One of my favourite books of the bible is Nehemiah, and one of the most powerful and remarkable parts of the book is the account of Jerusalem's residents gathering to hear the prophet Ezra read the books of the Law, which in turn led to all the people confessing their sins as a nation.
The account reminds us not to make faith a small thing.
All the Israelites who returned from exile gathered, remembered, and returned to the Lord. Our context is of course very different. Yet perhaps many in the UK church today have lost the sense that we too can gather, remember, and return as a people not just as individuals; as a Church, not just a collection of churches.
Together, on a national stage, we can give thanks for how as a nation and Church we have been blessed in so many ways. But we can also gather to pray for a breakthrough, for provision, protection, and a real sense of hope across the land. Indeed, gathering, remembering, and returning to the Lord is perhaps what He longs for us to do in this season.
And we are entering a new season – a season in desperate need of intercession and divine intervention.
October sees Parliament returning from political conference season. We have a new Government, and a House of Commons where most MPs are brand new. Every one of our elected politicians, national and local, experienced or new in their role, need our prayers for the season ahead.
The problems we have before us seem enormous. From riots to financial blackholes, from struggling public services to humanitarian crises arising from armed conflict, there seems a never-ending list of insurmountable problems.
And the temptation is that we either ignore the brokenness or grasp false hope; to trust only in ourselves, our idols, and our tribe or to seek distractions and hope the problems go away – or that someone else takes care of it.
But now is not the time to turn away from the brokenness. Simply denying or condemning evil is not the Jesus way. When faced with insurmountable odds I am not paralysed – I pray. It is prayer that keeps me in the space where I am acutely aware of how and why some many things are broken but have hope that things can and will change.
Therefore I am convinced that prayer, alongside gracious love in action, is what we need right now.
Charles Spurgeon once wrote that "prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence". We and our prayers are indeed slender nerves, and these are nervous times, when we need to cry out to the omnipotent muscle.
Individual prayer is a privilege, and praying with friends in twos, threes, as small groups or churches is a wonderful encouragement and can be immensely powerful. But imagine what a nation at prayer could achieve. It could change that nation. Not just inspire the solution to political, economic or social challenges, but heal divisions, change hearts as well as minds, and be the catalyst for real sustained change.
It is the shared belief in the need for us to cry out to the Lord in prayer and the belief that the omnipotent muscle can achieve immeasurably more than we can ever imagine that has inspired many national ministries and leaders to come together and call for a national week of prayer from the 12-20 October.
I believe that the National Week of Prayer is a movement brought together by the Holy Spirit, united by the vision that God may do remarkable things if we come to him humble, repentant, and praying for lives to be transformed by Jesus.
Information about the National Week of Prayer can be found on a dedicated website (www.nationalweekofprayer.org) where there is information on how you can get involved, sign-up to events, and other resources to help you be part of something that could be truly remarkable and special.
As Chief Executive of CARE I'm proud that we are fully behind the week, offering resources for those who want to pray for the nation's leaders and supporting the other events that will be taking place during the week. And I have been humbled by how so many have come together so quickly with a sense of the need and hope of what God might do through this moment. Join us in taking a step of faith to change a nation.
Ross Hendry has working in and around politics for the last thirty years, and is currently CEO of CARE (www.care.org.uk) who are supporting the National Week of Prayer from 12-20 October. Ross Hendry is a planning committee member for the National Week of Prayer.
