Prayer @ Wide Beach, Finland

The place was beautiful, an old wooden house built on an island in the city centre of Helsinki. Our friend Jaakko kindly hosted us and let us use their youth work’s premises, Laajaranta, meaning “WideBeach” and the previous night the young people of the church had had their prayer night and the basement of the house had been decorated as a “prayer cave.”
Our team of almost 15 people, gathered to pray:
Lord not our will, but yours be done today. Thank you for letting us join in what you are doing in this nation.

The Finnish 24-7 Prayer networkday began.  There were 50 of us, from all over Southern Finland along with a German, a Swiss, a Brazilian and two Englishmen. We worshipped. Men let out a roar of a lion of Finland and got the drums out. Women danced and joined in singing. It was more indigenous than a set songlist, but joyful and powerful.

Vilja gathered people together to hear and tell stories of what is happening in different parts of our country. There are Prayer Rooms and prayer groups in nurseries, schools, and in churches of all denominations. All so exciting to hear, especially when the stories were of children coming to get to know Jesus. Milka and Jesse had prepared us a delicious soup lunch as conversations continued without ceasing and people kept praying for each other throughout the day.

We heard stories of justice. We asked God to speak to us about what kind of response He expects from us in the issues of injustice in our towns and cities, and we listened. A longing for justice runs deep in the Finnish DNA, this is a nation of peacemakers.

Susanna Rychiger from 24-7 Switzerland told us inspirational stories from their Year of Prayer, where prayer began to change things through confession and forgiveness. This spurred us on to dream of more stories here, when people who might feel small and invisible step up and take their place and extraordinary things can begin to happen.

Ian Nicholson, the director of 24-7 Prayer in Europe, spoke to us about the Father heart of God and listening to God, encouraged and challenged us to growth, to find our gifts and roles, about finances and training and stepping out of comfort zones:
If we don’t pray nothing happens, but if we do nothing but pray, nothing happens. Prayer doesn’t allow us to remain inactive in the service of the Lord.

We finished the day with testimonies of what God has spoken to people. One confessed how they actually enjoy working with immigrants instead of having a former fear of it. Another had found both joy and challenge in serving God in the high places of the world of law and business. And finally, we gathered everyone together in prayer and worship, younger generations thanking God for the older generations who had paved the road for them and older generations blessing the younger ones to run further than they ever could. We need to do this together, supporting each other, in fellowship with each other and with the Lord.

Kilde: Ella Auren.