The Paradox of the Night of Prayer

I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into at first. Juliette had told me that there was going to be a "Night of Prayer," but I knew nothing of the details. She came to pick me up from the house at about 22:45. I had my bible and a prayer list that I brought to the church. When I got there, I realized I was the only white person in the room. Everyone else was of African descent. We took our tea, cocoa, or instant coffee. Soon thereafter, we began the night in prayer. The leader began with an opening prayer and from there on, it got interesting. Prayer for African-born churchgoers is an experience in itself. There's not only bowing heads and praising God orally; there is also shouting, clapping, singing, dancing. It's amazing. I felt like perhaps I could have been in an African church, far away from France.

Throughout the whole experience, I tried so hard to get into it. There were definitely moments where I felt the Spirit interceding for me when I didn't know what to say. I had to listen to my surroundings, that were all in French with an African accent, and interpret what was said and then pray aloud in English. Praying in French is disorienting, so I kept my prayers in English the whole time. There was much chanting and singing. It was a warming experience listening to the beautiful voices of these spirit-led people of Laval, France. I felt both inside the circle and yet, there were moments where I felt very much outside of it. Many of the songs I did not know; yet, some of them were translations into French that I could pick up on.

After two hours of prayer, we stopped and listened to the silence that suddenly descended upon the room. We then proceeded to have a bible study with a discussion to follow. The lay leader had a true African accent that was sometimes hard to follow. However, his whole talk centered around faith with works, how we can use our prayer lives which lead us to action. Our works-- oeuvres. His message was inspiring, even at 2:30am in the morning. After about three hours of prayer (at 3:15am), I was ready to leave. The Night of Prayer was both inspiring and encouraging and yet, it was sometimes rather difficult to be able to connect with various chains in the communal prayers. The language, which was accented, did not help too much. Nevertheless, I could feel the Spirit's renewing power and intercession that was a blessing.

In any case, I felt blessed to be part of such an immensely spiritual experience. Such a heart-warming experience in Laval, France. Praise the Lord!