Sarah Whittleston

Prayer at The Engine House, Redruth

I was able to visit The Engine House and was so inspired by their prayer room. Pastor Tiva Daka and the team there shared that when the church was planted it was clear that having a permanent prayer space was part of God’s plan for them. They currently run an incredible Prayer Room and have a rhythm of early morning, daytime, evening, kids prayer, worship and intercession. 

Deb Bonner, from The Engine House describes part of their journey:

“I had been away for a conference of non-stop worship, spending hours in God’s presence, and I remember thinking how much I would miss this when I returned home. Then I heard God whisper to me that we would have a prayer room at The Engine House. God had originally given this vision to our church leader, Tiva, back in November 2010 but it awaited an appointed time.

After months of prayer and people sowing money towards the project, we now have a purpose-built House of Prayer on-site. I never knew prayer could be like this; worship saturated prayer and then prayer from the Bible following the leading of the Holy Spirit. We seem to open the Bible and receive revelation like never before, and we fall in love with Jesus all over again. ‘This one thing I desire, this one thing I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’

The House of Prayer has changed our lives and we will never be the same again. We don’t start any of our meetings without worship and prayer, waiting on God, seeking Him for who He is, not for what He can do for us, and we have been ruined for anything else.”
 
Here's a wonderful story from one Prayer Room visitor:
 
“Whilst worshipping and enjoying the Presence in the Prayer Room one morning, I was contemplating the vastness of God, His majesty, how He created the vast universe and yet is so very personal and up close. As I meditated on this, I saw in my mind’s eye Jesus reading a book. I asked Him what He was reading, and He said, ‘Your book’. I was so overwhelmed, undone.

I had been writing a book for my daughter to help her with the process of transitioning after moving to Cornwall but had continually felt like I shouldn’t be so stupid as to think I could write a book. Who do I think I am? I would often feel guilty for not being more ‘productive’ with my time. I had so little self-belief that I had given up writing despite being most of the way through the story. I knew I was being faithful to a desire to write yet I battled continually with doubts. But at that moment in the Prayer Room I realised that my creativity, however less impressive than others, was of great value to Jesus. It’s so easy for me to write myself off, especially knowing people who are so gifted and talented. But I was so deeply moved when I encountered the most creative, talented, powerful God of the universe, interested in what I had created – taking me seriously and not comparing me. Because of that encounter, I had the confidence to finish the story and even self-publish it.

Every time I doubted, I would remember seeing Him reading my book.”

It's amazing to see how God inspires and uses prayer. The Engine house are seeing people come to faith and a community impacted by the grace, love and power of God. We are cheering them on in prayer!