Global Day of Prayer

Happy Birthday to Ashreen and Joshua

Yesterday evening, my mum and I went to attend some Global Day of Prayer session at the Indoor Stadium… not only was it Mother’s Day (being the 2nd Sunday of the month), but also the day of Pentecost (the day the 12 Apostles and other believers were anointed by the Holy Spirit). We took a chartered bus with our fellow church friends (young and old) from our church (the reporting place of course) to the Indoor Stadium.

The queue to the stadium was considerably long but brief, but what shocked me even more the moment we got inside was the fact that there were a lot of empty seats!! I don’t remember seeing this kind of response during the past 3 FOP (Festival of Praise) events I went to between the years 2000 to 2002. I saw mostly Asians in the place (Indonesians, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Cambodians, etc), but no sign of Africans, Americans or Europeans (well, save for the few pastors on stage). I think the response this year is much worse than last year’s attendance… I only know that there will be a James Blunt concert on Tuesday, but that’s another story altogether.

From 1930 hrs to 2230 hrs, we prayed among ourselves, prayed for the government, prayed for the migrant workers, prayed for the nation as a whole, and prayed for the people who have lost their loved ones and homes due to a deadly cyclone in Myanmar. Overall, this Global Prayer thing was quite similar to any prayer conference or Bible Camp session I have attended, but there was one time that caught my attention… a certain pastor named Edmund Chan (I think) who behaved in a rather eccentric way and speaking in a tone similar to Hulk Hogan… something like “you better eat your vitamins and say your prayers” and "whatcha gonna do, brother". I was close to laughing the moment he ranted and behaved like a Hulkamaniac.

On a personal note, I couldn’t help but feel that I saw a few familiar faces as the camera was panning at the front-row seats directly near the stage region… about 4 youths from my former church, maybe a little more than said number. I wouldn't be surprised if it were really my old church friends, but what puzzled me was… how come the 4 of them can get front-row seats among the other senior members from that church? I didn’t want to ponder too much on that, especially since I had already severed ties with the Youth Ministry from my old church in order to ‘carve my own destiny’ and join my family in worshipping at the same church. I don't wanna know if it's really my ex-crush among them, for I have moved on.

Right after the session ended at about 2230 hrs, we were all feeling rather tired by the time we got out of the stadium and boarded the chartered buses… once we reached the church, Uncle Robert gave me and Mother a lift back home. And once we reached home… I went straight to bed of course! I give praises to God Almighty for giving me this opportunity to experience His presence by going for this prayer session in the Indoor Stadium and for refreshing my mind… and yes, I have no regrets going for this event. It’s so much better than wasting my time aimlessly at home.

“The power of Pentecost is not especially reserved for the highly gifted. Rather, it is inevitable to all believers in Christ who want to serve Him. The power of the Holy Spirit gives power to our witness.”