The National Day of Prayer

Thursday, May 5th, 2011.  The first Thursday of May.  The day that has been recognized as the National Day of Prayer for 60 years now.

I dressed in my patriotic attire and headed out the door to a glorious spring day.  Enjoying the 10 minute stroll down the road to the bus stop, breathed in the fresh air and smiled, thanking God for a beautiful day and all that He had in store.  The bus, of course, was late, but having gotten used to the system, I planned on some extra time.  I boarded the 15 with no problem.  I feel very cultured for having the skills which I definitely did not hold in bus riding several months ago.  The bus was full of people - people God loves - people who need to hear of His love.  As I sat down I prayed and asked God to move.  He urged me to just be quiet before Him along the bus ride and read my Bible, so that is what I did.  He was preparing my heart for the things to come.

Disembarking from the bus, I had a good 15 minutes before the National Day of Prayer Convocation would begin on the plaza outside of City Hall.  So, I took a walk around the area, praying, and asking God to prepare the ground.  Just one block south of City Hall, I found myself at The Block.  My stomach churned and my heart ached as I saw the ads for Club Lust and etc.  I won't even go into more details than that.  But, I walked the full length of the block and prayed and cried out to the Lord to tear down the human trafficking that went on there.  I looked into the eyes of some of the woman, pimps, and all your every day Joe's that strolled along the street.  I began to proclaim the Lord's name over the street and cry out against the strongholds of darkness.  Keeyanna came to my mind as I remembered her and all the other women and their families we ministered to around Christmas time.  She, along with many of the others we had gathered, worked at The Block.

I kept walking and praying.  As I approached the War Memorial Park leading up to the plaza in front of City Hall, my heart went out to all the people scattered across the park.  I walked past several of them and invited them to join us in prayer.  My eye caught one woman in particular, who I ended up sitting down and chatting with a bit.  Frances.  I praise God for her!  Please join me in prayer for her.  I was able to share the Gospel message with her and the hope that we have in Jesus for an assurance of eternal life after death, and the power of the Holy Spirit while we are still here on the earth.  She repeated the words of a prayer that poured from my heart, and I believe she was truly saved on this day.  She didn't want to come to the gathering on the plaza, so I left after giving her a huge hug and telling how much of a pleasure it was to meet her.

The worshippers were drawing the presence of God and I joined right in, as the time of prayer had already begun.  I joined in and delighted in joining hands with those from the street, and those from their workplaces, and those from various ministries in the city, came together to pray.  We pressed into the presence of God and worshipped Him.  Then, partnered with His heart regarding 7 key sectors of our society: Government (praying out of 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Church (praying out of John 17:23), Military (praying out of Psalm 91:5-6), Family (praying out of Mark 3:25), Education (praying out of Proverbs2:3-5), Media (praying out of Philippians 4:8), and Business (praying out of Deuteronomy 25:15).  For more on the national day of Prayer go to www.nationaldayofprayer.org. 

As the time of prayer continued, it was wonderful to join with some of the others in the gathering to witness to the men and woman off the street, some without any shelter of their own, and give them the hope of the Gospel.

God did a great work in connecting some of us after the gathering dispersed as well.  I'm excited for some of the people that I meet and the relationships we are going to build to further the Lord's Kingdom and His heart to see His Name lifted high in our city through prayer and service.

Only 5 weeks and a few days we will be convening another gathering for 24 hours of non-stop worship and prayer called the BurnWagon.  And it will all be on the cusp of 21 days of fasting an prayer to prepare an atmosphere in our hearts and in the land for a God encounter.  I am excited and ready to get some of these things off the ground!  : )  I've posted a blog (which this article will probably be posted on) at http://burnbaltimore.blogspot.com.  Check that out for all the latest updates.  Not much is up at this moment, but more will come soon!  Thank you for your prayers!

For more on the movement of prayer God is stirring in Baltimore, visit www.partnersfortransformation.net.  They are stewarding a big part of what God is doing here and it has been a blessing to work with them as part of my mission in Baltimore!

God Belongs in My City – Baltimore

It was a beautiful spring day in Baltimore. The air was fresh and crisp and the sky perfectly clear, giving the War Memorial Plaza right in front of City Hall a very peaceful and calm atmosphere. To those passing by nothing seemed strange or unusual. Yet for some reason a pleasant serenity abounded, rather than the constant hustle, bustle, and crowded streets of the city. Something was different about this day.

Then, about mid afternoon, hundreds of people started pouring in from all corners of the city, each humbly clad with a t-shirt resounding their heart cry, “God Belongs in My City.” They flooded into the plaza not with chants or shouting, course gestures or angry fists, but only a silent prayer on their hearts – for God to end the violence that has pillaged their city year after year.

Baltimore – one of the top murdertroplises of the nation, with a high percentage of those crimes involving teens and young adults. But the news on this day will ring of not another young person dying on the streets, but of hundreds of young people standing up for their God, believing in His power to turn the tide of the violence in their generation.

The beauty of the moment reached its climax as nearly no one was left standing on the plaza. Everyone had fallen to their knees in desperate prayer for their city. Could God really move in a city like this? Their answer would be a unanimous, “yes.”

And He is moving-even now, as they each left that plaza changed, on fire, and excited about taking this prayer back to their homes, schools, churches, and places of work. While they begin to lay hold of their newfound call to prayer, a tide will shift and the prayers will become greater than the violence in this city.

God belongs in Baltimore and He will come in response to our prayers. Join the movement and see a city known for its violence become a city known for its change.