Displaying items by tag: Praise

Fred’s body was engulfed in a flame in a tragic accident. He rolled on the ground, but there was extensive damage to his arms and legs. He was airlifted to a burn centre in a critical condition. Julie, his wife, prayed. ‘I knew God was there: I just prayed the whole time that he’d be okay.’ Doctors were amazed that Fred’s lungs and airways were undamaged by the fireball. After only two days in ICU, his circulation was remarkably better - but then infection set in and his condition deteriorated. Julie redoubled her prayers, requesting intercession from family and church. They also prayed with him before his surgery. Doctors said he might be unable to work for six months. But God heard their prayers! Ten days after his last skin graft, Fred was released from hospital, and returned to work a month later.

Pastor Toby leads Spacnation South London, a faith-based organisation committed to transforming the lives of young people. In a generation where many young people have been dejected, abused and simply overlooked, Spacnation offers an alternative, whilst changing the narrative of this generation one step at a time. They are rescuing people from gangs, from addiction and from fear, with over one hundred baptised each week. They have set up 23 safe houses for gang members who are willing to turn their life around and escape from a life of crime; they say their safe houses are homes full of fun, food and fascinating stories. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has backed the initiative, saying the safe houses seem to be working and are part of a solution. See

Kanye West, a popular American singer, held a Sunday service in Salt Lake City to tell young people about the evils of the media. His event, held across the street from an international Mormon conference, attracted thousands of fans, and many took to the surrounding rooftops to join in. A large gospel choir sang throughout, as they hummed to the tune of ‘Jesus walks’. West said: ‘There is a spiritual war going on outside, from which no-one is safe. It is no longer a mystery, Jesus has already won the victory! Tell the devil his time is up!’ He said that Satan has been trying to control minds through social media: ‘No weapon formed against me shall prosper, no false validation, no Grammy, no Oscar. God, this is your nation. This is America.’

As 70-80 worshippers in a synagogue in Halle observed Yom Kippur, their holiest day of the year, a gunman shot at a locked door. The camera at the entrance showed him trying to break into the building, but the door remained closed. God protected them. The attack, streamed live, was a chilling reminder of the mosque attack in New Zealand which was also online in real time. Footage also shows the assailant laying a home-made explosive outside and uttering anti-Semitic statements. He shot and killed a passer-by, and another man nearby. Following the attack, the synagogue congregants were filmed singing and dancing on a bus transporting them from hospital. They finished the concluding prayer for Yom Kippur inside the hospital. The attacker wanted to carry out a massacre and had nine pounds of explosives in his car.

Alexey, a middle-school dropout, first went to the missionaries’ church for food when he was a homeless beggar. When he got a job and could feed himself, he stopped attending church. He met Anya and they had a baby boy, but he fell into substance abuse and his income did not cover family costs. When child welfare authorities arrived at their door to take their son away, they successfully pleaded for more time to show they could care for him. Realising his need for God, Alexey took his family to church the following Sunday. He repented and asked believers to pray for them. ‘From that day, a huge change took place in our lives. We got married, I ended drug and alcohol abuse, and we read the Bible daily. Thanks to God for the miracle He has done in our lives.’

On 20 September we prayed for Jolie King, a Cambridge University honours graduate in Middle Eastern studies, and Australian Mark Firkin to be released from a Tehran prison for flying a drone near military installations. On 5 October Australia’s foreign affairs minister said, ‘It is with some enormous relief that I announce that they have been released and returned.’ He said ‘very sensitive’ negotiations with Iran over their release helped ensure they were treated appropriately while detained. Please continue to pray for British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who has been in Evin prison, in solitary confinement, serving a ten-year sentence for espionage. She has no contact from family or friends.

The persecuted Iranian Christians belong to what is said to be the fastest-growing church network in the world. The core of their theology is that all roads lead to Jerusalem, which is why they are praying for the salvation of Israel. They feel that it has been prophesied (Jer. 30:7; Zech. 14:2) that in the days approaching Jesus’ return to Jerusalem as King, there will be trouble for the Jewish state. The Persian people (as many Iranians still prefer to be called) blessed Israel in the past. King Cyrus freed the exiles so that they could return to the Land and rebuild the Temple; Queen Esther saved her people from extermination, so that Iranian Christians might stand in the gap for the Jewish people. What Satan has meant for evil, God can turn for good.

After a long shift Amber Guyger, a tired policewoman, parked her car on the wrong floor of her apartment bock and entered Botham Jean’s apartment, where he was sitting and watching TV. Thinking he was an intruder, she shot and killed him. Guyger was white and Brandt was black. It was seen as another American racial injustice in an emotionally charged courtroom. Then Brandt’s brother removed outrage and grief when he stood up and said, ‘I don’t want you to go to jail. If you truly are sorry, I know I can speak for myself - I forgive you. I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want for you. I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you.’ Brandt then asked state district Judge for permission to hug the policewoman. The lengthy, emotional hug caused a hush in the room and went viral. Judge Kemp also gave Guyger a Bible and praised Brandt for his gesture, saying to him, ‘Thank you for the way you modelled Christ’.

In order to increase the number of people praying for the nation, the Wartime Miracles leaflet has been posted to 25,000 UK churches. In an easy-to-read format, this leaflet helps Christians to intercede with a greater faith by giving examples of dramatic deliverances the Lord gave in answer to prayer during the Second World War. For example, many Christians today are not aware that the English Channel became like a millpond 24 hours after a national prayer day was held on 26 May 1940. It was this calm which enabled little boats to rescue large numbers of soldiers from the Dunkirk area.

This week, Quakers are describing their personal faith journeys. 'Quaker Stories’ is the theme of this year's Quaker Week. These stories will be shared on social media, using the hashtags #QuakerWeek and #QuakerStories. Alistair Fuller, of Quakers in Britain, said, ‘They are planting seeds of renewal for the world they love. Every year, we encourage Quakers to share what their faith means to them. This year we are telling the stories of how they live out their faith in the world, and how this can challenge, inspire and transform us.’ See