An unexpected knock at the door is a powerful sound. All the possibilities of who could be at your front door creates such a palate of emotion. Maybe a girl scout selling her cookies with cuteness; a Mormon locked, loaded, and ready to convert; a neighbor looking for a lost cat; or some felon running from the cops. What if this mystery person on the other side of the door came with an invitation? A weekly meal and an offered ear to hear those heart cries that should never be carried alone, to be shared with a community that wants to, yes actually desires to, bombard heaven with these requests.
For our present season of 24-7 prayer (as well as the one previous), the Stockbridge Boiler Room family felt the nudge to shake off all that girl-scout stereotyping to be those door to door knockers. The theme for this week is "Pray Always" and this scripture comes to mind:
“Praying at all times in the Spirit with every prayer request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession from all the saints”
Each request we gathered from our neighbors is pinned on dangling strings of yarn in our prayer garage to be prayed for “at all times in the Spirit”.They are literally “in your face” when you approach the intercession station that set up in the far right of the room. Every time a request is prayed over, a hole is punched on that specific prayer request slip. It’s quite a “holy” endeavor. It’s a holy endeavor to keep knocking on the doors of heaven “with all perseverance and intercession from all the saints”.
This pounding also happens on the entry ways of our own hearts. And this is the reason behind the little basket as you exit the prayer garage which holds strips of paper with little ways that we can be the answer to our prayers.
I don’t know about you but pounding causes me to become alert and I’m challenged with the phrase in Ephesians 6:18 to stay alert. This is why I am so grateful for these 24-7 prayer seasons that remind me to stay, to watch and to pray, to be vigilant, to wait and to be sent when he speaks. And it reminds me that I am commissioned to do this with "all the saints". Bless you as you we band together this 24-7 season and many more to come.