledge of God's love for him. Prior to this, Brian had suffered from a serious stomach problem, but when he went to the doctor that week, the problem no longer existed.

During a Kingdom Come prayer and worship event, God told Daniel Leal to go to Syria.  He knew it was dangerous, but the prompting of the Holy Spirit was strong.  As a result he was the first Westerner to gain photographic evidence of the massacre which took place in Tremseh in July 2012. Evidence of the massacre has been featured by the world’s media outlets with interviews for the BBC and Al Jazeera, and photographs published in The Times, The Guardian, Le Monde and many more. When the Syrian Government tried to attribute the atrocity to rebel forces, Daniel was able to testify that he had seen clear evidence of a scale of military hardware which only the government forces possess.  Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations and official envoy to Syria, described the attack as ‘an atrocity’ and as a result within four days The Red Cross had upgraded their assessment of the crisis in Syria to that of Civil War.

Finally, we heard after decades of decline the church in Britain was reported to be growing again in 2012, according to an international team of leading researchers. The report indicated that while the media focuses on the many churches which are sadly dying, it fails to recognise how many other churches are growing. The news was that for every congregation shutting in the UK, a new one is opened.

The ‘Church Growth in Britain from 1980 to the Present’ report was compiled by academics at Cranmer Hall, Durham.

So, after hearing these stories of hope, we are moved to say prayers of thanks to God for an incredible year. Thank you for praying.

If you want to hold a Kingdom Come prayer & worship event in 2013, Pete Greig and Tim Hughes explain how and why.