Displaying items by tag: prayer

J John has recently commented: ‘However Brexit is resolved, it offers both encouragements and challenges to us who pray. Brexit is a symptom of a world that appears to have gone off-script. Many of the pillars of our world have either been destroyed or are shaking badly. Within a lifetime we have gone from a culture founded on solid Judeo-Christian values to one in which the only fundamental truth is that there is no truth. In the dysfunctional world we live in, prayer and praising remind us that, however spectacular the damage to these pillars is, they do not in fact hold up the world. Underneath and over this world is God, and he remains immovable. Psalm 11 says, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.” Nothing has changed. Prayer reminds us that where the world sees only instability, we can focus beyond to eternal stability.’

From 20 January, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) joined in a week of prayer for Christian unity and dedicated prayer for the political situation in the UK. CTBI said, ‘This is a time in which many feel anger and anxiety over the future, and we need to pray that those who have the heavy burden of political leadership in our country may find a unity that brings our communities together in the task of serving the common good.’ Archbishop John Sentamu has encouraged everyone to pray three times a day, at 6am, 12 noon, and 6pm. He has written a special prayer to use: see

‘Father, help us to resist the destructive ploys of the enemy to divide our nation. Give Your strength and peace to our politicians. Give fresh anointing to our government as they carry the mantle for running the country and banish confusion and fear from parliament, replacing it with wisdom from heaven as decisions are made on behalf of the people. Establish your purpose and direction for our nations in the coming weeks. Amen’. On 17 January our newspapers led with news of the Brexit deadlock. While all agree there is political chaos, they disagree about who is to blame: is it Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn or MPs in general? The Guardian said that despite surviving a dramatic no-confidence vote, Mrs May was left scrambling to strike a Brexit compromise, and Tory MPs remain deeply divided about how she should adapt her deal.

The Evangelical Alliance writes, ‘Paul reminds Timothy that praying for our leaders “pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.’’ (1 Timothy 2:4) So we should not just be praying for competence for our leaders, but that they would know Jesus Christ. If they already say they know Jesus, we should be praying that their faith would deepen and grow. Paul’s life gives us a number of principles that can guide our prayers for those in authority. However, there is still a difficult question: how do we pray together for our politicians when we may disagree quite strongly on their policies? This question is an important one for Christian unity, and will get more acute as the Brexit debates enter a new stage.’ Nevertheless we can all recommit to praying for our political leaders to know Jesus.

‘Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in’ (Psalm 24:9). The Uprising is a global gathering of ordinary people daring to believe that prayer changes things, their voices matter, and that ‘God is more than able to change the course of history’. People from every nation will speak the heart of God in prayer, declaration, and worship, expecting to see Him change things in our regions and nations. It is a gathering of people who are willing to fight and make a sacrifice together, seeking the face of God to bring justice and peace among the nations. Old and young will honour each other and bring healing between generations. Pray that every delegate that is meant to be there will arrive safely and be used powerfully. For short videos, see

The results of forthcoming elections will be important in many ways - domestic, religious, regional and global. El Salvador elects a president on 3 February: security, corruption and migration will be campaign issues. On 16 February President Buhari seeks re-election in Nigeria, where electoral violence remains a real concern. Ukraine’s presidential election on 31 March will focus on security and the economy. Afghanistan’s fourth presidential election since 2001, on 20 April, will test its capacity to conduct a credible, orderly process amid deteriorating security conditions. In South Africa the ruling ANC, dogged by record-high unemployment and corruption, faces an election test in May following the resignation of President Zuma. European parliamentary elections between 23-26 May will see anti-Europe and Euro-skeptic forces capitalising on anti-immigration and populist economic issues post-Brexit. In Guatemala, general elections in June will focus on the economy, reforms to public administration, migration, and anti-corruption issues that have divided the country over recent years.

Pray for truthful accountable reporting by the media in the coming year. Pray for reporters and researchers to be more prepared to speak out without favour or bias. Ask God to grace our political news presenters and bloggers with heavenly wisdom and vision in all that they say and record. Bless and pray protection over all our politicians and their families, who have had to live and work under incredible pressure in this season of change. May God give them peace as they step back from battles and into Christmas. May each of them find recuperation and rest, and may unity replace diversity in the Cabinet in 2019. Ask God to give our MPs the humility and insights needed to make accurate choices and may they be delivered from the temptation to work for personal platforms or party politics (Matthew 6:13).

Tens of thousands of people have prodigal family members. The dictionary defines a prodigal as extravagant, a big spender. The word describes the son in the well-known parable: does it also describe the Father, who threw a great extravagant feast in honour of to his errant son? You might empathise with him; he loves his son but has not seen him in many months and is worried about his adventure in the big, wide, often dangerous world. Fathers, mothers and siblings of prodigals know the deep ache as they pray for them to come back to Jesus. Prodigals are on God’s heart. Ask Him to prompt families to know when to open a reconciling conversation, and when to remain silent. May there be strengthened relationships so that people draw closer together.

A fragile calm took hold in Hodeidah on 18 December, after sporadic gunfire between Houthi fighters and forces loyal to the government. Two days later it was being hailed by many as a positive step on the path to peace for the war-torn country. However the agreement is open to different interpretations by the warring parties. It talks of ‘mutual redeployment of forces’ from Hodeidah and other ports. The Houthis do not see this as meaning that they need to withdraw, while the other side thinks they must do so - a key point of contention. See. Everyone is praying that the truce will hold. The humanitarian situation is beyond atrocious. The majority of malnourished people don't know where they will get their next meal. Women can't produce milk for their children. People die daily. 22 million people need aid. 8.4 million face starvation. Pray for immediate co-ordinated availability and distribution of all that is needed.

A World Generation Gathering is about to see the Holy Spirit poured out in Jakarta between 23 and 26 January 2019. A similar event in South Korea in 2016 saw a wonderful move of God inspire and anoint all who attended and the ministries and the countries they represented. For an exciting report on that event, click the ‘More’ button. Please pray for all who will be in Jakarta’s prayer and worship celebration to hear God’s wake-up call on their lives. May every follower of Jesus have a heart prepared by the Holy Spirit, so that they share all that God is doing in their life boldly and powerfully in a way that millions more will be inspired to be Christ-followers. Pray for the anointing of intercession to fall on every speaker, musician, and delegate. Pray for all technology to be trouble-free, and for the funding and travel arrangements of all involved. See