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24-7 Unbroken Prayer


Prayer Tent Welcomes Seeker
When Jessica Close began her shift in the 24/7 prayer tent set up on the University of Washington's main lawn, she was expecting to journal and pray.  As she prayed for God to show up during the week of prayer and move on campus, a man came timidly into the tent.  He asked Jessica point-blank:  "How can I know more about God?"  Jessica was nervous answering this large question, but felt God giving her words to speak.
The student introduced himself as Robert and said he felt there was something missing in his life: a hole in his heart he could not fill.  Jessica shared that she felt the same way before entering into a real relationship with Jesus.  Robert then asked who Jesus is and what he did on Earth. Jessica explained, and included Jesus' death and resurrection--the real reason we celebrate Easter.  Robert was astounded by all of this; he kept saying "wow" and his face brightened into a smile.  At the end of their conversation Robert looked incredibly happy and said, "I want to love Jesus too."  Then he asked Jessica if they could pray together.  Jessica prayed, thanking God for Robert's boldness and asking Jesus to fill him.  Jessica says:  "My GOD, my GOD, it was so powerful.  Robert began shaking, and as I finished praying for him, right there in the middle of the lawn, he tearfully looked up and thanked me."  Robert continued to seek after Jesus and wrestled with these questions; he said he might visit the prayer tent again.
During Jessica's second 8:30 shift in the prayer tent, Robert came back.  He and Jessica were both surprised to encounter each other again.  This time they prayed together for over an hour; Robert prayed to Jesus for the first time!  He asked Jessica to teach him how to pray and was amazed that he could pray ANYTHING.
Robert was very drawn to one of the verses on the wall: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," (Matt. 11:28).  He was especially excited when Jessica told him Jesus said these words and wants us to give our troubles to Him.  After praying Matt. 11:28 over and over, Robert looked up at Jessica, radiant and beaming, and said, "I need Jesus!"  He was SO excited and happy to be proclaiming these powerful words--he couldn't stop saying them.  The Holy Spirit was at work!  Robert said he felt close to accepting Jesus and Jessica believes he is on his way to a personal relationship with the Savior.

 


Making a Way to Pray on Campus
Staff and students at the University of Oregon felt God leading them to set up a prayer room on campus, but were stymied by the lack of facilities open 24 hours a day.  Sunday night at a conference launching InterVarsity Northwest's month of 24/7 prayer, a UO student dreamed she was going into a prayer room on campus.  Upon waking, she felt God telling her He already had a room reserved and not to worry.   Photo of UO seal
However, as the time came to begin praying, there was still no space available.  The Dean of Students' secretary talked to every department on campus, and staff talked to the head of campus scheduling,
submitted proposals, gained the full support of the head of Public Safety, and talked to the Residence Halls.  All of this turned up nothing.  The back-up location for the prayer room required a complicated system of carpooling to get students there in the middle of the night, but students decided they were willing to make the sacrifice.  Then, three minutes before the students began signing up for prayer shifts, a grad student said, "I just remembered-- there is a room in my building that we could probably use for our prayer room."  She ran off and emailed her department, and by the time of the first shift, they had their prayer room on campus. 
For the next four days, students from UO enjoyed the room God had reserved for them:  in the middle of campus, and easily accessible!  Almost all the prayer shifts were signed up for immediately; the InterVarsity staff report:  "Our students can't stop praying." 

 

Praying for conversations is the New Normal
During Portland Community College's shift of 24/7 prayer, students met as usual for their weekly Bible Study.  The application at the end of the scripture study was to brea
Cascade Student Services Buildingk into pairs and pray.  Attending the study that week was Brian, a non-believer, who asked his partner T.J., "How do you pray?"  T.J. told him her perspective on prayer, then she felt prompted to ask, "Have you ever accepted an invitation to follow Jesus?"  He said, "No."   "Do you want to?" T.J. asked.  For half an hour the two discussed Brian's questions, after which he asked if they could go out in the hallway.  There Brian prayed his first prayer ever, asking Jesus to be Lord of his life.  T.J.'s boldness is part of of the "new normal" at Portland Community College, where students are praying for their non-Christians friends and take every opportunity to ask them, "Do you want to become a follower of Jesus?"  Brian is the fourth person to accept Jesus since January!