“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Dear friends, we are in a very special season in the history of the world. We are at a cross roads, a valley of decision, and God has placed in the hands of His sons and daughters the power of prayer. You and I were born for such a time as this. We are called and commissioned to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the beacons of clarity and truth. We so need the leading and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our prayers, because how we perceive things, and how we pray during this time can impact our lives, our families, our cities and nation.
We see in Acts 4:31 how the people of God prayed for their city and their lawmakers. It was a time of intense persecution, with forces rising up to stop the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the moving of the Holy Spirit. However, the sons of God knew what they were meant to do. When they came together in one accord, and worshiped and called on the name of the Lord, the presence of God came and filled the place. The building began to shake, physically, and the presence of God was tangibly felt by all. The result? The people were filled with boldness to speak the Truth, the Word of God.
We have just stepped into a new year, in the Jewish calendar, and Rosh Hashanah is normally heralded by the blowing of the shofar. A spiritual shofar is blowing across the nation, calling Abba’s sons and daughters into a season of prayer and thunder, into days of awe and wonder. We are going to see the heavens shaken, and mountains move. We are going to feel and see the physical manifestations of the presence of the mighty Holy Spirit in our nation. The shofar is heralding change, transition, and the fulfillment of God’s plans for the nations. I encourage you to set aside time every day, to pray in the Spirit for our nation, for the leadership, for the unhindered fulfillment of Abba’s plans for us, and that His will be done.
Our Father God loves His creation and wants to minister His good purposes into their lives, but He can only do so when we invite Him through our prayers, and involve Him in what is taking place. The enemy knows the power of our prayers, and that is why so many things happen to try to hinder the prayers and worship of the saints! I pray that the fire of God will come upon your home, your church, your city when you pray, and that there will be transformation – places will be shaken when you pray!
It is true that we have had a challenging year, and that things are still turbulent and uncertain, with much conflict happening around us; but expect the awe of God to arise. Pray for and expect the holiness of God and the fear of God to begin to manifest. The mighty hand of the Ancient of days is upon the land, and He is making Himself known with power!
God said to the people of Israel (2 Chronicles 7:14) “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” We also see in Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (NIV). It is time to call on the name of the Lord. It is a time of repentance and rest, of awe and wonder. It is time to see the glory of the Lord arise over the land! May the power and presence of God rock you, and fill you with the boldness to pray and declare His Truth. May He fill your heart with peace and gladness, and fill your days with awe!
Minoli Haththotuwa, 22 September 2020
