Pray Network Forum

I am writing a second WATCHING IN PRAYER blog this week, rather than my THINKING IN THE SPIRIT blog. I apologize to you who may prefer the other. I intend to return to Thinking in The Spirit next week.

Thank God, I did not receive another Amber Alert this week. But this week a series of national tragedies unfolded. Two more black Americans were shot by police officers. That is a tragedy whether those two armed men or the policemen were in the wrong. Who can defend either all police who see every black man as a threat or people who grow up with hatred and resentment toward police.

And who of us was not horrified by the sniper who shot eleven police officers who were helping to keep the crowd safe at the protest rally in Dallas. We heard person after person who had come to the rally to protest police shootings, as they cried out in shock against the murder of the peace officers.

We face a host of national emergencies in these days. We see moral and spiritual emergencies in America. The political and social divisions are a crisis in. And who would say our sins have not offended the holiness of God who has so richly blessed us?

The first thing we must do in the face emergencies is cry out to God. The Lord told Abraham as He sent the angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. And Abraham interceded for the wicked cities. Are you interceding for America? Are you searching for ways to intercede in accordance with the righteousness of God? Are you crying out for the power of God that alone can turn our hearts around? Are you praying for God's glory to be magnified by His intervention in our government, in our institutions, in the police, in the media, in our neighborhoods, in our churches, in our homes, and in our lives? I am praying for an army of prayer warriors who will cry out to God night and day for our nation.

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There is a whole category of people who are called to Christ and have a passion for the nations & for the weak & marginal and have sought to go with a variety of service groups and who are repeatedly told no, don't go, be quiet, just settle down young man.

The reality is that if I were to go to my field of focus, I would probably die in short order because I would of my zeal or I would be disregarded as a lunatic because I would lose all my sleep because the medicines that help me relax & sleep sometimes would be unavailable.

Instead I pray.

I dare say that often my prayer lacks impact that I am aware of. I tend to pick certain countries & prayer goals and remember them as reminded, so I make lists.

Is this unfocussed? No, usually the only times I have observed the impact are when I stop praying and problems happen.

In retrospect, I have however seen the Lord start movements in various peoples that I prayed for and the timing was impossibly too neat to correlate due to chance. God uses our prayers for movements. Over and over, I find that God works far more in my absence than in my presence. He is a big God, and he wants us to pray big, foundation-laying prayers.

If the leaves of the tree in the Revelation of Jesus given to John are for the healing of the nations, then we must plead for that salve to be applied for the salvation of the souls of societies.

Praying requires a whole different category of action, it elevates us to the heavenlies, for we read the divine counsel in the Word and render judgements according to Psalm 2:8: the Son will have the inheritance that is His! HE shall possess the earth. HE is waiting for us to ask. He knows exactly what He plans to do and He is always on the right side of history.

Politicians will fail us.
Disasters are unpredictable.
The devil is dangerous.
The nations are too large for us to reach them in our own power.

But every time we kneel in prayer and cry out for help, God hears and acts. Every time we stand on His promises, the Lord proves His faithfulness. Every time we sit in His presence and ask for the nations, the Lord God sends forth His angel armies to intervene. Every time we fall flat on our faces and humble ourselves before the King of the Universe, the Lord God Almighty rejoices over us with singing and stands in the gaps that we cannot fill.

We cannot fill the gaps for we are sinners,
I am the worst
But He is perfect
We fail. He is faultless.
The Lord will succeed in every intervention He begins.

Our actions, our giving, our prayers, our sacrifices all must flow from our lives guided by the Word of God for them to be effective.
This is why years in prayer are often needed to accomplish what may take a season of actual service.
Then, when the doors close behind us after our work is finished, then the Lord Spirit goes to work most earnestly, with greater freedom than we could ever have.
This is the story of China.
This is the story of Iran.
This is the story of all who are bathed in prayer,
This is the story of all who are bathed in the Spirit.

This is why statistics lie about the future.
Statistics are based on what man sees.
Faith is about what God has promised.
Hope is the certainty that God will keep His promises to the end.
Love is behaving according to this confidence that God is love.

“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray,  and seek my face, and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

It is important for us to see the promise related to this powerful invitation to prayer. God promises to forgive our sin and heal our land.  

There are a number of modern complications to this promise. We need the illumination of the Holy Spirit to apply it. I am going to make some suggestions for doing so. But I urge you to struggle prayerfully with this concern that God may radically impact the way we pray. Notice I did not simply say, the way you pray. There is an urgency in these days for God's people to join in prayer for our nations. And the depth of your convictions will influence the prayers of many.

Here is the first difficulty. When the Lord gave this promise, His people were the nation. His people were the Children of Israel to whom he had given that land. I remember having a friendly disagreement with my college roommate about whether this promise was for America or the Church in our day. Is God promising heal a nation like America, Myanmar Guatemala or China where most people may not be praying? At least as it applies to specific prayers, times and situations, I do not know. I don't believe we can successfully pray for the "Great Tribulation" that Jesus warned us about, not to happen. But I think we are to pray for our nations. Abraham was invited to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah. In Jeremiah 29:7 the Lord addressed the people taken into exile and captivity in Babylon. He commanded them to pray for the prosperity of that wicked city.

I believe this means we are to pray for the leaders of whatever nation we live in. That sometimes means praying for people who are enemies of God's people. And this means praying for the healing of social problems. Are you praying and working to bring people up out of poverty? Are you praying for people who are addicted to drugs? Are you praying for wounded soldiers returning from war? Are you visiting and praying for prisoners? Are you praying for health care and problems related to it?

This is moral and spiritual as well as social, political and economic. We need to pray for hearts and minds to be changed. I recently had an exchange with an apologist who was angry at someone who was having an evil influence upon young people. He took offense at my suggesting that we need to love this man and pray for him.

I need to be honest, I am tempted to be cynical about the condition of our world. I want to say, "Leave them alone until Jesus comes back. He will make a new heaven and a new earth." But that is not God's will. It is also true that I will be made new when Jesus comes. Should I give up on trying to become like Jesus because it will not fully happen until we see Him? Just as becoming more like Him now relates to being made like Jesus when He comes, so praying and working to make the world a better place now, relates to His reign after He returns.

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God calls us to pray for the government leaders around us. Please pray for the kings, princes, sheiks, emirs and presidents of the AP that God will give them wisdom and guidance. Pray that each of them will have the chance to hear the Gospel.

Pray that with all the extremists in the region that many people will get disillusioned with their religion and that they will search for the Prince of Peace.

Please pray for a young couple who love the Lord but face many challenges in their new marriage. Pray that God will teach them how to rely on Him in a greater way as they learn to depend on Him together. Thank God for believing men and women who He brings together.

Please pray for two young collegian boys, "Ahmad" and "Meshari", who have expressed an openness in hearing the gospel. In acknowledging his default toward sinful thinking, Ahmad admitted it was "all the time!" Pray for their salvation.

Embassies are closing their doors and the staff are leaving. Political and tribal parties will not agree and seek peace. These are hard times for the most populated country in the AP. The middle class is becoming poor. The poor are on the verge of desperation. Pray that God will do a mighty work in the midst of what the world would call hopeless. Pray that people who love the Savior will tell their neighbors about the peace that He puts in their hearts. Pray that God will comfort those who are afraid through visions and dreams. Pray that many will come to Him.

The news is filled with stories of people from the Arabian Peninsula who have developed a reputation as terrorists. Some would call them enemies.

Jesus commanded us to pray for our enemies. To pray for our enemies is to pray for them the way Jesus did: to pray that they would find forgiveness as they repent and discover the mercies that are new every morning in the Messiah.

The Messiah did not die in a way that seemed noble. But His nobility was vindicated through the resurrection. Some who pray for the Arabian Peninsula, are called to go there in Jesus name. We must also pray for them. While there is no guarantee that they will be "successful" in terms of winning thousands by themselves. Those who follow Jesus faithfully will have success in the resurrection.

Peace,

Mert Hershberger

"The Holy Spirit is orchestrating a global prayer strategy in these very days. It will far eclipse any other prayer movement in Church history. The Holy Spirit is equipping the Church to partner with Jesus' intercessory prayer ministry at the right hand of the Father. The end result is the great harvest of souls being added to the Kingdom of God. The number of people coming to Jesus at the present hour across the nations is unprecedented in history. I believe this will continue to increase numerically and in both power and intensity." Mike Bickle

What is truly significant about the days we are living in? The Gospel is spreading and more people are passionate about loving Jesus than at any other time in history. Before our very eyes Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled which is hastening the return of the Lord.  

In the last thirty-five years, we have seen Latin America emerge from being a mission field to becoming a mission base. We were there with the ship, M.V. Doulos in the late 70’s and early 80’s, sowing seeds of missionary vision as we preached the Gospel. Other nations like Korean have also become great missionary bases. We were there in 1991 and had the privilege of participating in sowing a vision into Korea for missions. Now they are all over the world! Joining them are other nations like the Philippines, Singapore, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. 

The Great Commission is no longer a western pursuit; it is owned by the global body of Christ. Prayer is going viral! 

It is not that the Church didn’t pray before; it’s just that the intensity, longevity and quantity of prayer has multiplied. Statistics reveal that prayer movements and Houses of Prayer are springing up in many cities around the world and in some remarkable places. Someone recently commented that France is teaming with newly formed Houses of Prayer. In Gibraltar, a House of Prayer has begun. In Malaga, Spain there is the formation of a House of Prayer. Throughout Spain, once the most spiritually needy country in the world, there are at least four national prayer networks. We know of Germans, Dutch, British, etc... Added to that is the Global Day of Prayer, prayer in prisons, prayer in orphanages, old people, young people, pastors... hearing the invitation to day and night prayer leading to the second coming of the Lord. 

"Jesus is not coming back to a prayerless Church, rather to one enjoying mature bridal partnership with Him in intercession for the great harvest. The church will complete the Great Commission reaching to all 255 nations in the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 24:14). This strategic plan of the Holy Spirit will reach a crescendo before the Lord returns, as the bowls of intercession will become full in heaven." Mike Bickle

24/7 prayer has taken a high priority in many places. In Kansas City, the International House of Prayer celebrates fourteen years of day and night prayer. The IHOP is web-streamed across the globe and watched by believers under some of the most oppressive governments. The model has spurred others to day and night seeking the Lord in places like Fredricksburg, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; and more. Prayer rooms are being established in churches throughout the world.

Not only are we praying but we are praying in unity. God is uniting a powerful prayer movement worldwide. In a supernatural way, He is connecting all of us. He is realigning ministries and people—He is teaching us to celebrate one another’s victories—He is orchestrating strategic shifts and realign-ments. We have seen all denominations come together to seek the Lord as one—charismatic and non-Charismatic, Gentile and Jew, white and black, young and old. 

Denominations and Christian organizations have started prayer watches. The Salvation Army in Australia and in England started praying 24/7 for a week in 52 of their branches with immediate results. YWAM, with sixteen bases in Western Europe, set aside an entire year where each base took responsibility for a week, filling the whole year with day and night prayer. In 2005, thirteen denominations and Christian organizations in England alone started filling the whole year with 24/7 prayer. Several prisons in Argentina have established 24/7 365-day prayer watches where the inmates pray for their families, communities, their country, fellow inmates, and the world. Inmates are converted and change their lifestyle. Breakthroughs are happening in the prisons.

The marriage of missions and prayer took on a new level in 2008 when leaders of the prayer movement joined together with leaders of the missions movements at the Orlando Call2All. Now we are sending intercessory missionaries who are settling in spiritually needy places with the goals to pray for breakthroughs. These intercessors are made up of former Muslims, Hindus as well as westerners; young and old.

The vision to “restore the Tabernacle of David” as mentioned in Amos 9:11 and Acts 16 is coming to pass. It was originally commanded by God to David to honor the Lord. David spared no time or expense in providing materials, singers, musicians, instruments, gold, silver and plans, as well as lavishly sacrificing livestock by the tens of thousands! In the acts of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, we see that every king who leads God’s people in extravagant worship and prayer, prospered under the hand of God because the Name and presence of God was there. The demise of the Tabernacle where God’s name and presence was revealed was the demise of the nation. The re-establishment of it meant blessings and power. 

Prayer itself is emerging from being simply a time to make requests to an exciting adventure of gazing upward and looking for declaration of the beauty, strength and wonder of the Lord. Indeed, saints and angels throughout eternity will never tire of beholding the beauty of the infinite Creator God-Man! The heavenly throne room is the model of what we believers will be doing for eternity. In the last few verses of the Bible, in John’s end-times Revelation, we hear what the Church will be crying before the return of her Bride-groom, “The Spirit and the Bride say COME!”  

We are in for exciting days! We are in for difficult days. The two will go hand-and-hand and the Church, through her amazement with the beauty and fidelity of the Lord, will rise triumphant.  

The only condition that is to give worldwide power to this Gospel is prayer, and the spread of the Gospel will depend on prayer. The energy that is to give it marvelous momentum and conquering power over all its malignant and powerful foes is the energy of prayer… But mighty prayer is the one great spiritual force that will enable the Lord Jesus Christ to enter into full possession of His kingdom, and secure for Him the heathen as His inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for His possession." E. M. Bounds

What is truly significant about these days? We are here to prepare the way for the Lord to return and take His throne in Jerusalem from where He will eliminate His enemies and reign supreme. It is happening before our eyes. While none of us can set a date we can see and hear what the Lord reveals in Scripture, the signs are clearer than predicting the weather. We know that the Gospel will go to all the nations first. This is happening. Then we’ll also see the rise of such evil that there will be no days comparable since the beginning of time. Many will be martyred for following Jesus. All nations will hate us. But there will be signs, wonders and miracles and such an unveiling of God’s power that even Mose’s signs in Egypt will pale in compar-ison.

It's time for all of us to become part of this worldwide prayer movement!

"Isaiah the prophet had a lot to say about this global prayer movement. He described a time when God's people worldwide will experience unusual grace and authority in prayer. He summarized this by declaring; God will name His Church a “house of prayer”. This prophetic naming is in itself a promise of functioning in grace empowered prayer. Imagine naming the Church a “praying church”. All over the earth, it will become common to hear of intercessory worship ministries that continue non-stop, 24 hours a day. God has established in the genetic code a passion to reach “all nations”. It will result in bringing the outcasts of the earth to Jesus (Isaiah 56:8). These 24-hour-a-day prayer ministries are vital to reaching the cities in the 10/40 window." Mike Bickle 

If you are interested in building the House of Prayer in your city, read my book 24/7 Prayer Arise: Building the House of Prayer in Your City. It is  a 288 page book about everything from A-Z that relates to Houses of Prayer. For a 20% discount, use PL6G7Y59 in checkout. See Intercessors Arise facebook page for daily encouragement in your prayer life. 

2012 National Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Every good gift and perfect gift comes from You. You are a Faithful God and Your Mercy Endures Forever.

You have Promised to Bless the Nation that Trusts in You. Our currency proclaims "In God We Trust", but in our culture we are far from You.

In the words of the Prophet Daniel, "We have sinned and commited iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and your judgments."

We come before You once more, Seeking Your Forgiveness and Mercy. You, O God, are our only Hope ... Hear our Prayer and, for Your Honor's sake, Shine your Face upon this Nation.

Give our Leaders the desire to Seek your Wisdom and the Courage to Follow your Guidance ... and Watch over the Men and Women of our Armed Forces as they Sacrifice for the cause of Freedom.

We give you thanks for all you have done for us, and we Earnestly Pray that You will Help us become once again, a Nation whose God is the Lord.

In the name of your Son, and our Savior, We Pray this Prayer. Amen

Excerpt from the Intercessors for America www.ifapray.org