Lynchburg, USA: Room 104 - 19 Oct 2005
24-7 Prayer welcomes Michael Boersma, from Antioch Network in Lynchburg Virginia, to share about a unique prayer room that sprang up in the unlikeliest of places...
.JPG)
“Hello, I’d like to book a single room…
How long will I be staying? Umm, indefinitely...
My first and last name? Well, actually it's not for me - it's for 24-hour prayer..."
"Hmmm?"
 Would the folks at the Wingate Inn please stand up and take a bow! From the end of March til the end of July, the management and staff of the Wingate Inn, which overlooks Lynchburg VA, have facilitated a 24-7 Prayer Room in the hotel!
In my life, I have prayed in different ways and with varying degrees of frequency (more like a roller-coaster ride actually) since I was old enough to spell.
.JPG) Growing up, I always believed that God existed, and that He was sovereign. In my teens I discovered that God could be Lord and Savior, but it has really only been this past year that I have truly experienced Him as my Abba (Hebrew for “Daddy”).So why pray? What’s the point? Isn't prayer just a ritual reserved for crisis?
No way! Prayer is answering the Father’s invitation to meet with Him. Only then can we know that He loves us and has been passionately pursuing us. It is the oldest, simplest idea there is...that we were made for intimacy with God. And that out of that intimacy flows strength, victory, healing, wholeness, peace, and love for others made in His image. Many in our group say that “an hour feels like ten minutes in the prayer room.” I never saw that coming… The prayer room is to the Church as the heart is to the body.
Many church buildings are locked shut six days a week, and even if they're open they are often unoccupied. Prayer Rooms, like the one which existed at the Wingate in Room 104, can be magnetic because they are full of God, filled with his people, and always open. As a result, they can act as places of sanctuary for people who are scared, or just looking for God.
| |||
|
Another blatant miracle that I experienced was the powerful unity that emerged as people from diverse backgrounds, more than six different families of faith, formed one prayerful community. Everyone is Welcome! |
| ||
|
The best thing about a 24-7 Prayer Room has got to be the wonderful, foolish simplicity of people teaming up purely to make God happy - to glorify Him and hang out in His presence. Pilgrims seeking God sign up for one hour at a time and then pass the torch on to the next person…mothers bring their toddlers in to draw and paint while they pray. Students sign up for the night watch, shedding tears of joy in front of a makeshift wailing wall. Artists worship with creativity and canvas. Weary people unplug, and rest.
Each of us who were able to laugh, cry, sing, and dance in Room 104 sincerely want to applaud the deserving staff of the Wingate Inn. They were incredibly courteous and exceptionally accommodating - for four whole months - as we had people from all walks migrate to this one little room…one hour at a time, 24-7. And by the way, the view is amazing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |||
