It's happening. In just over a week, we are opening a sacred space in the heart of Tokyo—a place dedicated to prayer and worship where people can pause and encounter the Lord, just minutes from what is called the busiest intersection in the world.
The Shibuya Prayer Room opens September 1st through the 7th as part of the Global Week of Prayer. It will be open 24 hours per day, all week long. This temporary space is a seed sown that we believe the Lord will grow and expand so that many are reached for the kingdom of God. From there, we will look for how we can continue to steward the momentum with regular, weekly meetings, eventually opening a permanent space as the Lord leads and provides.
What kind of Prayer Room?
At heart, the Prayer Room is a very simple invitation: come and spend an hour with God. You can do it with some friends or by yourself. You can bring a guitar, put on some worship music, or sit in silence. But it is about you and God. Come and be yourself, pray how you pray best, worship from your heart. Some participants may have never prayed for an hour before. But the space itself itself is designed to make this easier with different "prayer stations" that allow people to creatively engage with the Lord in prayer.
Imagine this: It’s your first time. You just finished a long day at work and arrive at the building at 8:55 pm, a few minutes before your time slot. Upon entering you see a sink immediately to your left. You step over to wash the dirt of the day off your hands, and in front of your eyes on the wall is card with Psalm 24:4-6 written on it. "He that hath clean hands and a pure heart… … this is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah." Your thoughts shift off of the busy-ness of the day, and you pray silently, “That’s right. Lord I am here to seek your face.”
You dry your hands and walk to the door. A pair of shoes sits just outside of it. You remove your shoes (this is Japan!) and notice a picture of a burning bush on the door. Your mind immediately goes to Moses' encounter and the words the Lord spoke to him, a reminder: for the next hour, you are on holy ground.
The person who just finished their prayer time is there. Before they go, they pray for you that the Lord would lead your time, and you sense the grace and presence of God. They leave, and you turn your attention toward the room: a few sitting cushions, the floor covered with rugs. You notice one wall has writing on it. You walk towards it and see that people have written scriptures and prayers. You read a few and one in particular jumps out at you. "My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek." You read those words out loud, making them your own prayer.
On another wall is a map of Tokyo. People have circled areas in red and written notes and scriptures on it. In one corner, a wooden cross about 5 feet high leans up against a wall. It’s covered with post-its, a couple of sharpies and a stack of fresh post-its are placed carefully on one side. You walk over and see what people have written: worries, fears, and mistakes of the past. They left them there on the cross. You think of today’s moment of impatience with your co-worker. You grab a post-it, write down “losing my temper," and stick it on the cross, as you say, "Lord, I surrender this to you." You spend the next 5 minutes there, talking to God about what happened, letting him minister to your heart.
In this way you move around inside the prayer room, letting the Holy Spirit speak to you and lead you while your attention is drawn to different stations. You walk back to the writing wall and add your own prayer. Before you know it, there is a knock on the door. Your hour is up, the next person is here to spend their hour in prayer. You open the door and see it is actually three young men, and you pray for them that God would lead their time in the prayer room just as he did yours. You put on your shoes and start to walk out the door when you notice a sign to the side of it. Written in big, bold, colorful letters is the scripture: "He has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."
"Yes," you think to yourself. "Thank you Lord that you are still with me when I leave this space." You walk out of the prayer room, still tired from the day, but lighter than when you came, refreshed and renewed by your time with God.
Managing the Prayer Room
Not just anyone can drop in. To participate, people sign up online for hour-long prayer slots. The environment is carefully stewarded so each person or group gets dedicated time with the Lord. We have volunteers and friends helping throughout the week to make this possible. We will open with a time of worship at 5:00 pm on Monday September 1st, and close in the same way at 3:00 pm, Sunday, September 7th. We also plan on having an hour of worship every evening between 8 and 9 pm.
There has been such favor of the Lord in all of this. Our space and most of our funding for the week are secured, and participation is completely free—no offerings will be collected during this time. There are a few practical needs that still need to be covered if you would like to help financially:
- $200 for exterior signage
- $300 for interior materials (cushions, rugs, and prayer station supplies)
- $250 for meals and drinks for our volunteer team managing the room
Be in agreement with us that the right people will respond as the Lord stirs hearts to come and pray, and for many to encounter Him in a deep and fresh way. We are full of anticipation and excitement for what this week could bring. And if you are in Tokyo that week and want to join us, use the contact form and let us know.
-J