What you can do in the meantime

There are many things that you can do as an individual until the Prayer Walk the Nation event on Sunday the 4^th of July. This page will be updated regularly.

Radhika Hillier

Bless and be blessed

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out the 72 disciples into the villages and instructs them to bless the houses they visit and invite God’s peace to them. As many homes in biblical times, were also where trade and business were conducted, the prayer would inevitably cover the work situation too.

Ask God for his peace and blessing to come into the lives and homes of the people you meet on a daily basis. This need not be a complicated prayer. For example, say you were waiting at a bus stop, you might pray quietly in your heart, “Father God, send your Holy Spirit to bring peace and blessing to these people, their families and homes”. You could do the same as you visit shops and businesses or pass homes in different streets. In particular, pray for those in leadership roles such as supervisors, managers and business owners. Ask God to bring His peace to actual buildings and workplaces. The other day while sitting in the school staffroom, eating my lunch, I silently prayed peace and blessing over the room and everyone the

You can also do this wherever you sense tension, conflict or anger. The Holy Spirit will help you identify these situations so that you can invite God’s peace into those places and the lives of the people involved. I made the decision to make a conscious effort to do this at the beginning of the year as a kind of New Year’s resolution and I have noticed that I am more relaxed, I handle most situations calmly with the added bonus of my mind not filling up with nonsense because it is busy doing something else.

Don’t worry if you forget. God is not limited by time so you can quickly pray when you remember.

If you have an opportunity, prayer-walk inside buildings and your place of work, particularly the rooms and places where decisions are made or where gossip is rife. These may include the staffroom or kitchen, the conference room the photocopier or the school gate. If there are other Christians in your place of work, invite them to do the same.

Words of blessing

In December last year, my Bible study notes for that month really convicted me of the need for me to examine my words. For some months, since reading the letter of James in the Bible, I had begun to be conscious of the impact my words had. So while reading the daily study entitled “The Power of the Tongue” written by Jeanette Henderson for Inspiring Women Every Day (produced by CWR 2009) which reflected on different passages from the Bible as well as James’ letter, I made up my mind to be more aware of the words I spoke to people.

In the study, Jeanette invites us to consider the impact of negative words, a word spoken hastily, thoughtlessly, spitefully or in gossip. Such words cannot be taken back and can spiritually and emotionally affect someone even if they not spoken directly to the person. Knowing when to be silent is important too. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit over time, we will know when this is appropriate. We also need to be aware that some conversations, justified as a ‘need for prayer’, may actually be an excuse to gossip or originate from it. I was once victimised by the Headteacher of a school where I was teaching because she had taken gossip as truth.

On the other hand, kind and encouraging words can build up and strengthen people. As I reflected, I realised that this was an area I needed to deal with especially concerning the things that I say to my own family. In the run up to Christmas I endeavoured to acknowledge people for the beneficial things the do for me and thank them in person, as well as praising them and their efforts to others, especially line managers. As well as for my own family, I also included shop and restaurant workers, and people on the phone (especially call centres and cold callers). Realising that much of my time was spent wasting my thoughts and my words, I followed the example of my friend Sally who, during the Christmas season, took time out to converse with the waitress at a restaurant and actually use her name.

Society has become so rushed and hectic to the point that we often only speak to people if we are going to complain or to say a quick ‘thank you’. We rarely make eye contact with people or acknowledge their presence which is a shame as many are providing us with a service. People really do remember when customers are kind and say positive and encouraging things. They will talk about it with other colleagues and are motivated to ‘up their game’ and make the effort for other customers. Consequently, output is improved as well as the work atmosphere. God has blessed us mightily so that we may share this blessing with others.

Of course you will slip up on occasion. I have moaned at my husband and frequently shouted at my daughter for being slow getting ready for school. It is when we are stressed and in a hurry that we most need to be on our guard. In such events, acknowledge your mistake, apologise and receive God’s grace and forgiveness. If things go wrong and someone really winds you up, rather than complain or use negative words, remain silent, choosing instead to lift the situation to the Lord. We are not under condemnation for anything (Romans 8: 1) so we must not place anyone under our own condemnation either.

Inspiring Women Every Day, published by CWR is available at Christian bookshops and by mail. Alternatively, you may be able to find another study on the letter of James.