Ten Proven Practices for Community and Nation-Transforming Prayer
“He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.” (Ps. 111:6)
“Ask of me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth as your possession.” (Psalm 2:8)
“Burundi shall be saved!” Those were the Spirit’s words spoken in the sweetest, most assuring voice I heard, accompanied by what seemed like the soft beating of a dove’s wings next to my right ear. I was seated on the platform listening to Burundi’s ambassador for peace and reconciliation give a final word at the end of a three-day prayer initiative our team had facilitated in the strife-torn nation in the year 2000. About 200 Christian leaders from the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa tribes had spent many hours humbling themselves, crying out to God with deep emotion and broken hearts for their war-shattered land in which tens of thousands were being killed through intertribal warfare much like neighboring Rwanda. They had taken part in times of moving reconciliation between their ethnic groups and denominations. It seemed like the Great Physician Himself was in the room doing His own kind of heart surgery on all who were present.
In the months following, we witnessed what that sweet, heavenly voice said actually come to pass as a government of national unity was formed and Hutu leaders in exile flew back into the country. Eventually, the current president, who had come to Christ in the jungle as a rebel leader, came into office. He has continued to work for unity and the development of the nation, wholeheartedly serving the Lord as a man of prayer and worship in all he does.
In this case, and in the rest of the over 50 national prayer initiatives my colleagues and I have had the privilege of facilitating, we have observed and used a number of key practices we have that may be of encouragement to those of us wanting to see God’s transformation of our own or other nations we are concerned about. Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Gather the spiritual leaders and intercessors (be inclusive of all denominations) together for a sustained time for no agenda except the Lord and one another. 2-3 days in a retreat setting is ideal if possible, otherwise a few hours or a process enabling participants to go deep enough.
2. Come in a spirit of humility, confessing our personal and corporate sin, seeking to get on the Lord’s wavelength (Isaiah 55:7-8).
3. As needed and usually it is, facilitate an unhurried time for reconciliation of denominations and ethnic groups that are present so representatives can ask for and receive forgiveness on behalf of their groups.
4. Locals who are knowledgeable about political, social, economic or church needs share issues for prayer, including anything uncovered about the way the powers of darkness are influencing the society.
5. Bring these issues and situations to God, listening to and waiting on Him for His strategy to deal with them - both through prayer and actions proceeding from it. Pray with unity and faith, dealing with evil spiritual powers in His authority which He shares with us (Matthew 18:18-20, Luke 10:19, and Ephesians 6:10-18)
6. Listen to the Lord corporately, being open for prophetic input like words from Scripture, impressions, dreams and visions He may give to participants.
7. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead the process and don’t preprogram it. “Let God be God” in the midst of His people!
8. Include children and youth as equal ministry partners. Let them pray and give prophetic words. Often God will speak through a child more clearly and powerfully than through an adult!
9. Where appropriate invite government leaders and officials to take part to be prayed for or to share prayer concerns but not to give political speeches.
10. Pray with authority and unity as those who sit beside the one who has all power, Jesus Christ, joined to Him through the Spirit who lives within us. Expect that history will be changed and it will! (Matthew 18:18-20). “History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being!” (Walter Wink)
May the Lord use you to do exploits for Him wherever you are to witness the “power of his works” and along with Messiah receive the nations as your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth as your possession!
A quarter of Brits don’t know their neighbour’s name
Perhaps the Queen had an inkling of how bad things were when she used her historic speech to Parliament last month to call on the nation to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee by being a good neighbour. It turns out 13 million of us (or 26 per cent) don’t know the name of the person who lives next door, 22 per cent don’t know what they do for a living, 7 per cent have absolutely no idea who they are and 3 per cent feel threatened by them, according to new research by FindaProperty.com. But the days of borrowing a cup of sugar might not be completely behind us, as the survey reveals that a fifth of us (or 19 per cent) say they would actually like to have a better relationship with their neighbours. Knowing the person next door can improve security and quality of life. We all want to feel safe and comfortable in our homes and the strength of our relationships with the people who live nearby affect this.
Pray: for neighbours to get to know each other and to be willing to reach out the hand of friendship. (Matt.7:12)
More: http://blog.zoopla.co.uk/2012/04/10/neighbour-dont-know-name/
NHS watchdog to tackle malnutrition in hospitals
The Department of Health is acting after reports that over 1,000 people have starved to death in NHS hospitals in past four years. The Sunday Express said figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that for every patient who dies from malnutrition, four more have dehydration mentioned on their death certificate. In 2011, 43 patients starved to death and 291 died in a state of severe malnutrition, the newspaper said, while the number of patients discharged from hospital suffering from malnutrition doubled to 5,558. A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "Every NHS patient should expect to be looked after properly in hospital. It is completely unacceptable if patients go hungry or are malnourished. and they have increased the number of unannounced inspections by the care watchdog to tackle the issue. "We are also investing £100m on IT so nurses can spend more time with patients, not paperwork.
Pray: for response to this issue that will ensure it becomes a tragedy of the past. (Ps.8:4)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/03/nhs-watchdog-malnutrition-hospitals
Police chaplain 'forced out after criticising gay marriage'
A police chaplain says he was forced out of his post after criticising the Government’s plans for gay marriage on his personal website, MPs have been told. Rev Brian Ross said he was summoned to a meeting with a senior officer and told that postings on his blog on the subject of marriage did not fit with the force’s equality and diversity policies. Campaigners against same-sex marriage claimed that the case was “just the start of things to come”. They said it backed up warnings that chaplains in hospitals, prisons and the armed forces as well as teachers and other public servants could be dismissed legally from their jobs if they take what they consider to be a stand on grounds of conscience over the issue. Ministers have repeatedly insisted that no one should be sacked from their job for voicing opposition to same-sex marriage and have built in special “protections” for clerics into the Government’s Marriage Bill.
Pray: for Government to make their promises clear by acting to ensure no one should lose their job because of stating their point of view. (Jn.16:29)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9901134/Police-chaplain-forced-out-after-criticising-gay-marriage.html
