My favourite film, Scent of a Woman, has Al Pacino (favourite actor) as a blind person driving a Ferrari - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJKktFsY1XY&feature=related (copy and paste into browser if it doesn't work). Of course, Pacino had a death wish in the film which doesn't really relate to where I am right at this moment :o) - but he wanted to live a little more first, hence hammering his foot to the peddle; the idea of driving without being totally in charge is a great analogy. At any time I can put my foot on the brake and bottle out, but I'm finding that keeping my foot gently on the accelerator without holding the steering wheel, is leading to strange and wonderful things happening.
Now to the Walk
Last night a small group of us went on a prayer walk around Knaphill. George, Phil, Chris and 'fast-walking' Rae, (George's friend). Following prayer, we split into two groups, with George and Chris going off in one direction and Rae, Phil and me off in the other. We roughly knew that we wanted to walk through the village and down to one of the roads where we thought we might see people we could chat to God about. In the event there was hardly anyone there - just a young girl who walked quickly past with her walkman playing quite loudly. We did pray outside a house that I knew had problems.
Next we dropped around to Waterer's Park - marvelled at the sky because of it's purples and red hues (a storm was coming), and I confess that my heart sort of sunk as we walked from the path onto the field. The picture there was one of suburban bliss - lads playing football on a well-kept open space - a great facility and in no way the sign of a deprived neighbourhood.
We stood and chatted for a moment, the same young walkman girl drifted past, we prayed for her because she looked sad. We remarked that this wasn't a bad place. It felt safe. I, at least, wondered what we were doing there. Where were the people we were meant to pray for? Where were they? God had laid something on all our hearts - we had turned out on a Thursday evening so this was a demonstration that we were prepared to gently press our feet on to the collective accelerator - but we had been steered to Utopia which wasn't where we thought our Satnav had been set to. Then, a voice called out, 'Hi Phil'. Phil responded, walked over to a small group of lads, two of whom had just finished playing football. Another, had been by the park bench with a girlfriend. Turns out that God had led us to meet three of his young friends from the road that his team has adopted in Old Woking!
Rae and I thanked our God for what we took as a sign from Him that we were in the right place, then we joined Phil and the group of young people. They were charming. One of the lads had just lost his gran, but made it clear he doesn't want to listen to Christian stuff - (there's a prayer in the making). Phil's easy manner was instructive and, it was clear to me, was possible only because he actually knows and loves these young people.
On the way back to the village we wondered what that was all about. Met up with Chris and George at The King's House Chill and Chat, played a couple of rounds of cards with some of the young people there, and Jengo?, cup of tea and then chatted.
For us, what started in expectation and seemed to drift into the doldrums, actually became really exciting. God had led us with Phil - who could have gone in the opposite direction - to Waterer's Park where we met his friends - their being there is a rare occasion, not a regular one. Not only that but they had just finished playing football. We had been directed to within 15 yards of where they were sitting, at the right time (which wouldn't have happened if we'd gone first to Waterer's Park and then the road), so that they would recognise Phil and say 'Hi Phil'. Not only that but the storm that was headed our way never made it to Waterer's Park. There was a huge clap of thunder but the sky above us remained blue. As we stood on Waterer's Park looking down to the bottom of the hill we could see the dark bands of rain, but they were elsewhere - echoes of Malc and me anointing the common.
The evening, I think, has certainly increased my conviction that it's good to be obedient, even though I'm not a holy man I can experience God at work by simply putting my foot on the gas peddle and letting God take hold of the wheel.
There was a growing sense last night that Phil's vision that he's prayed over these past couple of years, (that there might one one day be more teams like his working around Woking), could be the way to go. Knaphill (and Horsell Common come to that) might not have the same problems as Old Woking, but that doesn't mean that there aren't young people in those places with a need to know God - even though they might not realise that just yet.
Although it was exciting to meet the lads, we weren't sure what the meaning of that was, even though we knew it was not a coincidence. But to Phil, the most obvious meaning was that God had linked Old Woking with Knaphill.
I'm sure that we'd appreciate prayers for:
- The lad who had lost his gran
- Thanks for last night's experience
- What we do from here - we have some ideas of what might be being said to us but it would be fantastic to hear confirmation via other sources. Please, do therefore feedback to me if you feel that God is saying something to you about what happens next.
- Thanks for the good weather
With much love and thanks to you all for your support in prayer
John
PS for anyone else not sure what to do on a prayer walk, I found this quite useful before going out last night http://www.dawneurope.net/documents/prayer%20walk%20manual.pdf - as I said, I'm the least of you (the smallest if you like) when it comes to knowledge, holiness, awareness - and I don't mind admitting it. If God can make things happen in my life, he can do that for you too.
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