Message for Go Forth Asia’s 9th Newsletter (July to December 2019)

“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:8).

What does this mean to us as God’s people who desire to mature in our prayer life? Our focus should be the nations (especially our own), the cities and the communities around us. We are the ones who can impact our nation through our prayers. I’ve heard it said that ‘history belongs to the intercessors.’

God wants me to pray. God wants you to pray.

The question is: Are we willing to pray?

Although prayer is an integral part of our Christian experience, it remains a mystery to many believers. We must learn to come before the Lord, making a conscious effort to draw near to Him and invite His Presence. It is when we are immersed in His Presence that He reveals His mysteries to us, layer upon layer, until we come to a full understanding of the plans and purposes to which He has called each and every one of us.

God is looking across this whole earth for those whose hearts resonate with His heartbeat for the nations of the world – those who will intercede for the nations. Will you be one to stand in the gap for the nations? Will you allow God to lay upon your heart a nation to pray and intercede for? The body of Christ needs to be actively interceding for unreached people groups and for troubled areas of our world. God wants to impart to us His passion for the world. He desires that every one of His people begin to open our spiritual eyes, expand our vision, see our world as Christ sees it – a world in distress and chaos, desperately needing His grace and mercy – and then start praying as never before.

In 2012, our church was blessed with a multi-storey car park premise which we then converted into a church building. Our vision was to reach out to the community around us. Our initial outreach efforts were not easy – we were treading on very hard ground with an oppressive atmosphere all around. We tried many methods and strategies to connect with the people, initiating programs that were ‘non-churchy’ to build friendships. Our staff were deployed to engage with business owners and shopkeepers in the area but the response was poor.

Then in 2013, we started to learn the importance of hosting the Presence of God through prayer. Our members were hungry to seek God through prayer and fasting for our community. We held prayer groups weekly from Tuesdays to Saturdays and midnight prayer on Fridays. As we waited on the Lord and dwelt in His presence, we sensed the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives first – a greater passion for God’s Word, a deeper intimacy with God and a stronger faith to believe God for miracles!

The Holy Spirit did not stop there. Soon, we sensed a change in the spiritual atmosphere of our community. The people were gradually beginning to accept our presence there and they began participating in the various community programs we offered, especially for children and senior citizens. We believe prayer brought about this big change in their response towards us. Many people in the community have since accepted Christ. All glory to God! I was amazed because we did not bind, cast out devils or combat the darkness! All we did was intentionally host and immerse ourselves in God’s Presence and bless the community. Surely, God’s radiant Presence was shining through the veil of darkness. Wherever the light of Christ shines, the darkness has to disappear!

Prayer is truly powerful and the time we spend in prayer is immensely more effective than the many activities or programs we can plan. We may be able to draw in the crowds through activities alone but we will miss out on the very real Presence of God. It is not about the ‘doing’, but the hours we spend on our knees that truly matters. It requires setting aside time to commune with God. When we have this intimate communion with God, our prayer life becomes more than just a form or a discipline. It is this place of prayer that we need to come to, in order to see a supernatural transformation taking place in our communities, our nation and the nations of the world, wrought by the very hand of God. I believe that the deeper the communion, the deeper the revelation of God. The deeper the revelation, the deeper our surrender and trust in Him. The deeper the Presence of God in our lives, the deeper the anointing and release of His power upon His people to accomplish His purposes and plans.

Likewise, Go Forth Asia has learnt the importance of prayer and intercession for the nations. As a former GFA board member and now, partner, we have witnessed the radical transformation of whole communities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Cambodia through the power of prayer. Children’s homes and orphanages have been set-up, schools have been built, humanitarian aid and medical services have been provided, pastors have been trained and equipped, and community development has flourished. All this has been wrought by the hand of God as GFA continues in prayer and intercession – seeking God’s will, purposes and plans for the nations.

Prayer must always precede ministry and prayer will always determine the effectiveness of ministry. If we truly believe that, then we will be ready to answer the question, “Are we willing to pray? Yes Lord, we are willing.”

– Ps Gilbert, SIB KL Church & GFA Partner