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PTAP's Vision "To see the global church praying for the Arabian Peninsula so that the gospel and churches will be planted for every indigenous people in the Arabian Peninsula" |
night (7)
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PTAP's Vision "To see the global church praying for the Arabian Peninsula so that the gospel and churches will be planted for every indigenous people in the Arabian Peninsula" |
Laylat al-Qadr (commonly known as the Night of Power, Night of Decree, Night of Value, Night of Measures, or Night of Destiny) is considered the holiest night of the year for Muslims and is traditionally celebrated on the 27th day of Ramadan. This day commemorates the day when the Qur'an was revealed to Mohammed.
This is a day when many Muslims believe that God's abundant blessings are mercy are more accessible on this night. Pray that as they celebrate this night, Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, would show up in mighty ways. Pray that hearts would be opened to the Good News.
Over the next 24 hours, numerous communities of believers throughout the Arabian Peninsula will be gathering to pray for Jesus to show up and move on this night. Please pray for the Holy Spirit's leading, coverage, and protection as many gather together and declare Jesus over the Arabian Peninsula.
Also, on May 31, you can tune into prayercast and join many in praying for Muslims on this day. You can watch the livestream here:
Prayer Requests - June 17, 2018
Dylan (pseudonym) asked when the "night of power," a particular night at the end of Ramadan in which it is thought more clout is earned with Allah for praying through the night, was to a few young Gulf men. This question led to a sharing of thought in which three young Gulf men heard about the grace that comes through Jesus apart from works. Please pray that the discussion will continue and that these young men will turn their hearts to Him.
An indigenous family has welcomed visits and prayers of Christians for their adult son who has been paralyzed for over a year from the neck down even though his condition worsened after believers prayed for him. Please pray that God will reveal Himself to this family, granting them faith and repentance toward His truth. The Gospel was explained to the paralyzed man, who showed great emotional response to it in his face, although he cannot speak. Despite the "failed prayers" for healing, the Christians are now invited to meet the rest of the family during Eid (holiday that follows Ramadan). Please pray for boldness to follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit, and that God would stretch forth His hand to heal this man as a testimony to the Truth.
Laylat al Qadr (Night of Power or the Night of Destiny)
"The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading." - Lamentations 2:14 (NIV)
"For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV)
Christians serving among Muslims suggest we keep these verses in mind as we pray regarding this topic: Lamentations 2:14 and Colossians 1:13-14
Laylat al-Qadr [Night of Power]
"The Night of Power is better than a thousand months" (Surat al-qadr, 3).
Muslims believe that God revealed the first verses of the Qur'an during this night and that it is the holiest night of the year. Many will spend the whole night in prayer and devotion in mosques or at home, reading the Qur'an and hoping that their requests will be granted, specifically asking for forgiveness. A hadith promises, "Whosoever offers voluntary prayers during the Night of Power out of belief and expecting from Allah its reward will have his past sins forgiven" (Bukhari and Muslim).
Pray that Muslims will see their own sinfulness and spiritual disillusionment with the promises of Islam.
Pray Muslims will open themselves to true revelations from God.
Pray for opportunities for Christians to share about the forgiveness through Jesus and for Muslims to hear His voice.
Laylat al-Qadr is also translated as Night of Destiny. Muslims expect that their prayers during this night will change their destiny for the year. Many devotions are aimed at reaching a higher spiritual state, promising an eternal destiny closer to God. Many are experiencing dreams, visions, and other supernatural incidents.
Pray many Muslims will have dreams and visions of Jesus during this night.
Pray that Jesus will reveal His power through signs and miracles.
Pray that Muslims will experience the fullness of God in Jesus.
“Your city is God’s city. The people are made in His image. Satan is an invader and a usurper operating in our territory. God did not give demons authority over your city. Demons have infested the earth’s atmosphere since before the creation of mankind, but they can only extend their authority into a town or an institution when people sin. When you look into the history of your city, you will find clues as to what is oppressing the people today. This is our planet, and the only authority Satan has is stolen human authority.”
Buildings were set ablaze, businesses were looted, cars were torched, and gunshots were fired. There was fire in the night! Police and violent protesters were all over the main street. Anger and emotions were high. The situation was tense as agitators and violent protestors forced police to fire tear gas. This all happened recently in Ferguson, Missouri in the U.S., but it can happen anywhere. Violence is increasing in cities all over the world.
This rise of crime touches us deeply because we desperately want to see peace in our cities. In the above quote, John Dawson emphasizes the fact that this is our planet and that our cities belongs to God. We have authority in prayer to protect and change the atmosphere of our city, but we must learn to fervently pray in faith with watchful eyes. The Greek words used for “to guard” are “gregoreuo” and “agrupneo,” which both mean to be awake or sleepless. This implies protection.
We need to be God’s watchmen day and night on the lookout for danger in our cities.
The Night Watch
"I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place of the Mighty One of Jacob" (Psalm 132:4).
At the same time as violence increases worldwide, God is raising up prayer in churches and cities, and he is also raising up the Night Watch. Many will rise up to this call and embrace the lifestyle of the Night Watch. Here at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC Prayer Room), there are many who love to pray in the middle of the night. It especially appeals to the youth and is called Fire in the Night. The Holy Spirit is stirring the hearts of a community of people worldwide who will pray and contend for the mercy and power of God in the night season (Joel 1:13).
They will be vigilant and watchful.
The Fire in the Night Watchmen at IHOP make a lifestyle change. They actually rearrange their lives in order to intercede through the night hours. They train their bodies to adjust to a new time schedule in eating and sleeping. They are intercessors, singers, and musicians who believe that they will see the Lord's victory in the night. We can most effectively do works of justice in the context of night and day prayer. We desperately need God's justice in our cities. The atmosphere of God's presence and fire in the night opens the way for justice and the harvest of souls.
"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly" (Luke 18:7-8).
Psalm 134 speaks of those in the night watch. This is critical to the divine strategy of God in order to see transformation in our cities. So many evil things happen in the night—murder, theft, immorality, and witchcraft. Light can invade the darkness through prayer and worship. We receive the blessing that the Lord promises those who minister in His house through the night.
“Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion” (Psalm 134).
As we look at what took place in Ferguson, there is an urgency of the hour to pray for our cities. The present emphasis on prayer makes day and night prayer a possibility in this generation. The commitment of a rising group of young people to be God’s night watchmen should stimulate each one of us to give ourselves to prayer. Let’s seek to be people who learn to pray not only in the day but also in the night. "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night" (Psalm 63:6).
As more of God’s people pray and bless the Lord at night, the spiritual atmosphere changes in the city. His fire is released in the night!
How to Pray for Your City
"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day and all night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth" (Isaiah 62:6-7).
The following are some ways you can bring authoritative intercession for your city into your prayer life:
- Cover your city with continuous praise and worship - God gives you His heart for your city through worship and a positive attitude. Instead of complaining and reacting toward the sin in your city, praise God for the good things. Satan is already an accuser, so praising God and declaring by faith the eternal purpose and dream of God over your city brings in His presence and defeats the enemy.
- Wait on the Lord for insight - Don’t depend on your own wisdom, but listen to God with childlike dependence. God will open your eyes as to what He wants to do in your city when you set aside your own agenda and wait upon Him. The Lord will give you His strategies for reaching and blessing your city.
- Identify with the sins of the city - We can all identify with the roots of any sin in our city. The potential is in each one of us. We need to identify in personal and corporate repentance. Nehemiah identified with the sins in his city and prayed: “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you” (Nehemiah 1:6-7).
- Overcome evil with good - Come in the opposite spirit. If there is a lot of violence, demonstrate the spirit of peace. If your city is full of greed, demonstrate generosity. If there is hate, live a life of love. This will give you great victory in your city.
- Travail over your city - Just as a pregnant woman travails to give birth to a child, you birth God’s dream in your city through travail (John 16:21). You must pray until something happens; this takes dedication and perseverance. This has everything to do with faith for your city and revival. The Apostle Paul is an excellent example (2 Corinthians 11:27-28).
A few years ago we were praying day and night in southern Spain. I remember a particularly weary time of prayer early in the morning while it was still dark, and I was feeling very alone in the prayer room. God reminded me of when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and His disciples fell asleep. He had asked them to watch with Him. In the same way, I felt like the Lord was quietly and tenderly speaking to me, saying:
"Will you not watch with me one hour? Will you not watch and pray here in the dark for the land and the salvation of souls?"
I realized at that moment that I needed to say "yes" to the Lord. He is looking for those who will stand watch even when it is not easy. He is looking for those with an intense desire to see His peace and presence in their city. We have two possibilities before us. We can either release God's holy fire in the night or the enemy will release fires of sin and destruction in our cities. Will you be God’s watchman at such an important hour, even when others are sleeping?
Will you release His fire in the night through pray until He brings deliverance to your city?
A Prayer for Your City
Dear Lord, change the atmosphere of our city through our prayers. Help us to guard our city as watchmen. Our city belongs to You [Name your city.] Teach us to continually cover it with praise and worship day and night. We long to release Your fire in the night season. Give us insight into how to pray for our city and how to take action in love as we wait on You. Teach us the secret of travailing prayer. Give us great faith for peace and revival for our city. We will pray until Your deliverance comes. We choose to give ourselves no rest (Isaiah 62:6-7). We praise You for You are mighty and powerful, and You can do all things. We choose to remember Your name in the night. We praise You for what You are going to do in our city as we pray and reach out to the lost. In Jesus’ name, amen.
"I have [earnestly] remembered Your name, O Lord, in the night, and I have observed Your law" (Psalm 119:55).
Intercessors Arise
- Four facebook pages for my books on prayer: Breakthrough Prayer, Ascending the Height in Prayer, Deeper Still, and 24/7 Prayer Arise.
- Join and like the Intercessors Arise facebook page for daily encouragement in your prayer life.
- Have your friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here.
- An Intercessors Arise International School of Prayer is in the initial stages. See The Fire of Prayer blog site.
Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer (IHOP) KC Staff
deb@intercessorsarise.org
I pray for a list of extended family members each night after I lie down in bed. I have specific scriptures memorized that I pray over for some family members. I have prayed for some of the children on my list every day of their lives. Of course I sometimes fall asleep before I finish the list. There are worse ways to go to sleep. And since I pray for them in a certain order, I am able to pick up the prayer in the morning as far as I remember praying the night before.
I have done this for years. So I don't remember how I came up with the order. To some extent, I think I developed the list simply by repetition. I do not know how long it takes me to get through the list. In fact, no two nights are quite the same.
I do this each night because of continuing needs in my family. My grandchild has a need this week. My nephew will probably face a crisis tomorrow. And several family members seem to have ongoing problems. But I suspect the primary benefit, like most prayer, is in what God does and will do in me. I believe going to sleep in prayer may help saturate every aspect of my life in the presence of God.
