worship. Ephesians 5 says:
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...
When we see that God has worked in our lives, I believe we should call attention to it, developing a thankful heart, a heart of worship, as we give God praise for not only what He's done, but for who He is - a God who is great and mighty, but also loving and kind. We should never take answered prayers for granted, but rather to respond with an attitude of love and adoration, recognizing that because of His love, He chooses to work in our lives. Our acknowledgment of answered prayer can give us a greater appreciation of our Lord.
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In the 100th Psalm, we can read:
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
They're building a wall in the U.K., and it has a very unique purpose - to testify to answered prayer...in the name of Jesus. It's set to be called The Wall of Answered Prayer, and according to its website, it is the "vision of Richard Gamble, who 12 years ago carried a cross through Leicestershire and was seen by 250,000 people in one weekend." He is the former Leicester Football Chaplain and Director of Sports Chaplaincy UK. The website says that he "believes his next task is to build a National Prayer Landmark for the nation."
The desire is to create what is described as "a inter-generational structure which will stand for decades to come bearing witness to the Christian faith in these Isles." The Wall is projected to be made up of a million bricks, which is said to be "equivalent to 62 semi detached homes," and ideally will be situated next to a high-traffic road. It has been endorsed by key prayer networks in the UK, including the World Prayer Centre, Prayerstorm, the National Day of Prayer and Worship and Try Praying.
A crowdfunding effort was launched earlier this year, and Gamble reports: “It was a real thrill for us to hit our crowdfunding target earlier in the year. That has enabled us to partner with RIBA to run a global design competition. Now in just a matter of months we will be able to get an idea of what ‘The Wall of Answered Prayer’ will look like.” RIBA stands for Royal Institute of British Architects, and the competition was launched less than two weeks ago.
It's my understanding that is just the first funding goal that has been reached, and people are being asked to purchase the bricks, each of which will correspond to an answered prayer. According to the FAQ page, once 600,000 testimonies have been gathered, the construction will begin.
The website explains the rationale behind a wall: "a wall can be used to protect, give a sense of security, it can speak volumes concerning value and a sense of belonging. A wall can speak of significance, acceptance, and security, which is something that all humankind desires and is in search of."
This is obviously an ambitious project, a distinctly Christian project, giving glory to God for answered prayers. And, I think that this story can challenge us to think about answered prayers in our own lives. Have you seen or experienced God's faithfulness? Is there an event or turn of events in which you have seen God work? I think our faith can be strengthened as we recount how we have seen Him move.
Not only can we reflect on answered prayers, but we can develop a heart of thankfulness for how we have seen God move in our lives. God desires for us to come before Him with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise, recognizing His handiwork, calling attention to it, verbally attributing it to Him, and giving Him thanks.
We can be challenged to take our concerns, the desires of our hearts, those things that cause anxiety or unrest, or the hopes and dreams that God has placed in our spirits - we can bring them all to the throne of God, the throne of grace. It's a place where we can experience God's mercy and grace to help in time of need. We have been granted access by the blood of Jesus, and He earnestly invites us to come before Him.
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