We sat down near the front in the sanctuary, 2 hours early. It was Tuesday Evening Prayer meeting at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. 

As the pre-recorded hymns filled the nicely refurbished old theater, a steady stream of people made their way to the front. They all came with pictures in their hands. Some held envelops filled with multiple pictures. 

Each face in the pictures was a prayer request…a portrait of concern and pain. 

It was all a very moving image of love and faith and church--a demonstration of prayer for this generation and the next.  

After spreading their pictures on the steps of the platform, most lingered to pray. Many knelt with hands outstretched over the pictures, some simply stood looking up, After a few minutes most returned to their seats, but a few stayed ten minutes or so, slowly releasing the pictures, as though ceremonially giving these loved ones to God--trusting God to step-in and work a wonder.

After an hour, the six steps of the 45ft platform were covered with pictures. As believers continued to enter the room, pictures got stacked on top of pictures And by the time the worship began, thousands of pictures covered the steps--thousands of hopeful images of faith.

That night, that sanctuary was not filled with people punching an attendance ticket; they were not attending out of guilt, or social pressure, they were there expressing their faith--lifting up their souls.

The service itself was a testament to holy power. Afterwords the "Prayer Band" (volunteer prayer warriors) would take the pictures and and for the next 40 days these faces would fill their prayer list.  

The church left that night expecting miracles!

On this Tuesday, I experience faith in action and I learned something powerful about prayer, can you guess what it was? 

All this before the service began…how could that be?