Day 2 of 40 day fast

Today is day 2 of the 5 day personal preparation if you are following the 40 day prayer booklet on the website (www.whistlenz.org) .
*Present yourself before the Creator,
*pray and invite the Holy Spirit to teach and counsel you over these 40 days,
*to help you be honest,
*to take all the necessary action He impresses on you,
*to allow all the time necessary to pray.
*This issue of abortion could be the most serious issue facing the church in NZ at this time.

And I would add, to society as a whole.

I went to a prayer meeting last night that started at 10pm on 10/10 for 10 hours. I didn’t stay the entire 10 hours, in fact I got there around 11pm. My family were watching a movie, Facing the Giants (which I highly recommend) and it lasted longer than I thought it would. There are some faithful pray-ers out there. They seem to be the same ones that show up every time.

When Austin Hemmings was killed recently, at his funeral, his brother told how he had prayed everyday at 6am for his family, friends, and people of NZ. His wife commented ‘she had never dreamed her husband's goal of reaching the nation with a message of God's love would be fulfilled.’

Now, we would never have known that this nation was being prayed for so faithfully until this man died. God knew, but it was done in the Sermon on the Mount style - in the secret place. With the door shut. Last night one of the women asked me why I thought people didn’t come and pray when there was an invitation like this to pray. I didn’t really have an answer. Maybe they are in their closet, I don’t know. Most probably they are in their beds snoring.

This isn’t a guilt trip in the making. I didn’t last the entire 10 hours either. About 3am I left b/c I couldn’t stay awake anymore. I felt like I got a lot of talking in; discussing issues etc., but not a lot of praying. I wasn’t travailing in prayer. I wasn’t weeping face down on the floor. I was pacing to stay awake. My heart wasn’t engaged.And I can’t tell you why but I just couldn’t get in the groove of prayer. I wanted to pray. I wanted to make an impact on abortion in this country, but I sure didn’t feel like anything I was praying was getting any further than my breath was going.

I can’t talk for the rest of the people that were there, these are just my thoughts about my experience.

God, counsel me in these 40 days with the might of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to be honest. Help me to do all that you send me to do. Help me make the best use of my time. Help me to pray. Impact my heart with what’s on Your heart. Amen

Scripture for today is John 14:16-17, 26; Ps 32:8-10; Ps 143:1

Bless you today as you pray.