If you happen to be following me on Twitter, or are a friend of mine in Facebook, then you would know that last Friday my three eldest kids were onboard the school bus involved in the fatal accident on Heathcote Rd, near Lucas Heights. I updated my status a few minutes after I heard of the news, and kept friends and family updated with the progress throughout the day.

If you were following me @jodiemcneill on Twitter, you would also have known that my kids escaped with little more than a scratch and a bump, and that through this ordeal, we have been reminded of the kindness of God to us in preserving our kids through the trauma.

Through the crisis, my wife and I were enormously thankful to God for the fact that so many of you were praying for us and the other kids, as well as the opportunities to witness to the love of God through our words and actions.

This event was a reminder of the virtual closeness available to us through online social networking. It also was a clear demonstration of the means by which we can use Twitter and Facebook to lead us to prayer.

Have you harnessed Facebook and Twitter as a means of sharing prayer points? Has your church or ministry organisation set up a public Facebook account or a Twitter account to enable the quick and easy sharing of prayer points?

Please share your experiences with Facebook and Twitter as a means of encouraging others to pray for you and with you. What are the strengths and shortcomings of this prayer strategy?