“If my people who called by my name will humble themselves, and pray
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
~ 2 Chronicles 7:14
The organist presses the keys, sending air rushing through
magnificent pipes, creating a glorious chord that fills every corner of the
centuries-old cathedral. Voices raise
the words of the hymn “Crown Him with Many Crowns”, almost drowning out the
sounds of the organ with their volume.
Hands are lifted in agreement as the final words of the hymn are sung
loudly, as though they have become the battle cry: “All hail, Redeemer,
hail! For Thou hast died for me; Thy
praise and glory shall not fail through all eternity.”
The majesty of the organ and hymn transition into the gentle
sounds of a keyboard and the quiet strumming of a guitar. The worship leader begins to sing, “Light of
the world, You stepped down into darkness…”.
As the congregation joins, the volume of the song increases until the
sounds of guitar, keyboards, drums, and voices echo off the stone walls built
nearly 800 years before. This
combination of the ancient and the contemporary sends shivers down my spine as
I listen to the voices of more than 300 Christians worshiping the God of the
Universe. 
That’s how last night’s event, Prayer for Hope08, began. Hope08 is a year-long focus on mission and
evangelism, bringing together different church traditions, different
organizations, and different people with the desire to start a revival in England, Scotland,
Wales, and Northern Ireland. The original goal was to have 500 regions
involved; as of last night, there were 997 regions registered! Having been birthed in 2004, this idea has
been built on a foundation of prayer, and last night’s even was an opportunity
for Christians from Greater Manchester to gather and pray specifically for this
region and its involvement in Hope08.
My attendance last night was mandatory because of our
current study of Philip Yancey’s book Prayer. By the time we had sung those first two
songs, however, I knew that I was going to get a lot more out of the evening
than I had originally anticipated.
First, it was encouraging to see so many Christians gathered in one place
with the intent to pray for a year focused on mission and evangelism. We aren’t the only ones with a desire to see Manchester return to God! Second, the evening served as a reminder of
why I’m here. One young man shared his
burden for Manchester,
saying, “Stand out on Market
Street one day and watch the thousands of people
who will hurry by. They are going to
hell! What are we going to do about
it?” We need to be reaching out constantly
to the people here, to be presenting them with the opportunity to choose
eternal life.
I’m excited to see what God will accomplish through the
churches and people involved with Hope08.
One vicar prayed last night, confessing, “We’ve been trying to do it on
our own strength; now we’re turning to You in desperation.” I believe that is the humility God asks for
in the verse I shared at the beginning of this blog. Last night, I got a glimpse of God’s people
humbling themselves and praying and seeking His face. They even prayed for forgiveness and mercy
for the “sins of the fathers” that have led to the United Kingdom’s current spiritual
state. Seeing that, how can I not
believe that God will keep His promise to hear from heaven, forgive the sin,
and heal the land?
Won’t you join me in praying for Hope08 and for a mighty
revival to sweep through the United
Kingdom?
(Picture: A view of the architecture and windows of the Manchester Cathedral.)
