Myself and a Muslim member of staff asked for a prayer room at work in the new refurbished ‘all singing all dancing’ building. Lo and behold, they have nominated a prayer room, but in ‘the server’ and behind a bank of desks where people sit.
For those of you who don’t know , a server is a little room like a boiler room; it keeps all the electrical connections and gubbings which serves the whole site and rest of the building. It is a dangerous place and of course it is wholly inappropriate as a prayer room due to health and safety , fire risk and because of size. This prayer room is indiscreet. It is squashed in the corner of an active office. There would be no privacy to come and go. The door needs to be kept locked …!
Needless to say we are in talks with senior management to identify somewhere else.
I was reflecting on the Almighty being siphoned off – to what in effect is the size of a broom cupboard – when I heard His voice. Father showed me an interesting play on the word ‘server’. To me ..He is communicating something special out of what could be seen as a bad situation.
For one, the whole issue has got the whole work place talking about prayer and faith. Secondly, it has forced many to check assumptions. They had assumed that only muslims pray at work. I had to make a stand and say: Christians pray too and without ceasing!!
I believe Father is also using the experience for us to look at service and our role in serving others and our community. Here we go : We are (or should be) the generator, the power, the source and force that gets things going and keeps things moving. As Christian’s, we should not be behind anything or anyone but above. We should be at the helm, and in the hot seat . We should be the motivator, the dynamic force working with Him from within and without, to make changes. We should be the stabiliser, the equaliser, and dare I say , the agitator, the one who brings order and balance in any environment. We should be the light, the lighthouse, hot, not cold, on fire for Him and always in prayer.
And so I turned my initial angst to prayer :
PRAYER
May we hear Gods voice in any disappointment. May we be called to serve , in tight places and spaces…May we through prayer, ignite a fire in our world and work places. May we bring our God out of the closet and let others see in whom we believe. May we be the Head and not the tail, in front and not behind, above and not beneath, in the Mighty Name of Jesus