After our morning at St. Peter's square, we had a picnic lunch and a time of worship and listening prayer in the shadow of Castel Sant'Angelo. Among the prayer impressions received was the verse that says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower," and another that says, "The Lord is my banner." We sensed that perhaps we should go to key locations in the city to worship, pray and declare the name/character of God. Other impressions were about the importance of intercession for the city and the nation, so in the end we formed two teams - one for worship and prayer, and the other for more focused times of intercession.
The intercession team covered eleven kilometres on foot that day, praying in various places that God put on their hearts, including climbing right to the top of the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral and interceding there for the city. The second team, pictured here at the Piazza Navona, included several of the youngest team members, but we still managed to walk seven kilometres around the city, worshipping, praying and proclaiming the things that God led us to speak out. (God in His foresight even led us in a way that provided for the needs of young bladders: as we were worshipping in French in front of a church that advertised mass in French and German, a priest came to the door and invited us in. We were able to have our quiet time (personal time with God) and a further time of worship inside the cool interior of the chapel, and there was a toilet that our younger team members could use before we continued on our way!)
One of the most powerful moments for me was when we came to the Pantheon, an ancient Roman building, constructed nearly two thousand years ago to the honour of "many gods." There, in its shady portico, our small and seemingly insignificant little team began to sing worship songs that proclaimed the existence of only one true God. One of the songs was based on the creed of Biblical truths found in many church liturgies. We sang this in German, English and French, its chorus declaring, "I believe in YOU, Lord of all." Then, sensing our God-given assignments were over for the day, we checked online to discover the time of the next bus home to our accommodation. (In Rome we were travelling by public transport.) Read on below for the adventure that awaited us.
