Displaying items by tag: IPC Editorial

We are pleased to bring you this July 2021 edition of IPC Connections.  

Our Editorial article this month is an astounding report from the Passover to Pentecost Group!  These partnered events, missions and media projects have collectively seen 20 million new Jesus followers added to the Church since last year.  This 2021 Review details massive numbers coming to faith in Jesus Christ, Gospel movements emerging in the nations, and disciple-making churches being planted in unreached areas.   Let’s be in prayer for these huge numbers of people of all ages coming to faith, that they will grow into spiritual fullness in Christ. (Col 2:6-7)

Read about the 1 Million Hours of Prayer for Japan and the Olympic Games initiative that we are jointly launching with JiSP (Japan International Sports Partnership), in our second editorial article.  Sign up for the Prayer Guide.

We would welcome you to join us for the launch of the 1^st FRIDAY GO PRAY online prayer event on Friday 6^th August at 6AM Pacific time during which we will be Praying for the continued spiritual harvest AND for Japan and the missional opportunities that the Olympic Games present. 

We are not spotlighting a team member this month to make space for the Editorial article.  We would however covet your prayers for the whole team right now.  The IPC Leadership Team and Board’s representation spans the continents. They are each involved in a local church as well as ministering nationally and internationally.  Please pray for strength, good health, equipping and protection for them and their loved ones, as they continue to serve, often at personal cost, during these challenging times.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Every blessing,

Jason Hubbard - Director
International Prayer Connect

Please use this link if you would like to sow into IPC’s ministry with a donation

Disclaimer… The views and opinions expressed in IPC Connections and the articles on our website are those of individuals and our partner organisations. They do not necessarily represent the policies or views of IPC or its individual leaders.
We aim to respect the diversity within the prayer movement and yet embrace our unified calling to mobilise prayer for the nations. (2 Chron 7:14)   If you wish to discuss the appropriateness of any articles, please contact us.

INTRODUCTION

Our Editorial article this month is an extremely encouraging report from the Passover to Pentecost Group - a number of Christian prayer and missions networks who have come together in John 17 Unity to co-ordinate their events and initiatives with a common goal - contending for revival!

Download PDF of this Review

It’s our desire to see a massive full-scale revival and awakening erupt in the nations of the earth! We have been asking for another historic move of the Holy Spirit, a Gospel Explosion to sweep across the globe and awaken a generation to wholehearted love for Jesus!

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).

Despite the challenges that we are all facing with the pandemic, we are seeing massive numbers of people coming to faith in Jesus Christ, gospel movements emerging in the nations, and disciplemaking churches being planted in unreached areas. Since launching this collaborative effort in 2020 of prayer, mission, and church leaders partnering together, we have seen 20 million new Jesus followers added to the church!

Our theme for 2021 has been ‘Hope for the Coming Harvest.’ As you read through these firsthand reports, you will be encouraged to see evidence of this global harvest emerging in the nations. This year we estimate approximately 70 million believers were mobilized in united prayer partneringtogether with 50 million believers sharing their faith from Passover through Pentecost!

It has been astounding to watch so many come together in an expression of John 17 ‘oneness’ across nations, denominations, and generations for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Only Jesus gets the credit. He is the One who is leading the global prayer and mission’s movements. May the Lord continue to knit our hearts together as ‘family’ growing in love for one another, centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, and grounded on the authority of God’s word! May we continue to see a global Christ-awakening in the nations of the earth, as prayer is prioritized, believers are mobilized, unity is maximized, and communities are gospelized.

It’s all about a Christ-awakening, where the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to reawaken God’s people back to God’s Son for all that He is! We want to enter into the power and pleasure of being obsessed with the magnificence of Jesus. He is the dominating personality in this age and in the age to come!

God is truly bringing us into a ‘decade of harvest.’ One of the goals that we launched in 2020 was to see 100 million in united prayer for a ‘billion soul harvest.’ During the month of May this year millions were praying and sharing their faith around the world in partnership with the Go Movement. Thank you to all those who have served, prayed, worshipped, and collaborated in these various Spirit-led, Christ-exalting, prayer and evangelism initiatives!

WHAT AN AMAZING SEASON FROM PASSOVER TO PENTECOST 2021!

“May the Lamb who was slain receive the due rewards for His suffering.”

Jason Hubbard & Andy Page - International Prayer Connect
Graham Power & Anja Letsatsi - Global Voice of Prayer, together with the global prayer & mission networks

April 2nd 2021
GOOD FRIDAY WORLDWIDE BROADCAST

April 14th – May 23rd 2021
YESHUA FAST

Like the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness for the 40 day fast (the biblical era shifting fast) that inaugurated the first great Jewish harvest of souls, there was a sense that this 40 day Jesus (Yeshua) Fast April 14th – May 23rd (Pentecost Sunday) was a tipping point for a new day of salvation for Israel and harvest in the earth.

The Yeshua Fast was hosted by Lou Engle Ministries.

10,000 plus prayer warriors from across the globe were a part of these 40 days of prayer fasting for Israel and the Great Harvest.
The Israel Virtual House of Prayer was also birthed during this time as thousands logged on for 24/7 prayer for Israel.

Contact:
LOU ENGLE | Lou Engle Ministries
www.thejesusfast.global | www.israelvhop.com

May 17th 2021
SHAVUOT GATHERING

During the Shavuot Gathering, thousands around the globe had the privilege of standing with and hearing from our family in India and the Middle East. The enemy has brought turmoil to these regions, but the Lord will bring beauty out of ashes. Where the world is seeing destruction, we declare resurrection. Where the spirit of death has been prevalent, we speak abundant life. During our time together we felt the Lord release an atomic bomb of love over us. This love is washing, healing, and transforming our nations through the release of His Spirit and the power of His Kingdom.

In light of the conflict happening in the Middle East, we choose to rise up and speak from a higher Kingdom perspective. Ishmael came out of the womb of Hagar the Egyptian. Egypt, as the mother of the descendants of Ishmael and all who identify with his spirit, holds the authority to call home her descendants. The orphan spirit that has long plagued the Arabs must be broken. It is time for the restoration of the house of Abraham. During this gathering, a deep longing was released from the heart of Egypt to call home the sons of Ishmael. There is no other hope except through love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

During the Shavuot Gathering, a pure sound was released to call forth blessing over the children, the orphans, and all those who were suffering in India. Devastated by the recent wave of the pandemic, we stand with our family in India in unrelenting prayer. We lift up the name of Yeshua and intercede for the healing and revival of this beautiful nation. The heart of the family is that none will be left behind. We ache with India, may her pain become our pain.

Contact:
RACHEL DEMIAN | Watchmen for the Nations
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.watchmen.org

May 13th – 22nd 2021
10 DAYS PENTECOST

During the 10 Days leading up to Pentecost (May 13-23), 10 Days partnered with the Global Family 24/7 Prayer Room to host increased 24/7 prayer via Zoom. Four daily teachings were hosted as part of prayer time as a way to encourage and build up the intercessors with anointed leaders from all 6 continents. Many of these teachings were very anointed and impactful, and the cumulative effect was very powerful. Various in person 10 Days Pentecost gatherings took off in various locations including Colorado, Dallas, and especially in Pakistan where 15 locations joined in separate from the Zoom. We were amazed as God multiplied prayers during this time, no doubt much beyond what we can currently see.

Testimony from Indian Pastors on 10 Days Pentecost:

“During the 2 hours we prayed with great intensity for India - as India was going through great despair with Covid - and in the church there was great sadness and mourning for many Pastors who lost their lives due to Covid. But the Indian pastors and church leaders who join said that in this adversity, God has encouraged the church in building the spiritual strength of Pastors and prayer warriors, there has been much prayer and fasting during the Pentecost period, much united prayer on Zoom. Church leaders put aside their differences to join together in prayer - for God’s hand to move in India and prayed in unity for Salvation for India. And God has answered their prayers - there has of recent been a substantial reduction in Covid numbers, and they are working together in a unity which they did not have before. They are also joining together to reach out to their communities and offering food and help to the community. And the Zoom prayers of Pastors and leaders joining together from different cities in India is continuing. Last 2 weeks when they have joined for prayer it has been so uplifting to hear their faith filled prayers of thanksgiving as they are praying with hope for God to open hearts and minds in India.”

Contact:
JONATHAN FRIZ | 10 Days
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 10Days.net

May 22nd 2021
MARCH FOR JESUS

The March for Jesus is a procession of praise through the streets of the city, celebrating the Lordship of Jesus Christ and culminating in a grand worship event in which Christians publicly proclaim the Glory, the Majesty and the Supremacy of the Savior. It’s all about Jesus ... and nothing else.

The theme for March for Jesus 2021 was “Worthy Is the Lamb” drawn from Revelation 5:12. There was a sense that the church in specific and the nation of USA in a larger context is in desperate need of recognizing the healing and forgiving power of Jesus Christ. When John the Baptist saw the Messiah approaching the Jordan River to be baptized, he shouted “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). One day the elders and the angels will shout in agreement with John as in heaven Christ is heralded as the Worthy Lamb. In May 2021, we experienced an aspect of this during the March for Jesus.

While most States in the USA still comply with the tail-end of Covid restrictions, 38 cities in 20 States Marched for Jesus in their communities as a united expression of worship.

Contact:
GARY FROST | The March for Jesus
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.themarchforjesus.org

May 23rd 2021
PENTECOST GLOBAL BROADCAST & GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER

“I was so aware of Holy Spirit’s presence from the beginning of this. I continued interceding almost the entire time and we continued praying afterwards… The diversity of colors, cultures, languages, ages was the Kingdom and was powerful. We have to show this to the world because that is what the Kingdom of God looks like. When all of the languages and ethnicities hear and see their heart language being spoken, Holy Spirit shows up…” Stephen Goode, YWAM Asia

In addition, many exciting reports were received concerning Global Day of Prayer events being hosted in different parts of the world, including the Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Germany, USA, Namibia and many other parts of Africa.

In Brazil, it was reported that around 140 denominations and mission agencies participated in Global Day of Prayer 2021, with 240 hours of non-stop prayer. On the last day they had a whole day meeting online with well-known Brazilian leaders sharing and praying, and reaching not only Brazil but many African Portuguese speaking countries and Portugal – truly dynamic!

Contact:
ANJA LETSATSI | Global Voice of Prayer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.globalvoiceofprayer.com

PRAYER COVENANT AFRICA – GO MONTH REPORT

May 30th – August 28th 2021
90 DAYS OF HOPE & GLOBAL DAY OF HOPE

It’s time to Release the Sound of Hope! From 30 May – 28 August this year we are turning our prayers into action as believers around the world hit the streets to share the Good News and serve their communities in creative ways.

Through the process of Pray Care Share we aim to inspire Hope and empower not only ourselves but the lives we intend to touch during this time.

The Global Day of Hope on August 28th 2021 will be a worldwide celebration of HOPE with a dynamic 2 hour broadcast featuring key leaders, music, powerful testimonies and more across regions and time zones.

1. Pray - for your friends, family, community, nation, and the world to know the hope of Jesus.
2. Care - for the people in your community who are lonely or in need to give them hope.
3. Share - your hope story and the good news that Jesus saves with one person everyday.

Contact:
PAT STEELE | Hope Movement
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.globaldayofhope.com

We are pleased to bring you this special Pentecost 2021 edition of IPC Connections.  

In our editorial article, Dr Jason Hubbard takes us on a valuable journey of learning about this time in the Church’s calendar.  He introduces it by saying ’As we prepare for Pentecost 2021, I want to highlight ten aspects of Jesus’s ascension in hopes that this climactic event will be an important bridge of understanding and inspiration for us linking Passover to Pentecost.  Let’s give attention to the Ascension!’

Among many difficult situations around the world, our hearts are particularly burdened at this time with the challenges facing India, Israel and Burma.  In this edition, we are providing some ‘on the ground’ briefings along with links to more information and suggested prayer pointers as we seek to intercede for these nations.

It is a time to pray, but it is also a time to participate in making a difference, in whatever ways we can.  We are providing some suggested routes for sending financial support to India in the article that follows below.

World Prayer Together | GO Pray seeks to cover Global Outreach Month (GO MONTH) in prayer, as this huge worldwide initiative encourages every believer to be a witness, by sharing the Gospel on a one-to-one basis during May 2021. 

We are already hearing heartening testimonies from around the continents of lives committed to Jesus.   The GO PRAY 2-hour program includes prayers for GO MONTH and prayers for India, China and the Middle East. 

It is now available to watch with multiple language sub-titles and audio translation in 10+ languages along with a prayer guide download.  

A 30-minute special edition is being prepared including some of the many testimonies.  Subscribe to the @ipcprayer YouTube channel to be notified when it goes live.

The Global Day of Prayer – Pentecost Sunday Broadcast is a 60-minute program that is being shown around the world on Pentecost Sunday, online, on GODTV and many other networks.  Its theme is ‘Hope of the Coming Harvest’ - a clarion call for the Body of Christ to unite and pray earnestly for the coming harvest. This one-hour celebration of diversity includes key voices from around the world, and opportunities to pray united prayers for justice, healing, restoration, reconciliation, and hope for the nations with a special emphasis on the next generation and families. 

The program is being made available to churches and networks to download, translate and play as appropriate on Pentecost Sunday, May 23^rd.   See the final article below for details and a download link.

Hope of the Coming Harvest 2021 - The Pentecost Sunday Broadcast is one of several events taking place under the same theme, of ‘Hope of the Coming Harvest’ that aim to mobilise united prayer, worship and missions initiatives, contending for the great harvest in 2021. (Luke 10:2) Details of the events taking place during May follow below.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York along with Our Friends at 24-7 Prayer, are launching ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ today.  It is a global ecumenical wave of prayer calling all Christians to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know the love and peace of Jesus Christ.

There are a huge number of national and international prayer and mission gatherings taking place during this season - more than any of our team can recall!  The pandemic has brought challenges, but it has also brought unprecedented opportunities as the church has leaped into the world of live-streaming and online meetings.  We thank God for the spirit of Luke 17 ‘oneness’ that pervades between each event, as we all respond to the times that we are in, and our common motivation, to make Jesus known across all peoples.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Every blessing,

Jason Hubbard - Director
International Prayer Connect

Please use this link if you would like to sow into IPC’s ministry with a donation

Disclaimer…

The views and opinions expressed in IPC Connections and the articles on our website are those of individuals and our partner organisations. They do not necessarily represent the policies or views of IPC or its individual leaders.
We aim to respect the diversity within the prayer movement and yet embrace our unified calling to mobilise prayer for the nations. (2 Chron 7:14)   If you wish to discuss the appropriateness of any articles, please contact us.

The Blessing

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,  The Lord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:22-27). 

These words have been heard by millions of people in the last months as they listened to the popular song “The Blessing.” The song, originally performed by Elevation Worship (the worship ministry of a church in the United States), viewed now over 22 million times on youtube has rapidly become an international hymn adopted by Christians around the world. From the Arab world, to Europe, to Brazil, to Australia, to Indonesia, to Singapore, to South Africa, to India, to China, this song has literally swept through the nations! It is exciting to see the global church singing her prayers and praying her songs!  I think my favorite one is the kids from different nations singing the blessing! 

The specific words of Aaron’s High Priestly Blessing came from the Lord Himself and were to be spoken over His people Israel, by which He would place His name upon them. The effect of His blessing would display His character, His nature, His very being in and through His people. He would bless them to ‘be’ a blessing to the nations because that is his nature! Our God is a ‘Blessing’ orientated God! He set his affection upon them, loved them as his own, even calling Israel his ‘own son,’ redeeming them out of the land of slavery. God was saying to the Hebrews, “I will bless you and keep you, smile on you, be gracious to you, and give you peace!’  His promise was to love, to protect, to bless and to be with them!

God is intensely concerned to bless his people. Blessing is God’s idea, it is not something we have to beg for, it is something that he desires to give.

In this prayer we see 6 promises of God’s blessing. The verbs are in the singular although he is speaking to the whole community of Israel. His blessing is his ‘name.’ As he said to Moses,

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

God reveals his name Yahweh 3 times in the prayer, revealing his Trinitarian nature, the three-in-one God.

His name Yahweh is his covenant name, literally ‘I am who I am.’ He is the self-sufficient, self-sustaining, all knowing, unstoppable God who always keeps his promises!  He promises, ‘I will be your God, you will be my people.’  In the relational sense, he means, ‘I am the one who is there with you and for you.  All that I am I place at your disposal.’ In his wisdom God knows what’s best for us, in his love he wants what’s best for us, and in his power he delivers what is best for us!

Six promises of Blessing

1. The Lord BLESS you.

Blessing is the act of declaring God’s favor and goodness upon others. It is asking the Lord to wrap up His people in His protective and loving care. After God created Adam and Eve, he ‘blessed’ them to be fruitful and to multiply! He choose Abram and said to him,

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3).

Blessed to be a blessing to the nations. The word ‘blessing’ and ‘to bless’ is used 330x throughout the Old Testament. Jesus opens up his teaching on the sermon on the mount with 8 blessings. When Jesus was about to depart from His disciples 10 days before Pentecost, the Scriptures records that He lifted His hands and blessed them (Luke 24:50).

This is significant because the High Priestly Blessing is also called “The Lifting of the Hands.” Jesus was blessing His disciples with the same blessing that His Father had commanded Aaron, through Moses, to speak over the house of Israel and thus place His name on them.

Paul speaks to the church at Ephesus, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Eph. 1:3). Peter shares, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).  

The greatest blessing of all is the blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Scripture shows that blessing is anything God gives that makes us fully satisfied in him. Anything that draws us closer to Jesus. Anything that helps us relinquish the temporal and hold on more tightly to the eternal.

2. KEEP you. 

As Israel journeyed through the wilderness, God was faithful to keep them under the shadow of his wings, providing their needs, guiding them with his presence and delivering them from harm. The Lord promises to keep us, to protect us against all harm this world could offer. In the midst of dangerous places and things, he is our refuge, a bulwark and mountain fortress. He is never failing.  Even in the midst of our trials and suffering, he will keep us!  This gives us courage to follow Jesus wherever he would lead us! As Scripture says,

“No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us!’ (Rom. 8:37).

Not just a conqueror, but more than a conqueror.  The Greek phrase means to be super abundant in conquering through Christ, to triumph, or prevail completely! To be more than a conqueror means that before you ever get a problem, you already know that whatever problem comes your way, you can overcome it through Christ. You live with confidence that God loves you no matter what and He will never leave you nor forsake you. He protects us in Him! 

3. The Lord will make his face to SMILE upon you.

A smile sends a message. It’s like new parents when they look into the crib and see their little one, a smile always ensues!  There is something in that smile on the face of a parent that communicates connection, pleasure and delight. God says, “my face shines upon you with a smile, a look of love. I see you. I am interested in you, I take great delight in you. I notice you, you are not forgotten!”  You are his treasured possession,  the very delight of his heart.

He has his eyes on his prize! He sings over you with rejoicing. As the psalmist says,

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). 

It’s his perfect love that cast out all fear! May Yahweh smile on you, and may he grant you well-being!

4. I will be GRACIOUS to you.

God deals with the reality of sin. Everyone of the 2 million Hebrews in the desert were sinners condemned to death and hell without God.  Because of sin, God had to distance himself from his people. To deal with this problem he provided for them the sacrificial system to atone for their sins. In essence God says, ‘when the blood is shed, then you can come into my presence, then and only then can your sin be dealt with.’ This pointed to the ultimate fulfillment in the New Covenant and the blood of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb! 

Grace is God’s love in action.  Grace is when God freely gives us what we need even though we don’t deserve it and we can never repay him. Grace is when God solves our greatest problem even before we knew it was a problem. Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It is the face of God when he looks at our faults, failures and fears.. Jesus knows us the best, and loves us the MOST.

“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” (Exo. 34:4-6).

5. I will turn my face TOWARDS you.

His first promise was to look upon us with a smile, and now he promises to turn his face towards us. He promises not turn his back on us even in the midst of our sin and weakness and come towards us with his Presence! This promise deals with his desire to come near us, to step in and walk with us day by day, moment by moment.   Jesus promises to be our Emmanuel, God-With-Us forever! He promised that as we go to make disciples of all nations, that he would be with us even to the end of the age! At Pentecost, God came by his Spirit, not just to come ’to us’ but literally to dwell ‘in us.’ He promises to never leave us or forsake us! 

6. I will give you PEACE. 

This word peace is not so much the absence of war, or of conflict, but speaks of well-being. Of all the innumerable blessings of the Christian life, peace is one of the most precious. Our God is the God of peace, Jesus is called the ‘prince of peace,’ we preach a gospel of peace, and the Spirit of God releases peace to us.

Peace here speaks of well-being in all aspects of our life. It is all inclusive, complete, and comprehensive. Peace means life as good as it gets! He gives us abundant life, life to the full, more than enough, and in great supply. It is his life by his Spirit in us and through us that brings peace that transcends all understanding, above the ceiling and beyond imagination.

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15).

He promises to Bless us, to Keep Us, to Smile upon us, to be Gracious to us, to Turn towards us, and to give us Peace. Wow!

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,  that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (Psalm 67:1-2). 

As an IPC family let’s continue to receive his blessing in our lives and pray and sing God’s blessing over others! We are blessed to be a blessing! He wants to bless us so much that every person that gets in proximity to us will get blessed. Amen!

Much love,

Dr. Jason Hubbard – Executive Coordinator, IPC

Isaiah Declared It!

Isaiah 11:9 (ESV), “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea”
Our Hope is rooted in the promise that the earth will be ‘full of knowing the Lord as the waters cover the sea by filling it to the fullness of it’s capacity. The premise is that everywhere God will be present and in every place the knowledge of him will be enjoyed to it’s fullest expression!

Habakkuk Repeated It!

Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV), “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea”

Habakkuk was complaining to the Lord, asking the Lord why he was allowing evildoers to judge his people? God’s answer to Habakkuk’s complaint settled it. God works in the world to accomplish his purpose, but God’s purpose goes beyond simply punishing the wicked. God desires that all the world know him. The final verse of the third woe gives an uplifting and positive element to the woes. God will work to make himself known in all the earth. In Hebrew thought “knowledge” means more than information. “Knowledge is seen in fundamentally relational terms. To know God is to be in a right relationship with him, with characteristics of love, trust, respect, and open communication. Knowing involved intimacy and experience, being used in its most fundamental sense to describe the marriage relationship. For the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord involved knowing God rather than simply knowing about God. Not to know God for Israel and for the nations invited His judgment (Ps 79:6; Jer 10:25), which was the context here in Habakkuk.

Jeremiah also pictured a knowledge of the Lord coming in a New Covenant that transcended geographical borders or conventional barriers (Jer 31:31–34)

Ezekiel repeatedly uses the recognition formula, “and you shall know that I am Yahweh” to show that all God is doing has divine purpose behind it. That purpose is to introduce himself to Israel and to the nations.

In the Old Testament “glory” is a “technical term for God’s manifest presence” (see Exod 16:7), or his “revealed excellence” often connected with the cloud (Exod 16:10) and with the Ark of the Covenant. It was represented as a consuming fire (Exod 24:17). All the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the manifest presence of God.

Israel expected God’s glory to fill their place of worship (Exod 40:34, 35; 1 Kgs 8:11; 2 Chr 7:1–2; Ezek 10:4; 43:5; 44:4). Habakkuk joined a prophetic chorus calling for more. God’s glory should be recognized as filling the entire universe (Num 14:21; Ps 72:19; Isa 6:3), letting all the people of the world experience and respond to God’s manifest, weighty presence. The prophet wanted the knowledge of God to be as pervasive as the waters that fill the seas. For Christian believers the verse takes in mind and heart to the work of Christ, who came into the world to make God known in the most unique way possible (cf. John 1:14; Eph 1:17). Through Christ the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

David Sang It!

Psalm 72:19 (ESV), “Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!”

Psalm 22:27 (ESV), “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you”

For David, the whole earth would be filled with God’s glory in the context of worship-saturated prayer in the ‘tent’ or ‘tabernacle of David’ David, the man after God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22) saw the intimate details of God’s dwelling place in heaven –the perfection of beauty (Ps. 50:2; 119:96), along with its’ governmental order of worship around His throne (1 Chr. 28:11-19). David was commanded to replicate this liturgical pattern on earth (2 Chr. 29:25). The heavenly order of worship that David received by revelation was God-centered (Ps. 27:4), relational (Ps. 149:3-4), continual (1 Chr. 9:33), musical (1 Chr. 15-16), and antiphonal or responsive (Neh. 12:8-9, 24).

Due to David’s all-consuming desire to dwell in God’s immediate presence within the heavenly temple (Ps. 27:4; 28:2), he vowed to establish a dwelling place for God on the earth, as it is in heaven (Ps. 132; Mt. 6:10). Around 1000 BC, David set the Ark in the tabernacle that he pitched for it in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6; 1 Chr. 16:1), where he employed 4000 musicians (1 Chr. 23:5) and 288 singers (1 Chr. 25:7) to minister to God in day and night prayer with worship, as a full time occupation (1 Chr. 16:37). Thus began the “Davidic order” of worship with prophetic music and singing, centered on encountering God’s beauty, as it is in heaven.

David’s Song is found in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. Throughout the song there are multiple verses related to all the earth and the nations. About a third of the verses in David’s song had to do with the nations or publishing the Good News. For example, the very first verse of the song (v. 8) reads: "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done" (NLT). Verse 9 continues “Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.” Note also verses 23-24; 29-31;35-36.

Malachi Proclaimed It!

Malachi 1:11 (ESV), “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts”

Malachi proclaimed that from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord will be made great! He proclaimed that in every place on the earth, incense (prayers of God’s people) will be offered to his name together with a pure offering of worship! And again the purpose was so the ‘Name’ of the Lord of Hosts would be made great in the nations of the earth!

Amos Prophesied It!

Amos 9:11–15 (ESV), “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this. 13 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.”

Scripture testifies to a worldwide movement of worship-saturated prayer that will create a global open heaven for a great end time harvest. It is based on the biblical premise of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David globally. A great harvest will result as the booth (tent) of David is restored in the earth according to the pattern of unceasing worship in heaven! It is God’s desire to have a global covering of worship-saturated prayer on earth after the pattern of heavenly worship around the throne!

These verses clearly refer to the last days because in verse 15 God says of Israel "I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God. (v.14-15). This part of the prophecy occurred in May 1948 when Israel became a nation. This ties the promise of Amos 9 to the present day. Amos linked the restoration of the Davidic order of worship to the acceleration of the great harvest (vs. 11-12) in the generation in which Israel was restored to her land forever (vs. 14-15).

James Validated It!

James highlights the same prophecy in Acts 15:16-17 at the Jerusalem council,

“And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things”

Verse 17 ties this promise to the harvest: "… So that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord.”

This movement of worship-saturated prayer will be fueled by God’s beauty (Isa. 4:2; 62:3-5, 6-7), releasing such intimate revelation of Jesus through song that it produces the same response in the nations as when Isaiah actually saw Jesus face-to-face (Isa. 6:5; 24:16). God’s people won’t just sing “worthy”, they will sing why he is worthy and the nations will respond! This time it would not just be local, partial and limited as in David’s day but global, total and comprehensive, including all the Gentiles in every place!

Revelation 4 and 5 Illustrated It!

Revelation 4:8 (ESV), “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Revelation 5:8–9 (ESV), “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 4 and 5 reveal the pattern of worship in heaven. Day and night the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders never cease to say “Holy, Holy, Holy..” and then are singing a new song, with harps (worship and praise) and golden bowls full of incense (the prayers of the saints), “Worthy is the Lamb” This leads to a harvest song about the redeemed coming from every tribe, language, people and nation because of the absolute worth of Jesus!

Moving Forward as ‘Messengers of Hope’

According to Habakkuk, as the revelation of God’s greater work – to cover the earth with his glory as the waters cover the sea – becomes ‘plain’ herald’s, or messengers of hope will run with it (Hab. 2:2). The will do so confident that the vision will not linger, but that “it will certainly come and will not delay” (Hab 2:3). Even Habakkuk himself became such a messenger: ‘Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day … he enables me to go to the heights” (Hab. 3:2, 19). Interestingly, Habakkuk’s book was written to be sung in the temple, and thus to be his ongoing message of hope to all who came to worship.

“GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments” (Hab 3:19).

Revival encompasses the hope of the extraordinary, divine interventions that pour out on us the ‘manifest presence of Christ’ a phrase for revival coined by the 18th century Puritans.

God’s desire is to use ordinary people to do extraordinary exploits for his names’ sake! He longs to send forth messengers of Hope who like Paul will, “Proclaim Christ, the Hope of Glory”

Colossians 1:15–18 (ESV), “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent”

Colossians 1:27–29 (ESV), “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me”

Our one central and all-consuming focus ought to be the unrivaled preeminence of the risen and living Christ. Jesus Christ FIRST in everything. The risen and living Christ is deserving of absolute and unchallenged preeminence in all things: in life, in work, in love, in marriage, in money, in business, in the halls of government, in our universities and elementary schools, and most of all in the hearts of all people. All things were created through him and for him, meaning that our lives exist for the spread of his fame, for the extension of his reign, for the increase of his gain, and for the honor of his claim of that which rightfully belongs to him!

Our hope is found in Christ alone! Hope is the anticipation of God’s goodness in every area of our lives. Our ultimate hope in the goodness of God is in seeing and savoring, praising and prizing, recognizing and relishing the glory of God in the face of Christ. Christ is our HOPE! He is the summation of all the promises of God, the source of all the riches of God, now and forevermore. In Christ we have been given an inheritance of HOPE. Our Hope is in hearing the music of the future, and dancing to that music, by faith, NOW! The song being sung is the Beauty and Majesty of Jesus Christ.

Let’s enter into the power and pleasure of being obsessed with the magnificence of Jesus today! As Paul wrote,

“I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly (Phil 3:8-9, AMP)

Prayer of Repentance

Too often, we fall woefully short of this glorious obsession. Therefore, Father we REPENT - - individually and on behalf of all your people:

We repent… for how we have diminished your Son, regarding Him more as our mascot than our Monarch.

We repent … for how we have manipulated your Son, coming to Him to use Him. As far as we think we need Him – that far and no more.

We repent… for how we have hoarded your Son, seeking His blessings for ourselves, with little thought about bringing those blessing to others. We’ve assumed that He was there only for us. We’ve acted as if He was not Lord of neighbors and nations.

We repent… for how we have resisted your Son, withholding our affections from Him because we were afraid of what it would cost us to draw near to Him – and thus we denied His lordship over all.

We repent… for how we’ve replaced your Son…with creeds and programs, and organizations, and causes performed in His name - but without the consuming passion He deserves as the Lamb who was slain!

To that end, Father, awaken us – awaken us to see All that the Lord Jesus Christ is: to see who He is as the Son of God … to see where He is leading in the Purposes of God… to see how He imparts the Resources of God … and to see what He must receive from the People of God.

Father, Help us recover ALL the hope we are meant to have in our Sovereign Savior. Do this for the revelation of Your glory in Him, throughout this nation – and among all the nations! AMEN!

A messenger of Hope will likely share these characteristics and convictions:

A messenger of Hope recognizes Christ is our message. He is our ‘hope of glory.’

A messenger of Hope acts in the power of the Holy Spirit, whose major ministry is to take the things of Christ and reveal them to us, especially to show us what is to come (John 16:12-15). He causes us – and our message – to abound in Hope (Romans 15:13).

A messenger of Hope is marked by a lifestyle of hopefulness. Our daily decisions must constantly be wrapped around the hope of revival, and nothing short of that will do.

A messenger of Hope is a person of prayer. Before he speaks a message to others, he will pray his message back to God.

A messenger of Hope looks at our generation with a vision of the future from God’s perspective – God does all things for his Glory and our Joy! Our hope encompasses the whole plan of God for all the nations. God is better than we think he is and doing more than we think he is doing.

A messenger of Hope, like all servants of Christ, must be ready to sacrifice to fulfill their calling. As Henry Blackaby says so well,

“Lord, whatever it costs me, I release my life to you to be a spiritual leader during these times of crisis. Do with me whatever you will. Amen”

As messengers of Hope may we...

Seek Jesus more fully for all He is by how we pursue and encounter him through prayer which leads us to

Savor Jesus more fully for all He is by how we praise him and treasure him in worship which leads us to

Speak of Jesus more fully for all He is by how you talk about him with other believers which leads us to

Show Jesus more fully for all He is by how you imitate him in word and deed -which leads us to

Serve Jesus more fully for all He is by how you minister to others for his sake -which leads us to

Share Jesus more fully for all He is by how we introduce unbelievers to him as Lord and Savior!

For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,

Dr. Jason Hubbard
Executive Coordinator of the International Prayer Council,
www.ipcprayer.org

DOWNLOAD a PDF of this article

Tom Victor of ‘Great Commission Coalition’ and Candy Marballi of ‘The Children’s Prayer Covenant’ (both are members of the IPC’s Leadership Team) have put together a special selection of stories about how children around the world are and will be involved with Go 2020 Kids.  We trust you will be encouraged to pray for and get involved with these initiatives!

It may be the largest united evangelistic outreach in history as churches, denominations, ministries, networks and even movements have united together with the goal of mobilizing 100 million believers to pray for and to reach out to 1 billion others during the month of May 2020.

The theme has been, “Every Believer A Witness!” And children have been invited to join us.

But why children? What can they do? How will they be involved? Great questions!

Remember when parents wanted to bring their children to meet Jesus and his disciples tried to stop them? When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14

Jesus was really angry with his disciples. He wanted the children to come to him so he could bless them. He said the kingdom of God belongs to them.

In another place his disciples wanted to know who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. What did Jesus do? He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3

Children are a top priority to Jesus.

• He wants them to come to him
• He tells us the kingdom belongs to them
• He tells us that we need to become like them in order to enter the kingdom of heaven

We’ve put together some stories about how children around the world are and will be involved with Go 2020 Kids. But first we want to share briefly how God has used kids throughout history. And we want to share how you can be involved in helping to empower the children you love to become Go 2020 Kids.

But before we go further, there are a couple of rules we want you to follow.

Rule #1:  You should only read these stories if you are a kid or were a kid sometime in your life. (Otherwise you probably won’t understand them at all!)

Rule #2:  You should pray and ask God if he wants you to know about Go 2020 Kids. (That way, if he says “Yes,” you can ask him to help you see the children the way he does and you can plan time to read the stories or watch the videos later if you are too busy right now.)

Rule #3:  Ask God to show you if there is someone he wants you to share about Go 2020 Kids

OK, let’s get started with The Historical Testimony - how God used Children throughout history. Here’s a little 3-minute animated video to share that story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-_qCB2pAAI&t=7s

Go 2020 Kids and Children in Prayer: More recently, beginning 25 years ago, 40 children were invited to be delegates at a Global Mission Conference. God moved and the Children In Prayer Movement was launched. Here’s the story of their part with Go 2020 Kids. 
**(#2 World Shapers Club)

The 4 to 14 Window Movement launched in 2009, calling on the Global Church to focus on Children, ages 4 to 14. In a few short years it spread to almost every nation on the planet. While calling the Church to reach these who were the most responsive to the gospel, it also challenged us to release them to be “full partners” in God’s mission. There is no Junior Holy Spirit. Here’s a 3 minute animated video introduction:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7AS24VlydM&t=27s

Go 2020 and the Prayer Covenant for Children. Prayer, of course, is our First Action. World Shapers and the Royal Kids have been praying faithfully for Go 2020 Kids, as have others. The Prayer Covenant for Children, our first “official” partner, was the one that provided the key Prayer Resource for Go 2020 Kids.

In less than six years God has used the Prayer Covenant for Children to disciple more than 5 million children in 50+ nations into a “life-style” of prayer. As you read further, you will hear reports from Go 2020 Kids Team members in Africa, Asia and around the world sharing about the power of the Prayer Covenant for Children. You well also meet some of them through these two Prayer Covenant for Children equipping videos produced for a 4 to 14 Window Global Forum. I’m sure they will inspire you to consider how this key Go 2020 Kids Prayer Resource could impact you children, grandchildren, church or ministry. It’s all downloadable for free!

Prayer Covenant for Children - Part 1

Prayer Covenant for Children - Part 2

Download the Best News Ever e-book pdf which explains the Gospel message to children.

Download the Prayer Covenant e-booklet

Download the Prayer Covenant bookmark

Asia holds ½ of the world’s children - 1 billion of the 2 billion children on the planet under the age of 15. And because of the deep entrenchment of religious and political systems that resist the message of Christ, it is also the region of the world least reached by the gospel. How could Go 2020 Kids help to change that?

Go 2020 Kids Southeast Asia and Campus Crusade for Christ - The 11 nations of Southeast Asia are amazingly in the diversity of their peoples, religions and cultures. But there is a vision to see their children discover their common identity in Christ.
**(#3 Go 2020 Kids: Cru Southeast Asia)

Go 2020 Kids Northeast Asia and YWAM Kings Kids - Go 2020 represents the largest united prayer and evangelistic thrust in history. Asia represents ½ of the world’s children. What could happen if God continued to unite the whole Church to be “on mission” with him, including the children. Let’s be the answer to the prayer of Jesus!
**(#4 Go 2020 Kids: Kings Kids International - Taiwan)

Africa is by far the youngest continent with 41% of the population under 15 years of age. They had major plans to mobilize one million Prayer Covenant Children to reach 20 million other children with the gospel for Go 2020 Kids. Covid-19 altered the plans but not the passion. You can hear how God is using 9-year old Gifty from Togo to mobilize and lead other children to Christ as well as from Elias, the Continental Director and Apollos, the Nigerian Director on Part 2 of the Prayer Covenant for Children Video above. Here’s the Go 2020 Kids update from Elias for Africa and from Fidele in Burkina Faso.
**(#5 Go 2020 Kids: Prayer and Outreach – Africa)

Hadassah is a 13-year old missionary with a passion for God and for lost people. She became a missionary at age 8. She knows the power of fasting and prayer and how God can use anyone, even children. She recently shared a challenge on the World Prayer Together call with leaders from around the world. Now she wants to help other children find their calling as Go 2020 Kids. She’s written up a bit of her story for you here.
**(#6 Hadassah Lawson’s Inspiring Testimony)

Children by Nations helps us see what we sometimes miss. There are more than 2 billion children under the age of 15, almost 26% of the world’s population. India has the most with more than 376 million. It is a major focus for Go 2020 Kids. More than 41% of Africa is under 15. Only 3% are over 65. You can download the document Children by Nation to see where the children live. Many have found it helpful to focus their prayers.
**(#7Children by Nations)

From the very beginning of Go 2020 Kids many on our team felt this was more about a “life-style” than it was about a “campaign month.” COVID-19 has certainly shifted many of the planned events and caused everyone to think differently. Go 2020 has now become a call for all of us to Go – for the whole year – and beyond. But for the Children we are seeing new opportunities, something we are calling the Go 2020 Kids ‘Good News’ Super Challenge.

• It’s a call for children everywhere to step up and take the Greatest Super-Power ever, God’s love, to someone that needs it most.
• It’s a call for us “older kids” to step up and become “coaches” and “encouragers,” to help the children learn to hear from the Super Coach. He wants them fully active on his team - but there are many others seeking to distract them.
• And it’s also a call for us “older kids” to find our “inner child” because Jesus himself told us that, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)

Here’s our Working Draft of the Go 2020 Kids “Good News” Super Challenge. It is a Working Draft because it will need to be contextualized for every culture and every family and every child.  
(#8 Go 2020 Kids “Good News” Super Challenge)

Pray for Go 2020 Kids:

• Pray that God would visit and pour out His Spirit on children around the world during this Pentecost season - in fulfillment of Joel 2:28
• Pray that God would help us all to see the 2+ billion children in the world as “full partners” in God’s mission - in fulfillment of Matthew 19:14
• Pray that God would help us “older children” to discover our true Kingdom identity as children - in fulfillment of Matthew 18:1-5

More info on most of the resources on GO2020 Kids can be found here: http://www.prayercovenant.org/go2020-kids.html  

See the GO2020 Resources page here: https://go2020usa.com/resources/

Desperate Prayer for a ‘Decade of Harvest’

Psalm 126:5–6 (ESV), “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

My wife has been on a long journey of suffering from migraine headaches for the last 20yrs. Often she has to be in a dark space, crying out in pain until it passes. We have struggled over the years asking the questions of “why” and “how long.” We know and trust in the goodness of God and continue to believe God, asking for his healing power! My wife is an amazing woman, godly wife and nurturing mom. I often hear her interceding in the midst of her suffering and pain and I know this touches and moves the heart of God. Often the only thing we are left with is desperate prayer. This kind of prayer is born out of human inability to make anything to happen, where we recognize we can do nothing about the situation… But God!

Throughout history, believers have cried out to God in times of distress. Sometimes after years of desperate praying, a single cry brings direction or deliverance instantly. The promise is clear:

“Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).

Here are some examples of people crying out to the Lord

• A cry of deep distress
“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry” (Nehemiah 9:9).

• To cry out for help
“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them” (Psalm 145:19).

• To shout a war cry
“Then the men of Judah gave a shout [ruwa]: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel” (II Chronicles 13:15).

• A cry of deep distress
“When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble” (Psalm 9:12).

• To cry out
“But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him” (Matt 14:30-31).

• To implore with strong voice
“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily” (Luke 18:7).

Crying out to God often with tears is an act of desperation and total consecration. It is a fervent expression of faith in God and trust in His goodness and power to act on our behalf. As Spurgeon said, “tears are liquid prayer.”

Jeremiah, often described as the weeping prophet, was a man caught up in the heart of the weeping God. As he walked through the streets and alleys of the Holy City and saw nothing but pain, suffering, and destruction in the wake of the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC, he writes,  

“Their heart cried out to the Lord, “O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Give your eyes no rest. 19 “Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him For the life of your young children, Who faint from hunger at the head of every street” (Lam 2:18-19).

Not only do we see believers throughout Scripture crying out to God often with tears, our God is also a ‘weeping God.’ Jesus himself, wept with his grieving friends over Lazarus. Jesus wept over Jerusalem as he rode in on Palm Sunday, and Jesus wept in the agony of prayer at Gethsemane hours before the cross. The author of Hebrews writes,

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” (Hebrews 5:7).

Not only does Jesus weep over the lost and the broken but he also weeps over us with compassion in the midst of our pain and loss. He cares so deeply for each one of us. Only a weeping God can truly wipe away our tears. Think how close Jesus has to be to take his thumb to our face and wipe away the pain, and disappointment in our lives!

It so important for us to slow down, and let our hearts be gripped with the compassionate heart of Jesus. May we take time to watch Jesus weep, crawl under his burden, and cry out for his intervention!

It is this type of intercession, crying out to the Lord that often brings a breakthrough. When Jesus saw Mary weeping over her brother Lazarus, he was moved with compassion and raised him from the dead! God promises that those who ‘weep’ will ‘reap’ a harvest!

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! 6 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

The Bible is utterly unfamiliar with casual praying.

Jesus was clear that those who reject him will spend an eternity in hell, ‘weeping and gnashing their teeth’ (Matt 8:12). May God grip us with the reality of millions walking on the broad road that leads to destruction. May we cry out and weep over them for their salvation!

When Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in heaven, He used the Greek word proseuchomai—the common word for prayer in the New Testament. But in Matthew 9:38 and Lk 10:2, Jesus used the Greek word deomai, a much stronger word meaning to ‘plead desperately.’ Also Jesus didn’t simply tell His disciples to pray for laborers to be sent out to the harvest fields. Jesus used a much stronger word—ekballo, meaning to ‘drive out, or hurl forth!’ This same Greek word ekballo is used in Mt 9:34, 10:1 and 10:8 for casting out demons! In both Matthew 9:38 and Lk 10:2, Jesus commands us to deomai (plead desperately) to the Lord of the Harvest to ekballo laborers (thrust them forcefully) into His harvest!

This year we are partnering with Go2020 to see 100 million united in prayer to see 1 billion come to Christ over this next decade! http://www.go2020.world/prayer

As John Robb writes,
“No one organization or movement can accomplish such a staggering feat, but if we flow together like tributaries in one unstoppable river, this can be achieved! Getting God’s heart of love for the lost through prayer will lead to our sharing Jesus with them in the power and sensitivity of the Holy Spirit just as the early church experienced” -John Robb

It will truly require desperate prayer to see these outcomes come to pass this next decade!

• 100 million Christians inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray and share the Gospel with as many as possible in their own communities and to the ends of the earth.

• One billion people being reached with the Gospel and millions upon millions getting saved all over the world over the course of this next decade!

• Unreached people groups hearing the Gospel for the first time and planting new churches among them. We have put together a helpful guide to praying for unreached peoples around the world. Here is the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EksUzKPVPfkKg8Ki2bLnDaeaCqFa3UZC/view

• 50 million new believers integrated into existing and new churches.

We praise God for the promise that the “effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

In our desperation we want to encourage people to Pray God’s Word for the Nations! In 2020 believers and organizations across the globe are celebrating the Year of the Bible! The vision is for 2 million people to pray for renewed Scripture engagement - www.yearofthebible.com.

A great resource we recommend for praying God’s word for the nations is Dick Eastman’s book “A Watchman’s Guide to Praying God’s Promises.” You can request your free copy at www.ehc.org/free-books

May we cry out in 2020 to the Lord of the Harvest in fervent, desperate, Bible-based prayer for a coming ‘Decade of Harvest.’ May the Lamb who was slain receive the due reward for his sufferings!

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” – Revelation 5:12

For the Glory of the Lamb,

Jason Hubbard - Executive Co-ordinator
International Prayer Connect

Jeremiah felt inadequate as God called him to a ministry of prophetic prayer for Israel and other nations. We often feel the same, as if our prayers will make little difference, but they can have the awesome power of the Almighty to change a nation’s history. The Lord told Jeremiah that He had put His words in the young prophet’s mouth; He was appointing him ‘over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant’ (Jer. 1:9-10). For those of us who follow Christ, the King of Kings, and are members of His eternal family, should we expect anything less when we pray for the nations? If anything, we ought to expect far more! According to the Apostle Paul, we have been raised in Christ to sit with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). See also Intercessor Focus in UK section.