The facility of prayer is being neutered within the UK. For the reason that pandemic church buildings, research have discovered an obvious and very important openness to spirituality. A study commissioned in May 2020 – simply two months after the UK’s first lockdown – discovered {that a} quarter of adults within the UK had watched or listened to a non secular service for the reason that lockdown started, and one in 20 had began praying. The Church of England additionally acquired 6,000 telephone calls to a prayer hotline in its first 48 hours of operation in the identical month.
And it is not only a ‘Covid factor’. For the reason that pandemic, church buildings are being flooded with newcomers and a current Savanta ComRes survey found over 50% of 18- to 34-year-olds now pray commonly, with 36% attending church or participate in a service – whether or not on-line or offline – at the least as soon as a month.
These statistics had been challenged broadly by the press, with many speculating across the methodology of the survey, and a few even quoting a ‘non-existent religious revival’ was being reported. Alongside this scepticism in direction of an obvious non secular renewal, social media algorithms and the woke bandwagon have aimed to decrease prayer to one thing that’s irrelevant and even impotent, an exercise that’s hidden and shameful.
Many now understand prayer as an exercise of final resort with no anticipated consequence – apart from a self-serving sense that we’re doing what we are able to in instances after we really feel powerless. As our Prime Minister contracted Covid final yr, the newspapers ran the headlines “Pray for Boris” however did anybody count on God to reply? And if he did was anybody grateful? Regardless of all of the prayers and #prayforboris trending, I heard few voices of due to the God who answered.
‘Praying’ has turn out to be shorthand, for displaying solidarity in making an attempt circumstances, hardly ever translated to an earnest looking for of our creator for assist. A prayer carelessly thrown into the ether with no expectation of a solution nor anticipation of affect is a forceless and barren endeavor. If that is all it’s I recommend all of us get higher worth going for a pint down the pub.
Throughout that terrible sight of Christian Eriksen’s physique mendacity prostrate receiving medical remedy within the Euros this summer time, tens of millions watched internationally distraught and helpless. Once more social media lit up with prayer hashtags trending. Just some hours later the medics had been being praised for his or her undoubtedly swift actions to save lots of his life. Later that day I acquired a name from a sports activities journalist, who requested “When is your ‘huge fella’ gonna get a number of the credit score then?” His irreverent nod to the Almighty highlighted a major cultural shift that we’ve got seen on this era transferring from the appreciation of God at work to the denial of any risk of divine intervention.
READ MORE: Faith and miracles in the two World Wars
But all through historical past and the present era, tons of of 1000’s testify to prayer as probably the most intimate, significant and highly effective exercise of their lives, believing that God listens and acts. So how have we acquired right here? Has society merely grown up and moved away from what writer Jerry Coyne labels “the most widespread and harmful form of superstition“, or has political correctness and latterly woke tradition cancelled the facility of prayer? It was not all the time like this.
On twenty third Might 1940, His Majesty King George VI announced a National Day of Prayer the next Sunday. As British, Canadian and French troopers fled underneath torrential Nazi hearth towards Dunkirk seashore, the King of England requested the nation to ‘turn as our fathers before us have turned in times of trial to the God Most High.’ Over one million individuals visited church buildings throughout the nation and prayed for the boys on the seashores. Churchill’s advisers indicated solely 30,000 could be rescued – then got here the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ and 330,000 had been saved. On the ninth June the nation returned to church to thank God for his work.
But in Christopher Nolan’s Hollywood blockbuster Dunkirk, this narrative was omitted – the weird strategic choices, meteorological improbabilities and bodily miracles that led to the preservation of so many lives has been erased from populist historical past. The facility of prayer that contributed to the miracle of Dunkirk has been faraway from our nationwide consciousness and downgraded to an account of extraordinary human effort, which although worthy of main appreciation, shouldn’t be seen in isolation.
For Christians, religion is fuelled after we share and have a good time the issues Jesus has performed in our lives. The Jewish custom embeds this inside its tradition, passing down reality to the next generations. Being on a 17 yr journey to gather a million of those tales for a bit of public artwork referred to as the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer – a sculpture which hopes to protect the facility of prayer by being constructed out of 1 million bricks, every representing an answered prayer – I’ve found the Christian Church on mute. Tales are, at greatest, whispered not proclaimed.
As our Christian brothers and sisters are hiding for his or her lives in Afghanistan underneath a Taliban regime, Christians within the UK are hiding for his or her livelihoods as wokery embeds itself within the authorized and political machines. Christians working within the political, well being, schooling and leisure sectors can not say what they imagine for worry of being cancelled, and providing to wish for individuals, exterior the aforementioned anaemic model, would danger their job and their households.
Since when did non secular freedom solely turn out to be accessible for the rich? Specifically, Christians appear to be singled out because the naughty non secular kids who ought to be seen and never heard. Authorities are joyful to obtain the billion pound plus enter of fine works the Church supplies annually, however low betide them if they really discuss concerning the love that evokes them, the non secular energy of prayer that strengthens them.
Certain, the fearful majority aren’t shouting about it however secretly the idea within the energy of prayer stays. Whereas we’re rising right into a extra numerous nation, we should maintain quick to the significance prayer has needed to our nationwide identification, and the optimistic affect the Church has had on our society – particularly within the final yr.
Our nation has a wealthy heritage embedded in Christian prayer and whereas many will take the point of view that prayer is merely a false hope – a consolation blanket when you are able to do nothing extra – we have got to be daring in sharing the non secular energy of prayer. If youthful generations are exploring religion and prayer, it should not be a matter of debate, however ought to be inspired, embraced and an instance for all of us.
Richard is the visionary behind the colossal mission to construct Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer. Having the thought in 2004, he felt the go forward to launch in 2015, and for the previous 5 years Richard has shared the unimaginable idea throughout the UK, rallying individuals behind the idea that one particular person’s answered prayer may be one other particular person’s hope. The Crowdfunder to boost the final £1 Million wanted earlier than constructing can begin is now reside. Go to: crowdfunder.co.uk/eternalwall After changing into a Christian in 1990 Richard studied at bible school after which labored for British Fuel earlier than leaving the massive company world to make his mark in entrepreneurship, co-founding each a software program enterprise and a advertising and marketing consultancy. With a eager love of soccer, he turned CEO of Sports activities Chaplaincy UK, and was former chaplain of Leicester Metropolis Soccer Membership. Richard lives in Leicestershire and is married with three kids.
