Will you join me by choosing a day to pray each month? Can we place a barrier against the darkness in that place and Pray4TampaBay to be covered in the Hope that God and His love provide!
The Sunshine Skyway is perhaps the most recognizable landmark in the Tampa Bay Area, evoking the beauty of Tampa Bay and a reminder of our beloved Florida Sunshine! One of the tallest and most recognizable structures in all of Tampa Bay, it should be a beacon of hope.
However, those of us that know the history in the Skyway know that in many ways it could be considered the opposite of that; the opposite of the light of Sunshine it’s named to remind us of. In many ways it could be considered a “dark” place.
In January 1980, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collided with the tanker Capricorn near the bridge, resulting in the sinking of the cutter and the loss of 23 crew members. In May 1980, the freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a bridge support during a sudden squall, resulting in the structural collapse of the southbound span and the deaths of 35 people when vehicles plunged into Tampa Bay.
For those of us that cross the Skyway frequently, it is impossible to not take notice of the telephone call boxes along the span, a reminder of the fact that the Skyway is one of the most common places in the entire country where people lacking hope, in the depths of despair, go to end their lives.
On December 15, 2018 this took on an intensely personal meaning for me as my son drove to the top of the Skyway, stopped the car he was driving, and jumped off. This was completely unexpected and shocking for those of us that knew my son well.
In the weeks that followed, my wife and I occasionally sought peace by worshipping at a church we do not attend but are connected to by friends. Looking up at the screen in the worship center it was impossible to not fixate on the photo of the Skyway that this church had recently chosen for their website photo, surely recognizing it as the symbol of Tampa Bay and serving as a reminder to Pray4TampaBay! Of course, it was also a reminder for us of the terrible thing that occurred on that bridge just weeks before.
Living in Clearwater Beach, we also have need to cross the Skyway regularly on the way to visit our daughter who lives in the Naples area. Honestly, we were not sure if we would be able to cross that bridge again given what had happened there. We could travel via an alternate route, which would add an hour to our commute. We realized that would not only be inconvenient, but it would be a fearful reaction and we know we are commanded over and over to “Fear Not!” So, we decided we would cross the Skyway whenever necessary and while doing so, make it a point to PrayTheSkyway, To Pray4TampaBay, and to pray specifically for those that come to the Skyway in despair- to find HOPE!
We were struck on the day we gathered for our son’s service and the celebration of his life on 12-21-18, the darkest day of the year, that at the very of hour of his service the winds were so high that the Skyway had to be closed!
What if in fact we could do that in a spiritual way? Close the Skyway to darkness, despair and lies!
While we are aware of the movement to install suicide barriers on the Skyway (and we support this effort!) we must acknowledge the issue goes much deeper than a physical barrier can address. Stated simply, it is a spiritual issue first and foremost. So, we have decided to encourage those so inclined to commit to PrayTheSkyway and Pray4TampaBay.
If you are inclined to pray, likely you, like me, acknowledge that prayer is a spiritual undertaking and likely agree we are essentially engaging in spiritual warfare when we do so. We are acknowledging there is an enemy we are praying against; an enemy who seeks to lie, kill, and destroy by reinforcing the despair that many who go to the Skyway are feeling.
Given that, we look to the Bible to tell us some things about the enemy we pray against. While much about the “Spiritual Realm” or the “Unseen Realm” is cloaked in the “Mysteries of God,” much of it is not.
We know:
“…and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Mathew 16:18
The church is to be on the offensive against forces of darkness and the church will prevail!
We also can discern that the spiritual forces are in some way “territorial.”
We see this in Daniel 10:20-21 among other territorial inferences in the Bible.
20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”
Surely if there is a prince of Persia and prince of Greece there is a prince of Tampa Bay. We want to elicit prayers against this evil spirit and the minions serving under it.
We can infer from the Bible and other places that the dark forces may inhabit or “roost” from the High Places; perhaps the logical place that is in Tampa Bay is The Sunshine Skyway?
We want to not only pray against the dark spiritual forces in Tampa Bay, but we want to pray for God, His Holy Spirit, and His Angel armies to be at work in all of Tampa Bay, in short, to bring about revival that will bring desperately needed hope in this region and beyond!
We want to pray that God will stir His church into ACTION of love to all in Tampa Bay and all who visit our beautiful region.
It will take time and many things aligning to install a physical suicide barrier, we can immediately begin building, daily, a spiritual barrier. Therefore, we are looking for those who will join us in the effort. We will be establishing a monthly calendar and asking people to commit to PrayTheSkyway and Pray4TampaBay one day a month. We want to cover the entire month calendar.
We will eventually link an email and/or text message reminder that will go out to those that commit to pray on the day of month that they choose. (For example, I will pray the 15th of every month.)
Will you join me by choosing a day to pray each month? Can we place a barrier against the darkness in that place and Pray4TampaBay to be covered in the Hope that God and His love provide? Here is where our prayers will be focused:
Over the coming weeks and months, we will have the websites PrayTheSkyway.com and Pray4TampaBay.com up and running and soon operational with the prayer calendar and reminder mechanisms. Until then, email us and let us know if you will embrace this opportunity!
Also, if there is an interest, we will be hosting Prayer and Worship gatherings periodically around the Tampa Bay Area to PrayTheSkyway and Pray4TampaBay! We will host these events at various churches of different types and denominations. If you are interested in hosting one of these prayer and worship events email us for details.
For the Glory of The King and His advancing Kingdom!!!!!