|PIC1|Hundreds of Christians packed Westminster Chapel on Friday night to pray for God’s glory to return to London and the nation.

The night of prayer was the last of seven around the city to launch the 2009 Global Day of Prayer London, part of a worldwide movement to mobilise Christians of all denominations in praying for revival.

Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, convener of Global Day of Prayer London, told believers not to settle at being nominal Christians.

“We need to circumcise our hearts again and ask Jesus for the love to come to our hearts that we felt the first time we met Him. Because God is waiting for his Davids to stand up and for those who will pray that God’s glory comes again to this country.”

He said it was time for the body of Christ to rise up as one in prayer for London, the nation and the world.

“Are we just going to play church and fight amongst ourselves or are we going to fight for the Kingdom of God?” he said. “We talk too much and we pray less but it is time for this nation to be shaken to its foundation by those who really believe Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Christians prayed during the evening to reverse what Greg Haslam, vicar at Westminster Chapel, called the paganisation of Britain.

He said news reports this week of a 13-year-old boy in Eastbourne becoming a father was symptomatic of the nation’s departure from its scriptural grounding.

“We have to re-lay the foundations,” he said. “We want to pray for the foundations to be recovered and for what needs to be done to save our nation.

“The nation is vulnerable to the Gospel right now. Let’s advance the Gospel into our country at this time and see a great turning back to the Gospel.”

At another prayer night in New Wine Church in Woolwich, Simon Hughes MP told Christians to pray that God would strengthen them “where we are so that more and more people by the power of the Holy Spirit can do His will”.

“There is lots of work to do because there is still lots of evil in this city,” he said. “We’re here to pray that with every day, good overcomes evil and people will turn their lives around.”

GDOPLondon is being held in conjunction with A Year for London, which has seen churches in the capital participating in a round-the-clock prayer chain for revival every day for the last two years.

This year, organisers are asking Christians across London and the UK to join in saying the Lord’s Prayer over the nation at 12 noon every day between now and Pentecost Sunday on May 31.

A major one-day event is being planned for Pentecost Sunday that will unite Christians of all traditions and generations in praying for God’s Kingdom to come to the UK.

On the web: www.gdoplondon.com