Urbana Reflection 2: Worship Prayer Room

In hindsight, the most most most significant activity for me at Urbana was my time spent in the worship prayer room.

On the last day, I decided to walk into the worship prayer room to re-experience the intimacy with God I had while spending moments in the prayer room everyday at Mark Central. Before lunch, I was contemplating what to do. On my list there was: book shopping, visiting exhibits, IFES reception, art lounge, prayer with TCCF people...etc. Trying to fit all that into 3 hours was an overwhelming thought. Bumping into people saying goodbyes at that stadium was also bleh for me...I clearly needed rest. However, prayer was not one of the items on my list.

For some reason...as if He planned it all - I talked to NK while waiting for TCCF peeps, and we decided to walk away for a bit to take a breath of fresh air. By the time we were back to meet TCCF people, they were all gone and even though we walked a few time around the whole AC center, we couldn't find them. Slowly we made our way to the bookstore, got some books and then we stood their wondering where to go. I looked up and saw the prayer rooms and suggested to go in one of them.

Walked and walked...we decided to settle for the last room we passed by which was the worship prayer room. It was so crowded inside that I was thinking of turning around going back to the exhibit. Yet somehow we ended there. Sitting there in the middle of the room...I closed my eyes. In the beginning I was wondering why people were lying on the floor...and as soon as I knew, I was in a little world of my own. Now that I think of it, I don't know what I was exactly praying for...but the experience was liberating. I felt like I was freed from my burdens. Later I journaled in the room as there was worship music playing in the background. I was "wow" every moment when I was journalling about something, the songs spoke directly to me, as if the songs were God's way of responding to my thoughts.

It's again quite an experience that I can't really articulate. Maybe some time down the road when I read this again, I will feel dumb for the inadequacy of expressing my feelings through this experience, but I'm sure for one thing is that it will bring me back to that moment - though the room was packed with people and the other people next to us was rowdy, but it was an intimate moment between God and I where no one were to be able to intrude, and I hope to worship Him likewise for the years to come :)