Prayer is lots of things! It's asking, it's listening, it's crying out to God about the things we are overwhelmed by, it's hard work at times and then sometimes it's exhilarating and time flies whilst we pray and we wonder why we don't do it more!

Jesus prayed, he taught his disciples to pray, "When you pray....." (Matt 6:6) and assumes prayer will be part of the rhythm of our lives as we follow Him.

So, why have a week of 24-7 Prayer at Woodies? Well, 'Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.' Ps 127:1. Dave loves this verse, it's a real bedrock to life at Woodies and it sums up why we pray. We need God to build our church and we want to keep in step with his Holy Spirit while we're joining in.

Prayer Week is us saying to God in a corporate way at the beginning of a busy term, "We need you, we have plans and dreams for Woodies and the city but we want to seek your perspective and power first and foremost." There are 3 opportunities to join in, could you choose 1?

1. Sign up for a 1 hour slot in our 24/7 Prayer Room via this link; we have 168 hours to fill! The Prayer room is themed around our Vision of helping people FIND Jesus, LOVE one another, then FOLLOW Jesus and SERVE the city. There will be lots of ways to pray for our church and also space to be quiet in God's presence and enjoy His company.

2. Find an hour to pray through the '1 hour of Prayer Guide.' Take it on a walk or use it during your commute to work/Uni/School or find a quiet spot in your home. Try dividing it into 3 sections if it helps. If you've never prayed in this way before, we'd love you to try it.

3. Come along to early morning prayer watch on Tues 18th Sept at 7.15-8.15 am in the Foyer. There will be fresh coffee and pastries, worship and prayer.

The prayers said this week will change situations and usher in God's kingdom in new ways, lets expect our faith to increase as we focus on our amazing God and his incredible power. And lets allow ourselves to be changed as we spend time with Jesus and welcome his Holy Spirit to revive us, our church and city.

Have a great 24-7 prayer week, find a way to join in and lets pray!

Love Rachel x

"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of his willingness." Martin Luther.

p.s. Download the Woodies hour of Prayer.docx here