Sometime in 1968, I joined a charismatic prayer group which met in the basement of the Newman Centre in Soho Square, right in the heart of the West End of London. About ten to fifteen of us met regularly and shared much in the Spirit of God. We were being knit closer and closer to each other and a great bond of friendship developed. Christ was very much the center and focus of our desire to be as one and at peace.
We met on Wednesdays at 8.30 pm, all so different, coming from various walks of life. Yet Christ gave us all a feeling of family and belonging as we struggled with the ups and downs of everyday living. We prayed and worshipped together praying for healing and the needs of individual members and whatever the Spirit of God directed.
This sense of community overflowed outside the prayer meetings and groups of us would, share prayer in the evenings in homes and flats scattered all over London. There was a great sense of hope and expectancy and no problem seemed insurmountable.
On one occasion, after one of these very Spirit filled meetings, I left with a great feelling of joy. I was still experiencing this as I made my way to the Piccadilly Circus underground station. As I sat in my seat in the train, I looked around and noticed the anxious looks and the loneliness of many of my fellow travellers. This London with its neon lights, strip clubs and rush hours somehow seemed very far from all I had just experienced.
My heart sank a little. Great, so I had found joy, peace, and security but surely that wasn’t what Christianity was all about. What about the people who were homeless, the sick, the suffering, what about them? Surely God didn’t single out a group and leave everyone else out in the cold. Surely there was more to life than my own peace of mind. What about the disturbed and especially those who had no patience with God. Something inside me suddenly stopped me and I had a deep reassurance that God was very much in control and the words “Be still and know that I am God.” flooded and filled every part of me.
Quite suddenly, just across the carriage, a group of teenagers burst into songs of praise. I think the song was “Sing Praise to the Lord.” They sang loudly and with Love.
Near me, a young man in his city suit and wearing a bowler hat tipped it and said, “Praise God and all that, Alleluia”.
I then knew that God was everywhere and in the darkest places most of all. I felt a sense of peace and remembered the words “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all shall be added unto you.”