Move

St. Giles Street, Oxford on Thursday Morning

It was Hungry worship and praying meeting last night. In one part of the session we did Prayer Walking, we walked inside the church building independently and randomly and prayed for our city at the same time. I was praying with my eyes opened because I didn’t want to pump into someone or something while I was walking! I was asking God what He thinks about Oxford; what is in His heart at the moment; what He wants us to do in this city and I asked Him to move our hearts of what moves His, to stir up our desires for His glory and to change our hearts to be online with His.

While I was still walking I suddenly realised there is something in the church building that I haven’t noticed before: like at the top bit of the pillars at church there are some flowers sculpture, random female faces sculpture above the banner etc. I haven’t seen them before, they were there for donkey years but I have never noticed them until now!

We have been passing by our cities but it seems to me that we miss out the details at times! I think God is telling me that if we look into the parts that are generally being ignored by most people, we will find His will and discover the beauty of it. For me this is definitely a challenge, I am definitely not good at looking into details. However I believe if we are willing to do so, God will let us see His way through His eyes, change our minds to be online with His mind and we will discover the hidden beauty that He has set before us to find.

Lord, moves our hearts of what moves yours; breaks our hearts of what breaks yours; makes this place be what you want it to be and let your will be done in us for the sake of the name of Jesus, amen.

29.11.2012

Oxford

Hungry and Afterthought

At the end of every month’s Wednesday night, we have a prayer and worship session called Hungry. We were helping with the Mighty Warriors Party for the little children (which itself was amazing!) so we arrived late. Worship has already started by the time we arrived and everyone was singing at the top of their voices worshiping God. It doesn’t take long for me to feel the overwhelming sense of God’s presence at the whole church, and it grew stronger and stronger and it was so strong that I simply just couldn’t stop throwing myself into His presence. Everyone was singing with eyes closed, in awe. My spirit was lifted up as worship continued and the lyrics of the songs became so real to me and I could feel my spirit was on fire, a great sense of hunger and desire for Him. It is really hard to use any words to describe being in God’s presence, but once you have felt it you would understand what I mean by it – satisfaction to your soul.

Without doubt this is the reason why this prayer and worship session is called Hungry – hunger for God’s presence. I believe this is what we are called to do as Christians, worship God and hunger for Him. As Church we not just hunger for His presence whenever we worship Him, we hunger to see Him changing people’s heart and lives, we hunger to see His glory being shone, we hunger to see Him doing great things in our cities. Near the end of the Hungry Charlie invited us to come forward to have a 20 seconds prayer to lift up our burdens to God, I went forward and prayed that God will set our heart on fire for Him and the people we love and care for. Fire that not just consumes but also transforms, being the light which shone His glory. This reminds me the chorus of one of the Tim Hughes song:

Consuming fire fan into flame

A passion for Your name

Spirit of God fall in this place

Lord, have Your way

Lord, have Your way with us

06.11.2012

Oxford