Fiona's reflection

Having had a couple of weeks to reflect on the pilgrimage I am bowled over with how powerful prayer support is and encouraged by how we as a family at St Mary’s do do prayer!

My wonderful prayer partner, Lynn Evans, blessed me with wonderful scriptures to open up and dig into each day. Other members of our congregation sent me texts and cards with affirming verses and these sometimes spoke powerfully to other members of the pilgrimage as well as me.

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Jeremiah 32: 19.

On the first day of walking we tackled Box Hill and on the descent my left knee decided it was going to play up. The next day it was still sore and the lovely Vicky Hildreth lent me her walking sticks to aid my awkwardness. That same afternoon I asked Vicky and Hazel to pray for my knee and hoped I would be able to continue pain free. Not long after I received a text from someone back in Reigate who was praying for us, she was out dog walking that day and had come across this:

She had also prayed that I would have renewed energy. Well praise God I did have renewed energy and continued walking without further damage or pain. Thank you Lord for the way you provide.

On day three I really felt like things that had been burdening me were falling away and that God just wanted me to put one foot in front of the other and be in His presence. I was very aware that I was ‘in the moment’ and that nothing else mattered. The following pictures resembled that for me:

These pictures capture the thin space I felt I was walking in at that time. During one of our evening prayer times together I had a real sense of that thin place again, a heaven touching earth time. We were praying together and spent quite some time praising God for the beauty of creation, for who He is, for how He blesses us and had indeed that day. We then moved into a time of asking God to be present in the lives of those we had on our hearts. As we prayed I really felt a supernatural unity with everyone else present in the room, it was like Jesus was sitting with us and I really understood that He had heard our prayers.

I was constantly struck by the beauty of God’s creation through the sights and smells. This was how God was speaking to me throughout the journey. The beautiful daffodils, the pretty primroses, the gambolling lambs all spoke of God’s nature and character to me and I just wanted to worship and sing of His awesomeness and majesty as I walked.

The words of ‘Hungry’ the worship song were given to me by my faithful prayer buddy. I don’t want my hunger and thirst for God to ever disappear. He is the only one that can satisfy, the only one who completely restores my life.

Hungry I come to You
For I know You satisfy
I am empty but I know
Your love does not run dry

So I wait for You
So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus You're all
This heart is living for

Broken I run to You
For Your arms are open wide
I am weary but I know Your touch
Restores my life

So I wait for You
So I wait for You

And so the journey of listening and walking continues. Thank you, Lord, for this amazing experience. May I be ever seeking, knocking and asking and being dumbfounded by ‘how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…’ Eph 3.18