Demi Elias reflects on encountering God, the power of worship, and how the prayer gathering challenged him to pursue deeper surrender in his everyday life.
Saint Church in Hackney hosts prayer gatherings multiple times a year, bringing together people from around the country for an evening of prayer & worship. Throughout the night, Christians gather to pray for nations, communities, families, leaders and one another, creating a beautiful space centred on seeking God collectively.
I have attended these gatherings several times and I have always left feeling encouraged, challenged and spiritually strengthened. There is something deeply special about setting aside time to worship, pray and simply be in God’s presence alongside hundreds of other Christians.
Wanting to hear another perspective, I sat down with Demi to talk about his first experience at one of Saint Church’s prayer gatherings. We spoke about worship, surrender and the ways the evening challenged and deepened his faith.
I have known Demi for a while now and one thing that has always stood out to me is his desire to seek God and walk in obedience. I took some time to sit down with Demi & hear about his first experience at Saint Church’s prayer gathering; the moments that stood out to him, what God revealed to him and how his faith was impacted by the events that occurred during the gathering.
One of the first things Demi reflected on was the atmosphere of worship. He shared that many worship gatherings today can sometimes begin to feel more like concerts, where the focus can unintentionally shift away from God and towards the people on stage. His experience at Saint Church challenged that perspective.
Even though this was Demi’s first time attending, he explained that the experience genuinely left him changed.
Demi explained that one of the things he appreciated most was the structure of the gathering and how it created space for God to move. He felt that Saint Church allowed the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than trying to create a specific atmosphere themselves.
Reflecting on the evening, Demi shared that he genuinely felt the presence of God in the room, adding, “I don’t say that lightly.” For him, this was significant because he explained that gatherings like this can sometimes feel more like concerts, where the focus can shift away from God.
“I don’t say that lightly — the Spirit of God was there in the room.”
– Demi
One moment that stood out to Demi was when the power briefly went out during the gathering. Instead of becoming distracted by the interruption, the room continued worshipping. The focus remained on God and the atmosphere did not change.
“You could hear people singing for 5 minutes straight,” Demi shared. “The song they were singing is my favourite song. I felt like God was spoiling me.”
“I felt like God was spoiling me.”
– Demi
When asked about how he felt the room responded to the gathering, Demi reflected on how easy it can be for people to become distracted, even in moments of worship. However, he felt that the atmosphere at Saint Church was different. He described the room as being fully present and aware of God, with a shared hunger to encounter Him.
Demi explained that there was a sense of surrender throughout the room, people were focused on God and open to what the Holy Spirit was doing. He described it as feeling like God was pouring out His love over everyone present.
Demi also reflected on the moments where he personally encountered God during the gathering. He shared that there were times when his mind felt clouded by negative thoughts and distractions from things happening in his life. However, once he surrendered those thoughts to God, he felt his focus shift and experienced God meeting him in that moment.
“I felt God speak to me,” Demi shared.
During the gathering, there was an opportunity for people to come forward and receive prayer. Demi went up and asked the team to pray for a cough he had been struggling with for over a month. While praying for him, one of the team members asked whether there was any unforgiveness in his heart, a question that caused Demi to reflect more deeply.
Two weeks after the gathering, Demi shared that he had finished his course of antibiotics for a chest infection and was no longer experiencing the same health struggles. Looking back on that moment, he explained that although he couldn’t say the unforgiveness was the direct cause of his cough, the conversation helped him address something important in his heart.
“It was only because I had that conversation with the people praying for me. Even though the unforgiveness might not have been the source of the cough, addressing it made the cough get sorted.”
When asked whether the gathering challenged or changed his perspective on prayer and worship, Demi answered without hesitation. He explained that the experience made him realise the importance of prioritising worship towards God, not only through singing praises, but through the way he lives and serves Him every day.
“It forced me to realise I need to prioritise my worship to God in a way in which I serve Him every day and go about my everyday life. This goes above singing praises,”
– Demi
Demi’s reflection highlights an important reminder for many believers: while it can feel natural to surrender to God during church services, worship nights, prayer gatherings or Christian festivals, the challenge is carrying that same surrender into everyday life. In the busyness of Monday to Friday, it can be easy for things like work, school or other responsibilities to take priority, but true worship extends beyond a moment; it becomes a lifestyle.
I asked Demi what advice he would give to someone who struggles to surrender to God or worship openly in a room full of people. He shared that having people around you who encourage you can make a difference, especially when stepping outside of your comfort zone.
“Going with a group of friends is important because they will encourage you and make you feel comfortable. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone and do things that make you feel uncomfortable. Focus on God, and it might even be easier to focus on Him with your eyes closed,” Demi shared.
Demi ended the interview by reflecting on a moment during the gathering when he stopped focusing on the distractions around him and fully fixed his attention on God. In that moment, he described feeling completely absorbed in God’s presence, filled with awe at what he experienced.
He shared that he would encourage anyone to attend a gathering like this, explaining that it felt as though God was already present in the room. He contrasted it with his personal prayer life, saying that while time in the secret place can sometimes involve waiting, the atmosphere at the gathering made God’s presence feel especially evident.
“It felt like you walked into the room and God was just there… You just have to go and experience it for yourself. God’s presence is undeniable,” Demi said.
Leave a Reply