Surely, God is with us
– Reflection on TTC Day of Prayer
“A day with no classes!” I confess, this was the pre-eminent thought in my mind (and that of my fellow first-year students) when we were told about the Day of Prayer, which was to be held on Tuesday, 14 August 18. The intensity of our academic schedules meant disciplining ourselves to spend a lot more time in the library. But what of the spiritual disciplines of oratio, meditatio (prayer; meditation), and tentatio (life’s trials) – had we neglected these crucial elements in our quest for excellence, or even just keeping up? Dr Simon Chan’s address set the much-needed tone for the day, as our community spread out to explore various prayer stations.
Some gravitated to SPH Chapel to engage in worship. Others retreated to the semi-outdoor setting of the Prayer Garden and wrote their thoughts down amongst the greenery. A few lingered in the college chapel to continue meditating in silence on the word we had received. Prayer is indeed crucial to our spiritual formation, and spiritual formation key for the transformation of theological students into faithful ministers. For me, the most time was spent meditating upon God as Father, Son and Spirit. I interceded for my nation, and for Singapore, for my family, and my friends, for the persecuted Church, and for the local church. There are many needs in the world, many crosses to bear, many wounds to heal. How can we do it all? In prayer and meditation, I was assured that God is with us.
Refreshed and encouraged, I headed up to add notes of encouragement for the community to those already written by fellow students and staff members. There were so many! And tugging at cards streaming from the ceiling, we laughed, smiled and in the dimmed room, shoved each other for the light to better see what we were writing to our fellow TTCians. Before we knew it, the Day of Prayer had come to a close. It was too short, and a very sweet time for us all. I wished for more days of prayer and realised… I have one, each day God grants me breath.
By Audrey Quay (MTS 1)
