Day of Prayer & Fasting for National Repentance

Date: Thursday 2nd June 2005: 10.30am - 4.30pm

Venue: St Michael's Church, Chester Square,

Belgravia, LONDON SW1H 9HH

(From Victoria Railway Station, take the Buckingham Palace Road exit and walk down to Victoria Coach Station. From Victoria Coach Station, cross Buckingham Palace Road and walk up Elizabeth Street. The church is on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Chester Square.)

Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. (Joel 1:14)

THE NEED FOR PRAYER

In times past, the nation has come together in prayer at times of need and our gracious God has delivered us. This time is a time of need. Our recently-elected Government is complaining about a lack of respect. How right they are, but how little they understand that respect starts with the fear of God. All our problems as a nation can be traced back to having turned our backs on the God who answers prayer, and all our needs as a nation could and must be met in the Lord Jesus Christ. His very own words were: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt 6:33)

THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE

One day, we pray there will be a call to repentance in our nation, and a government elected which will honour God. Our Queen was anointed to reign under the authority of God in the Name of Jesus Christ and given the Holy Bible as "the rule for the whole life and government of Christian princes." If the Government obeyed the Bible, we should have national peace and security, with the blessing of God on our sons and daughters, our agriculture and industry, "With no breaking in, nor going out" nor "complaining in our streets." (Psalm 144:12-15) We shall pray for our Government and for our Queen, on this the 52nd anniversary of Her Coronation.

THE NEED FOR THE CHURCH

With half a generation of children growing up without a father, with rising teenage promiscuity, injustice in the courts, with the escapism of drugs and gambling and the wickedness of abortion, and with Christianity under attack, the Church needs to engage with society, bind the wounds of the injured and preach the Commandments of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to pray for the Church to have the confidence and courage that comes from faith, and we shall thank God that He is beginning to awaken the Church, and starting to raise up men who will stand firm for the Gospel, out of love for God and our neighbour, and show that God is both lawgiver and gracious Saviour and Redeemer.

THE NEED FOR UNITY

We need to pray for unity in the Church. Fervent, united prayer and action, where we ask God what we can do and make ourselves available for Him to use, is the key to seeing miracles. We shall on this day ask God to forgive our shortcomings. We shall worship Him in hymns of praise and exhortation. There will be brief ministry to guide each of the four sessions of open prayer. We encourage all those who are physically able to fast for 24 hours as a sign before God of our seriousness, as we pray in the mighty and wonderful name of the Lord Jesus!

NOTES

Admission is free - an offering will be taken. Water will be available. We meet in Jesus' name to pray and seek His face, so prayer will occupy most of the day. Come prepared to seek the Lord, and to be blessed and challenged. We don't do generation gaps in Christian Voice, so young and old are welcome.

This is all about seeking the face of the Lord to ask Him what we can do to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ in our day. Personally, I want to be like Isaiah, crying out: "Here am I, send me!" We shall be praying to stay within His purpose and to demonstrate the seriousness of our prayers by making ourselves available for Him to use. And who knows, perhaps we shall see Almighty God work miracles in response to our prayers. We have before. I hope to see you there.

Yours in His blessed and mighty name,

Stephen

Stephen Green, M.A., National Director

Christian Voice.