United in Prayer – April Update

Childlike Faith

Dear Chanctonbury Family,

If you are anything like me, you may have had times in your life where you’ve felt disappointed at a seemingly unanswered prayer. Perhaps you didn’t get that job you’d prayed about, perhaps you didn’t see God provide financially in a way you’d hoped for, or perhaps you’d cried out to God for an answer that never came.

Over time, you realise your expectation in prayer starts to diminish and your trust and faith in God starts to shrink. I think the season of lockdowns we’ve been through and the events of this last year has led to widespread disappointment, the impact of which can lead to our faith being squashed.

Well, I believe that season is over! I believe the Lord is calling us back to pray and live from a position of faith and trust, He is asking us to come before him in honesty and to shake off the disappointments of the past season and to lay it down. I was recently cutting down a dead apple tree, and I was removing dead branches which were pressing down on the living branches of another tree and inhibiting its growth. Disappointment is like one of those dead branches, it will inhibit your faith and trust in God and it will cause other living things in your life to die, if not dealt with.

I encourage you to cut off all disappointment to do with faith and ask Father to strengthen and rekindle faith and trust in Him.

At one of our worship nights a few weeks ago, I had a beautiful vision of Jesus playing with children – there was so much fun and laughter and games! Then I saw Jesus go up to people in the room and touch them. As Jesus touched them, they looked at Him and turned into a child and began playing and having fun with Him.

In that moment I felt the Lord was saying that this is what He was wanting to do in our church. He is coming to us, touching us afresh and as we receive his touch and look upon His face, our childlike faith and trust in Him will return.

My prayer for us is that we would shake off any past hurts and disappointments, allow Jesus’ touch to restore our heart and then return to Him as a child, full of faith, trust and delight in Him.

It’s a new season, winter is over! It’s time to trust Him again and it’s time to have faith in the one who is Faithful.

Song of Songs 2:10-13

“Arise my love, my fair one,

And come away;

For now the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come,

And the voice of the turtledove

Is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

And the vines are in blossom;

They give forth their fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one,

And come away.”

With much love,

Lou di Castiglione
Senior Leader

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Chanctonbury Healing Centre 

Healing is a large part of the proclamation and demonstration of the good news of Jesus. Jesus commanded all who follow Him to heal the sick as an example of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven.

The Chanctonbury Healing Centre team are available to minister with you throughout the week. Contact us at pray@chanctonbury.org.uk or complete this Prayer Request Form and someone from the team will contact you. 

Team Leader: Patrick Pearson-Miles

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