Global Day of Prayer-4 June 2006

Last Sunday, 4 June 2006 was Pentecost Sunday. It was also the Global Day of Prayer.

Begun in South Africa as a Day of Repentance, it has very quickly spread like wildfire to cover churches of every tribe, nation and tongue. Uniting Christians all around the world, it has sparked prayer revival across the globe. For more details on background and history, visit http://www.prayforsingapore.org.sg/.

Although the event had not been widely publicised in AMKPC, I was very heartened to find that several of us (about 10) were going, and almost exclusively all were members of the youth ministry. I was very deeply encouraged to learn that our youth are very committed to praying for the church and the nation as a corporate body! We arranged to meet at 6.45pm at the National Stadium, as they were meeting at Plaza Singapura to go together.

As Elena and I drove past Kallang MRT we were astounded to see the queue that snaked around the station, as hordes of people queued for the free buses to take them to the stadium. We were estimating how many people would turn up, and wondering why the event wasn't held in the Indoor Stadium instead, which could hold up to 12,000 people. When we arrived at the National Stadium we found out why; because God had given the committee a GREAT vision. By the end of the evening, close to 25,000 Christians were gathered in the stadium, praying for the church, our nation, ourselves and our community. It was an amazing site to see so many gathered together to PRAY.

The prayers and exhortations were conducted in English, Mandarin, Tamil, Hokkien, and at one stage in Bahasa Indonesia. It was an amazing site to behold, and truly, as we sat there, at times hearing the echoes of the translations in other languages, it really brought home to me what it must have felt like on Pentecost as the early church was suddenly filled with the sounds of multiple languages proclaiming the glory of God. It reminded me of how our God is far bigger than any nation, and how He is Lord over all.

A most humbling sight was when in front of the gathered crowd, the Rev Rick Seaward, on behalf of the charismatic pentecostals (comprising the Assemblies of God, the charismatic Anglicans, and other denominations which embrace the public manifestation of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues etc) publicly asked for forgiveness from the conservative evangelicals, represented by the Methodists, Presbyterians and all other denominations which do not practice the public demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. The apology was accepted, and reciprocated by the conservatives, who also admitted that they too had been wrong. It was a wonderful site to see the church leaders embracing each other and washing each other's feet.

It was something perhaps closest to my heart among our group of church mates, because I come from a charismatic Anglican background, and having been baptised in the Holy Spirit and beginning my Christian life in a charismatic church, and subsequently moving to what to many would seem to be almost the other end of the spectrum as a Presbyterian, I found it uniquely moving to see that rift closed and healed. How appropriate to see God working in such a wonderful way on Pentecost Sunday!

What was also meaningful to me was the fact that this event was held at the National Stadium, which will very soon be torn down to make way for a bigger and more modern sports facility. 30 something years ago, one of the first events to be held at the National Stadium was the Billy Graham crusade, at which thousands heard the Good News and received Christ. Over the years, many other Christian events have seen thousands of others blessed in the same way. How fitting then, that one of the last events held at this grand venue should be the largest prayer meeting ever witnessed in Singapore where the universal church comes together to PRAY for the WORLD. What a privilege to have been part of this global intercession for our fellow men.

We will certainly be back next year. Where will you be on 27 May 2007?