Not victims of isolation but prayer warriors for the kingdom.
We were hugely encouraged by so many people who joined us in our 24/2 Prayer last week. We had over 100 people sign up to pray for an hour, some taking more than one slot. When we planned this, we obviously had no idea what would be happening in the UK in late March, but God knew and it felt so right to be pressing into God at the beginning of what could be a long season. Whilst there were many words and Bible verses given to us, a few seemed to stand out and we wanted to share these with you as an encouragement.
We intend to plan another 24/2 soon but in the meantime, could we encourage you to continue praying for an hour a week for the ministry of Urban Saints, if at all possible? There are many signs of God working through these difficult circumstances and we long to see more. Our prayers will make an enormous difference. If you are able to continue setting aside an hour a week, do please let us know.
As an Urban Saints Team, we have been reading and praying into Romans 8:35-39.
“…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
One lady said she had pictures of where Urban Saints had worked and had not seen any fruit so the work had been ‘burned up’ and gone to ash, but she felt the Lord would resurrect those places and bringing new life out of the dust. She felt Isaiah 61:3 about bestowing a crown of beauty instead of ashes was relevant to those who have sown into places but not seen any fruit.
Another lady was woken in the night after her prayer time by a strong wind. “In my mind, I watched as each person for whom I had prayed earlier took their place in a lifeboat which made its dramatic entry into the choppy sea. Then there was SILENCE. The engines failed!
The Coxswain called out to God: We have no POWER - HELP!"
There came the Voice like many waters: "Hoist the sails!"
"But we have no sails."
"Have faith! Look again!"
The crew watched in wonder as the huge sails were hoisted. They were unaware of any human intervention. The boat moved, elegantly skimming the surface of the rough sea.
Again, the Coxswain called out: "We have no radar. We don't know where we are going. We can hear the SOS and Mayday calls but we don't know how to answer these cries for help."
"Allow the Wind of the Spirit to chart your course. Don't rely on yourselves. TRUST IN ME AND THE MIGHT OF MY POWER. Commit your way to me and I will give you the desire of your hearts. Your desire is mine: that none should perish but all shall be saved!"
I saw there was an extra man in the boat. He was holding a Lifebelt bearing the letters US. It was Jesus. God with US. The crew were not alone.”
A Crusader from Scotland was encouraged by Psalm 4. “In simple terms – even when the enemy was all around David, when things seemed hopeless, when all he was striving for looked like it could be on the point of collapse, he was able to look to the Lord and say, ‘I’ve got far more to be glad about in the middle of all this than (the enemy) have ever had at their best!’ And so have we. Do we think it’s all about to be knocked backwards by Coronavirus? Our groups can’t meet. Camps and special ventures are cancelled. Months of work and planning have gone up in smoke. But we need not fear! ‘Corona’ means ‘a crown’, and King Corona is stalking through the world as its new Emperor. But God created and raised up this microscopic germ for his own purposes just as he raised up King Nebuchadnezzar – and all of them perish alike before the throne of King Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Other verses people were led to were:
Matthew 16:24-26 - what are our priorities and our response? “What does it profit someone if they inherit the whole Earth and yet forfeit their own soul?"
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Psalm 118:24 "The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad." This is the day the Lord has made – let’s find the opportunities.
Psalm 46 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”
The pray-er felt that we may all be separated but we are one river. This connects with a picture we were given a few years ago about Urban Saints being a river with different streams. It was said then that some streams would dry up in the coming days, other streams would stay in the main river but may look different or have different people working on them, and there would be new tributaries branching off with new ministries.
Someone else prayed “I had a picture of young lady walking on a straight path. For the team, God was saying - I will lead you and guide you on where you should go. There are new creative ways which will come to continue to provide your ministry. There are new dreams and visions ahead. No weapon formed against you will prosper. Rise up and take your place, be bold and courageous, there will be a bountiful harvest for Urban Saints from the seeds planted in this season.”
Thank you to everyone who has prayed with and for Urban Saints and to all those who continue to do so. It is only with strong prayer support and the Bible as our core guide that we can succeed in raising up a generation of young disciples.
Don't forget, we'd love to hear from you if you would be willing to (continue to) be praying for an hour a week for the ministry of Urban Saints. Please send us an email to let us know.
Alternatively, find out more about how else you can regularly support Urban Saints through prayer: