If thou shouldst never see my face again,
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me day and night,
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892)
Twenty-nine years ago that poem captured the imaginations of my husband, Robert, and me. As young Salvation Army captains, we had been asked to write a musical for the centenary celebrations of the Canada and Bermuda Territory. We wove together several true stories of answered prayer that spanned the years, linking them with the composite character of a faithful, praying corps sergeant major who kept a little black prayer book.
Having preached the value of prayer through the medium of the musical, we decided we had better start to keep a regular prayer book of our own, divided into days, committing to intercessory prayer once a week for a wide variety of people and circumstances. Now, 29 years later, we continue to be convinced of the value of intercessory prayer, having been able to write numerous PTLs (Praise the Lords) against many of those names and situations, some of which took years for the answers to come.
So, when our corps officer in Orillia, Ont., asked me to brainstorm with her ways in which the corps could respond to the General's call for 24/7 prayer regarding the terrible social injustices in the world, I was only too happy to do so. Since January we have been working with the other mission board chairs to prepare for our week of prayer which began last Friday. Our program committee chair produced a huge chart for the whole period, divided into 30 minute slots, and it has been wonderful to see people sign up to commit to pray at specific times, either as individuals or groups. Meanwhile, our pastoral prayer committee worked very diligently to provide a booklet of topics including prayer for Orillia, Canada, the world, The Salvation Army and ourselves. And the worship committee took responsibility for the concert of prayer that began the focus, and for transforming our sanctuary into a prayer room for the duration of the week, providing people with many new and creative ways in which to express their prayers.
Having served in, and visited, several territories where the concept of 24/7 prayer has become a way of life, and where many corps have permanent prayer rooms, it was exciting for us to see understanding begin to dawn on those for the concept is very new.
Friday evening was a beautiful experience, and it was lovely to see the steady stream of people make their way to the prayer room. We believe that God did as much in us, as through us, during this week of prayer.
The concert of prayer concluded with all who had gathered forming a circle―a chain of gold. We sang together the paraphrase of Tennyson's beautiful prayer that Robert and I had created back in 1982, as the theme song for the musical. As we did so, our corps officer picked up the heavy chain that throughout the evening had circled a globe, representing the chain of slavery that injustice represents, and laid it at the foot of the cross. And at the very end, all present placed their links (paper chains of gold paper) over the metal chain, in faith that we had indeed formed a chain or gold that bound us to God, to each other, and to those for whom we had been praying.
We invite you to become a part of that chain:
“As, therefore, God's picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God himself, be merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind. Accept life, and be most patient and tolerant with one another, always ready to forgive if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as Christ has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues” (Colossians 3: 12-14 Phillips).
Colonel Gwenyth Redhead is a retired Salvation Army officer. She and her husband, Robert, have held a wide variety of appointments in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. However, her passion has always been to encourage others in creative responses to God through writing of scripts, stories, articles and lyrics (mostly to Robert's music). She has two daughters, Joanne and Corinne, and rejoices that they, too, use the creativity God has given them in ministry.
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me day and night,
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892)
Twenty-nine years ago that poem captured the imaginations of my husband, Robert, and me. As young Salvation Army captains, we had been asked to write a musical for the centenary celebrations of the Canada and Bermuda Territory. We wove together several true stories of answered prayer that spanned the years, linking them with the composite character of a faithful, praying corps sergeant major who kept a little black prayer book.
Having preached the value of prayer through the medium of the musical, we decided we had better start to keep a regular prayer book of our own, divided into days, committing to intercessory prayer once a week for a wide variety of people and circumstances. Now, 29 years later, we continue to be convinced of the value of intercessory prayer, having been able to write numerous PTLs (Praise the Lords) against many of those names and situations, some of which took years for the answers to come.
So, when our corps officer in Orillia, Ont., asked me to brainstorm with her ways in which the corps could respond to the General's call for 24/7 prayer regarding the terrible social injustices in the world, I was only too happy to do so. Since January we have been working with the other mission board chairs to prepare for our week of prayer which began last Friday. Our program committee chair produced a huge chart for the whole period, divided into 30 minute slots, and it has been wonderful to see people sign up to commit to pray at specific times, either as individuals or groups. Meanwhile, our pastoral prayer committee worked very diligently to provide a booklet of topics including prayer for Orillia, Canada, the world, The Salvation Army and ourselves. And the worship committee took responsibility for the concert of prayer that began the focus, and for transforming our sanctuary into a prayer room for the duration of the week, providing people with many new and creative ways in which to express their prayers.
Having served in, and visited, several territories where the concept of 24/7 prayer has become a way of life, and where many corps have permanent prayer rooms, it was exciting for us to see understanding begin to dawn on those for the concept is very new.
Friday evening was a beautiful experience, and it was lovely to see the steady stream of people make their way to the prayer room. We believe that God did as much in us, as through us, during this week of prayer.
The concert of prayer concluded with all who had gathered forming a circle―a chain of gold. We sang together the paraphrase of Tennyson's beautiful prayer that Robert and I had created back in 1982, as the theme song for the musical. As we did so, our corps officer picked up the heavy chain that throughout the evening had circled a globe, representing the chain of slavery that injustice represents, and laid it at the foot of the cross. And at the very end, all present placed their links (paper chains of gold paper) over the metal chain, in faith that we had indeed formed a chain or gold that bound us to God, to each other, and to those for whom we had been praying.
We invite you to become a part of that chain:
“As, therefore, God's picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God himself, be merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind. Accept life, and be most patient and tolerant with one another, always ready to forgive if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as Christ has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues” (Colossians 3: 12-14 Phillips).
Colonel Gwenyth Redhead is a retired Salvation Army officer. She and her husband, Robert, have held a wide variety of appointments in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. However, her passion has always been to encourage others in creative responses to God through writing of scripts, stories, articles and lyrics (mostly to Robert's music). She has two daughters, Joanne and Corinne, and rejoices that they, too, use the creativity God has given them in ministry.
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