‘Give thanks to the Lord for he is good! His faithful love endures

forever.’ Psalm 107 : 1

At Prayer & Praise 17 of us gathered on Zoom and prayed from the depths of our
hearts for loved ones, for CAP and for Creation. Although, for a few months now, it
appears that not every hour of One Church One Day has been covered in prayer, still
around 40 or more of us united in prayer over the 24 hours. Great to see people join
in for the first time, and to see children, youth and the young at heart, coming
together and being a part of this family prayer time.

Graham shares below, praying in three different ways over OCOD:

‘Appreciated as ever the common prayer time.
For myself praying for family issues and for those on our hearts.
Then spent time in Psalm 73.  Word surely leapt out at me.
Also, Psalm 90 about God as our dwelling place.’

Sonia shared the following beautiful reflections:

A wonderful hour of prayer, to feel the presence of my Heavenly Father with me guiding me in prayer and worship.  I am truly grateful for this opportunity each month to spend an hour in prayer, thanksgiving and gratitude.  No TV, or
my phone, anything that usually detracts me, but an hour when I can pray and
know that my Heavenly Father is with me.

Gary enjoyed his morning prayer walk and stopped to notice and enjoy God’s hand
at work in the different shapes of the trees.

Ann also shares beautifully how she enjoyed God’s presence in Creation,
‘I enjoyed using the Prayer walk guide in my back garden, I was surprised to
hear so many birds that always makes me give thanks to God for them.
Seeing or hearing birds always lifts my spirits. so that was very special…
Looking at a leaf, and seeing evidence of a leaf cutter bee, again amazes me
how the tiny holes are cut out so neatly, God’s creation is wonderful…’

Anita, also inspired by Creation shared:

‘I took the A Rocha prayer walk leaflet to Page Park as the sun was rising. It
was good to walk more slowly than usual, to notice things and turn them into
prayers.
One thing I noticed was how hedges look so dense and impenetrable from a
distance, from an angle, but then when you get close and confront them head
on, you can actually see through. A metaphor for tackling the problems of life
in God’s strength, helping us to face them head on, perhaps.
Also I noticed how slow growing the new hedge plants are. Was it because
they are so overshadowed by the great pine trees, or are those trees
protecting them while they are growing? It got me thinking about the role of
older and younger generations in the church and the importance of nurture
and protection but not stifling.’

For me, as I was working a night at the hospital that weekend, my usual night-time
slot became an afternoon slot, and what a beautiful Saturday afternoon it was. I sat
in the garden asking the Spirit to lead me in my prayers. A beautiful rose was
stretching over to where I was sitting. The rose was a gift from family for our 25 th
wedding anniversary last year. As I gave thanks for Jamie and the boys and all that
rose represented, I became acutely aware of Jamie and the boys painting fences in
the garden as I sat there. I remembered all those OCOD reflections where people
walked, played piano, baked, painted and drew, ironed, or listened to music as they
prayed. In that moment my place was alongside my family, paint brush in hand,
acknowledging God’s presence, his blessing, his goodness, his faithful love that
endures forever.

I hope we can all look forward to another opportunity to come together in prayer for a full
24 hours again next month, Friday 3rd to Saturday 4th November.

With love and prayers
Diane x