0:00:02 > 0:00:05- It helps focus and clear your mind before the day. - Parents' health. Well-being.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08- It does help you in the moment. - Sometimes in sad times.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Like when somebody's died.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13It's just a belief and a routine that I have.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16If you're wondering what on earth they're talking about,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20it's prayer. But why DO we pray?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22That's a very good question.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28This week, praying in times of tragedy,
0:00:28 > 0:00:30almost a century of prayer,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33and praying together for the nation,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36with prayerful songs of praise
0:00:36 > 0:00:37and music from The Priests.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51In a week when two police officers have been murdered
0:00:51 > 0:00:54in Greater Manchester, our thoughts have been with those
0:00:54 > 0:00:58who have lost loved ones, and many of us have turned to prayer.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07My name is Sir Peter Fahy...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09In this week's Songs Of Praise,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11we'll be hearing from the Chief Constable
0:01:11 > 0:01:14of Greater Manchester Police, who lost two of his officers.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Greater Manchester Police is a family,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and to have lost two colleagues this week
0:01:20 > 0:01:23in awful, violent circumstances
0:01:23 > 0:01:26has just been devastating for the whole force.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Very, very dark day.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32As well as reflecting on the events of the last few days,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34we'll also be meeting a man
0:01:34 > 0:01:37behind the 24-7 Prayer movements
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and hearing about the positive power of prayer
0:01:40 > 0:01:42on communities around the country.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Our first hymn is from Salisbury Cathedral,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and it puts this week's theme of prayer into perspective.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Clearly, we are devastated today
0:05:22 > 0:05:25by the loss of two of our officers...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27The Chief Constable said the deaths marked
0:05:27 > 0:05:29one of the darkest days
0:05:29 > 0:05:31in the history of Greater Manchester Police,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33if not the police service overall.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Sir Peter has been telling us what he meant by that
0:05:36 > 0:05:41and how his Christian faith comes into focus in times like these.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42I think a lot of us feel passionately
0:05:42 > 0:05:45that policing is a vocation.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46It is a calling.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I feel that, in terms of my faith,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49but I know a lot of officers
0:05:49 > 0:05:50who don't have a faith
0:05:50 > 0:05:51feel exactly the same.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53That it is a vocation.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54It's not just a job.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56And I think that's what you
0:05:56 > 0:05:57go back to in difficult times,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59in difficult circumstances.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02That how unfair something may feel,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04that how inadequate you may feel,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06you do actually rely on, at the end of the day,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10you're doing your best and this is your vocation.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The Chief Constable told us
0:06:12 > 0:06:16how he personally deals with tragic events that are so close to home.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18The chance for me personally
0:06:18 > 0:06:20to be able to every day
0:06:20 > 0:06:23have a bit of quiet time, pray,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25think about your own values,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27your own sense of vocation,
0:06:27 > 0:06:28to examine your own conscience,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I think, is really, really important.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33A prayer vigil will take place on Tuesday,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36a week after the police officers were killed.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40We know a lot of people would like to express
0:06:40 > 0:06:43their feelings at this time.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It's mainly, really,
0:06:45 > 0:06:46for their colleagues.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48For members of the force,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50but no doubt there will be members
0:06:50 > 0:06:52of the community, local people,
0:06:52 > 0:06:53who will want to use a vigil
0:06:53 > 0:06:55whether they have a faith or not,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58really - just to be there.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59It is that sort of,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04like, human need to express emotion, to be together.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05For me, you know, personally,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and I think for a lot of people of faith, prayer is important.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11You do often feel so helpless,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14so praying for the dead officers,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16praying for their families,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18becomes your own reaction,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21your own expression of hope, really,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23for them, at a time of great need.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27In the Greater Manchester Police headquarters,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Sir Peter wanted a reminder
0:07:29 > 0:07:32of the founding principles of the police service,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35which includes Sir Robert Peel's belief
0:07:35 > 0:07:37that, "The police are the public,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40"and the public are the police."
0:07:40 > 0:07:44We believe very much in what Robert Peel laid down for us
0:07:44 > 0:07:45back in 1829, that we are
0:07:45 > 0:07:47a routinely unarmed police force.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49That we use the minimum of force,
0:07:49 > 0:07:50and that we have
0:07:50 > 0:07:52this very close connection
0:07:52 > 0:07:54with the community that we serve.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56And that is really, really important
0:07:56 > 0:07:57to us.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Praying for communities is at the heart of a Christian charity,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50that believes that the church needs to engage with local people
0:10:50 > 0:10:55to bring about positive change in their neighbourhoods.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58We work with people of goodwill, of faith and no faith,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and that's something that I'm really personally very passionate about.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05The charity's vision began almost 20 years ago,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and led to seven years of prayer in the city of Manchester.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11We looked at the city
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and started to respond by gathering
0:11:13 > 0:11:17all the different churches together and saying,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22"Let's pray about the things which affect peoples' everyday lives,"
0:11:22 > 0:11:25like education, healthcare, the arts.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28We were praying in a very targeted way
0:11:28 > 0:11:32about issues that really affected peoples' lives
0:11:32 > 0:11:36and we wanted to see that our prayers would change things.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Come on, guys!
0:11:38 > 0:11:41There are a growing number of community cafes around the country
0:11:41 > 0:11:45run by the charity, that bring people together in a new way.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48This one is in Bolton.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We're trying to reduce anti-social behaviour and stuff in the area,
0:11:53 > 0:11:58so we're giving the children something to do.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00In this economic climate of cuts,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03we've found ROC has been really popular,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06because we include the partner agencies.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10We get the church to think outside of its four walls,
0:12:10 > 0:12:15and we get to look at positive solutions to social problems.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20God loves communities, and we get God's heart in that.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25The church hasn't got a monopoly on goodness or on kindness,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28because God made all people in his image.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47The hustle and bustle and, perhaps, hassle, of everyday life.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Pete Greig is one of the founding champions
0:14:50 > 0:14:52of the 24-7 Prayer movement.
0:14:54 > 0:14:5624-7 Prayer started with a group of us.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59We were students on the South Coast, in Chichester,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and we really got serious about our faith.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06We realised, if this is true, we really need to give it everything
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and we realised that the key was prayer.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12The key to pretty much everything in the Christian life is prayer.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Prayer is a two-way conversation with the living God,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19who loves and listens to the things we say.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23We decided we'll just start trying to pray in one-hour shifts
0:15:23 > 0:15:25in a special room, round the clock
0:15:25 > 0:15:29and just amazing things began to happen as we prayed.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Prayers were answered,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33people were experiencing God's presence
0:15:33 > 0:15:34in ways they never had before.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38People who weren't Christians were coming in and using the prayer room.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41But not all their prayers were answered.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44When Pete's wife, Sammy, was diagnosed with a brain tumour,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48he had to question whether his prayers were working.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53I would sit by her bed and I would pray for her,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and it just didn't seem to work,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and after a while, I just stopped praying,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01because it was hard enough having to deal with the kids
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and waking up in hospital with her the next morning,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06without having a crisis of faith as well.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Pete now believes prayer really helped them
0:16:09 > 0:16:11get through a difficult time.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Finding myself in the middle of that crisis...
0:16:17 > 0:16:20..I didn't find I could pray long, impressive prayers.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22I prayed really simple, childish prayers.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26My prayers were kind of like a man falling downstairs saying, "Help!"
0:16:26 > 0:16:30It was, "Don't let her die," "Please make her better,"
0:16:30 > 0:16:33"Please help us," "Show me what to do."
0:16:33 > 0:16:38And in many ways, I CAN see how God helped us.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41My wife's still alive.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44She's doing way better than the doctors ever thought she could,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46but I think I learnt that prayer
0:16:46 > 0:16:48isn't just a force that changes the world,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50but that prayer changes us,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and that, in prayer, we experience peace.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56We experience God's presence with us.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59So I think we learnt something about how God
0:16:59 > 0:17:03doesn't always airlift us out of our problems.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Sometimes he parachutes in
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and he joins us in the middle of the mess.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Some people dedicate their whole lives to prayer.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I'm off to meet two nuns who have done just that.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01'St Michael's Convent in Ham Common in Surrey
0:20:01 > 0:20:04'is home to the community of the sisters of the church.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09'Sister Dorothea is 97 years old, and Sister Veronica is 30.'
0:20:10 > 0:20:13It's fair to say that you've devoted a long time to prayer in your life?
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Yes, I have.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Has the way you pray changed over the years?
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Oh, yes...
0:20:22 > 0:20:25entirely.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I mean, it's very much, I think,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31a sense of being present to God,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34of feeling God's presence.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Have you learnt a lot from Sister Dorothea?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I have, yes, a lot,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and also Dorothea has been Mother Superior,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and just her examples are very important.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52- Do you pray all day?- Yes.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53It's all day, yes,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57even though you're not in the church or in the chapel setting,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00but whatever you do, you know,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04if you know that, whatever you do, you do it for God,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06then it's all about prayer.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10For somebody that's never prayed before, why should they start now?
0:21:10 > 0:21:11Why should they try it?
0:21:11 > 0:21:16I think you can be aware
0:21:16 > 0:21:20of whatever you're doing.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22I mean, for instance, there's an idea
0:21:22 > 0:21:26on which the Buddhists are very much keen, called mindfulness.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- Yes.- And all the time, you're aware
0:21:30 > 0:21:33everything is part of you,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37part of life, part of your life with God.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38It's all holy.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42I mean, we have our prayer times when we pray together,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44and we all have our separate...
0:21:44 > 0:21:48but most of our life, we're living ordinary lives.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I mean, I've been headmistress of a school,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53where you can't be praying half the time,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58a children's home - you're looking after children.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00It's prayer. You can be prayerful.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05You can be aware that what you're doing is God-directed.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Do you think all prayers are answered eventually?
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Well, you're aware of the needs.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16You share them with God's presence, and really,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19you leave with him the outcome.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Well, not every prayers are answered,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26but that doesn't mean that God doesn't answer our prayer.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28They are answered,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32but in one way or the other that we cannot understand.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34In what way does it enrich your life?
0:22:34 > 0:22:36It's quite difficult to begin with,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39if anybody is joining a religious order
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and to live in this life of prayer.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42It's really hard work.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44It's really hard work, to be honest.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Prayer is not easy.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50How do you think your life would be different without prayer?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Well, it's a sense of being held,
0:22:53 > 0:22:59of belonging to something beyond yourself,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01that your life has meaning,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04whatever you're doing.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08# Our father
0:23:08 > 0:23:14# Who art in heaven
0:23:14 > 0:23:17# Hallowed be thy name
0:23:17 > 0:23:21# Thy kingdom come
0:23:23 > 0:23:33# Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
0:23:33 > 0:23:39# Give us this day our daily bread
0:23:39 > 0:23:46# And forgive us our trespasses
0:23:46 > 0:23:57# As we forgive those who trespass against us
0:23:57 > 0:24:04# And lead us not into temptation
0:24:06 > 0:24:14# But deliver us from evil
0:24:14 > 0:24:24# For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
0:24:24 > 0:24:31# Forever and ever
0:24:33 > 0:24:40# Amen. #
0:24:47 > 0:24:50This Saturday, thousands of people are going to be gathered here
0:24:50 > 0:24:53at Wembley for the National Day of Prayer.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57'The West Ham and Millwall stadiums
0:24:57 > 0:24:59'have already hosted mass prayer events.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01'Now, it's Wembley's turn.'
0:25:03 > 0:25:06As a child, you're encouraged to kneel by your bed and pray.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08It's a very solitary thing.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11On Saturday, 70,000 people will be here all praying for one thing.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Does that make that prayer more powerful?
0:25:13 > 0:25:15It's a different atmosphere.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I mean, people just get into the flow of it.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Get into the flow of the worship.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21They have worship bands and worship leaders
0:25:21 > 0:25:23that they're familiar with as well.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25That also helps. Then you have the choir.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- Jesus! CROWD:- Jesus!
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- We ask you! CROWD:- We ask you!
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Help!
0:25:31 > 0:25:33We tell people to pray in groups,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35we tell them to pray individually,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37we tell them to pray at a local church.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39And so, Aled, it's...
0:25:39 > 0:25:42you should come. You'd really enjoy it!
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I'm getting anxious a little bit.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49I'm imagining 70,000 people here praying powerfully up to God.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51What about if he's not home that day?
0:25:51 > 0:25:55I've lived long enough to see prayers, heartfelt prayers, answered.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58And I've lived long enough to see heartfelt prayers not answered.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01It's a mystery. And sometimes we can't answer all the questions.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04But what we do know is that the Bible orders us to pray,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08and when we do pray, we do see things happen.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Somebody said, "When you pray, coincidences happen.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14"When you stop praying, they stop." HE LAUGHS
0:26:14 > 0:26:17So just keep praying and let those coincidences keep happening.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Dennise Christensen was one of the thousands that attended
0:26:23 > 0:26:25the previous National Prayer Gatherings.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29I think the biggest thing to pray for
0:26:29 > 0:26:31is unity -
0:26:31 > 0:26:34unity amongst people,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37unity amongst the generations, the different cultures.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Christianity is a very inclusive religion,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and Jesus is obviously our role model,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and when I hear about his last prayers...
0:26:48 > 0:26:52his last words were in the form of a prayer to his father,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57and saying, "When I leave, may there be unity."
0:26:57 > 0:27:02And then he said, "Let the world know that these are my disciples
0:27:02 > 0:27:06"because of the love they have, one for another.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09"Let the world see that, at the root of it,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13"it's loving each other that brings power and brings strength."
0:27:13 > 0:27:20'Dennise has kept a journal to record answered prayers from her life.'
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Well, this is my little treasure book of prayer.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25It's actually my book of answered prayer,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29and we live in very troubled times,
0:27:29 > 0:27:35and with my children growing up in the heart of the city,
0:27:35 > 0:27:41as it were, we've gone through some very difficult times,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45and if God doesn't come through for me on those difficult times,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47then what is the point of my faith?
0:27:50 > 0:27:51Dennise is really looking forward
0:27:51 > 0:27:53to praying with others at Wembley Stadium.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59To fill it with prayer, worshippers' prayer...you know,
0:27:59 > 0:28:00when we sing to God, it's prayer,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03when we meditate, it's prayer.
0:28:03 > 0:28:09Prayer is wherever there is unity amongst Christians
0:28:09 > 0:28:13and where we are invoking the same God.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18We're hoping that people will leave this place
0:28:18 > 0:28:20with a sense that prayer is powerful
0:28:20 > 0:28:23and prayer will affect a change.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Throughout the centuries, saints have left us
0:29:55 > 0:29:58with their thought-provoking prayers,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02like this one from St Richard, once Bishop of Chichester.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08"Thanks be to my Lord, Jesus Christ,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11"for all the benefits thou hast given me...
0:30:14 > 0:30:18"..for all the pain and insults thou hast borne for me.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24"O, most merciful redeemer, friend, and brother...
0:30:27 > 0:30:30"..may I know thee more clearly,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32"love thee more dearly...
0:30:33 > 0:30:35"..and follow thee more nearly.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38"Amen."
0:30:43 > 0:30:46And before we go, a medley of two great gospel songs
0:30:46 > 0:30:48from the congregation of St John at Hackney.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Next week, I'll be beside the sea in Brighton,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26to meet a talented artist who's divinely inspired,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30and a high-flying mum who's changing lives around the world,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33and the singing comes from Church of Christ the King,
0:33:33 > 0:33:34led by Stuart Townend.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd