"Nothing was more pressing than that the
nations and multitudes who are marching to a
Christless eternity should be saved. How I saw
the agendas of men: so many and varied and all
of such vital importance to them, but there
was only one paramount agenda to God: The nations.
I instantly realized that the entire task of
the glorious triune God was completely and utterly
devoted to this one supreme purpose for which
Jesus had so freely given His life. All else
was rather trivial in comparison and we all
had majored on the trivial." Michael Howard
While
at sea for days on a ministry trip and with our
ship bobbing up and down in the vast and seemingly
limitless ocean, it was easy to feel low or even
seasick. I found it was a prime opportunity to
seek to see things from God's point of view. Undistracted
by the business of the usual routines, I was able
to look at God's world, taking time to hear His
heart of love for the nations. "When thou
didst say, 'Seek My face' my heart said to Thee,
'Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek'" (Psalm
27:8). His heart is full of compassion. His
heart takes in the whole world. What does this
mean to us as intercessors and a people who want
to grow in prayer? Our focus should also include
the world, the nations and cities around us. We
are the ones who can impact the nations with our
prayers.
God
is looking to and fro across this whole earth
to find those whose hearts are as His heart, those
who will intercede for the nations. Will you
be one to stand in the gap? God is looking for
intercessors. Will you be one that intercedes
for the nations? Will you let God lay a nation
on your heart for the purpose of prayer? Can God
give you His passion for the world? A key to our
authority is when our heartbeat aligns with the
heartbeat of our Almighty God. He desires to use
you in a powerful way to touch the nations.
"The
one great need in the modern missionary movement
is intercessors. They were scarce in the days
of Isaiah. This was his complaint: 'And he saw
that there was no man, and wondered that there
was no intercessor' (Isaiah 59:16). So today
there is great need of intercessors: first,
for the needy harvest fields of earth, born
of a Christlike compassion for the thousands
without the Gospel, and, then, for laborers
to be sent forth by God into the needy fields
of earth." E. M. Bounds
How
to Pray for Nations
"The
only condition that is to give worldwide power
to this Gospel is prayer, and the spread of
this 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." E. M. Bounds
I
encourage all intercessors to begin to pray for
the nations. Ask God to lay a burden on your
heart for a nation, a people group or for a region
of the world. You may want to pray for troubled
areas of the world you hear about on the news.
God wants every one of us to open our eyes, enlarge
our vision, and begin to pray for the needy world
around us. There are many ways to pray. Some intercessors
like to pray through prayer cards with prayer
requests for different nations. Others like to
pray over a large map of a country. Some like
to use the book Operation World that has
detailed requests for every nation. Each way is
good, but the main thing is to begin.
Here
are several points of prayer that apply to the
nations, plus some scriptures to start you off
as you pray. These prayer requests are excellent
when interceding for any nation. During your time
of prayer, God may have you focus strongly on
one or on a few of these items. Be creative, be
led by the Holy Spirit, and let God burden your
heart for different parts of the world with His
particular emphasis for that day. Don't think
you have to pray through the whole list but let
God direct you by His Spirit. Pray the Scriptural
truth over the nation as well. Adding countries
into your prayer life develops your effectiveness
in a powerful way. I like to pray for a different
nation every day. Your burden for the world will
grow, and you will begin to see the world and
life in a new way. Our own problems seem smaller
when we focus on the needs of whole nations and
people groups.
- Thank
God for how He is working in the nations
- "How awesome is the Lord most High,
the great King is the Lord Most High, the great
King over all the earth! God reigns over the
nations; God is seated on his holy throne."
(Psalm 47:2, 8)
- Pray
for unity in the body of Christ - "I
in them and you in me. May they be brought to
complete unity to let the world know that you
sent me and have loved them even as you have
loved me." (John 17:23)
" Pray for revival among God's people -
"Will you not revive us again, that your
people may rejoice in you." (Psalm 85:6)
-
Pray for government leaders and spiritual leaders
- "I urge, then, first of all, that
requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving
be made for everyone - for kings and all those
in authority, that we may live peaceful and
quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
(I Timothy 2:1-2)
- Pray
that God's people will walk in holiness and
obedience
- "Since we have these promises, dear
friends, let us purify ourselves from everything
that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting
holiness out of reverence for God." (II
Corinthians 7:1)
- Pray
for the fear of the Lord among Christians
- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge." (Proverbs 1:7)
- Pray
for God to send His workers from every nation
into the harvest field - "Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
observe everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end
of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
- Pray
that the Church will reach out to the poor,
needy and imprisoned
- "Remember those in prison as if you
were their fellow prisoners, and those who are
mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."
(Hebrews 13:3)
-
Pray for the salvation of the lost -
"And everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved." (Acts 2:21)
- Pray
that God will use children and youth mightily
for His glory
- "At that time Jesus said, 'I praise
you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
you have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little children.'"
(Matthew 11:25)
- Pray
for just laws and righteous moral standards
- "Righteousness exalts a nation, but
sin is a disgrace to any people." (Proverbs
14:34)
- Pray
that the Word of God will be given its rightful
place
- "Your statutes are wonderful; therefore
I obey them." (Psalm 119:129)
- Pray
that 24-7 prayer and worship will start in every
major city in all nations - "How
lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts
of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for
the living God. Blessed are those who dwell
in your house. They are ever praising you."
(Psalm 84:1,2,4)
- Pray
that God's people will know how to effectively
wage spiritual warfare
- "Finally be strong in the Lord and
in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of
God so that you can take your stand against
the devil's schemes." (Ephesians 6:10-11)
- Pray
the promises of God in His Word over the nations
- "The nations will fear the name of
the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere
your glory." (Psalm 102:15)
-
Praise God for prayer for the nations
- "These will I bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their
burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted
on my altar; for my house will be called a house
of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7)
Praying
for the nations has rewards that will endure through
all eternity. This may be one of the most strategic
things you ever do. One day we will worship God
around the throne in heaven with people from every
tribe and tongue and nation. We will then realize
the value of every prayer we prayed for a nation
while we were on the earth. Are you willing today
to pray for the nations? Are you willing to invest
your time in a task that is so rewarding? "And
they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take
the scroll and to open its seals, because you
were slain, and with your blood you purchased
men for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation.'" (Revelation 5:9)
"While
I am very excited about what is happening, yet
as an intercessor, I can never forget that over
half of the world's population has never heard
of Jesus. The task ahead is still enormous.
As darkness covers the earth in the last days
and darkens the people, the glory of the Lord
will shine brighter and brighter, brighter and
brighter in the face of a people who love Him
absolutely and uncompromisingly. In this way,
the whole world will know that there is a God
who reigns in the Heavens and man will be left
without excuse on the day of Christ's appearing.
The Spirit is still heralding a call for watchmen
to join the great choir of intercessors."
Michael Howard
For
more training on how to reach the world, read
the book Intercessors Arise by Debbie Przybylski
and Go Forth in Power by Norman and Debbie
Przybylski.
Training
in World Missions
To
learn more about the Elijah Company please read:
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