Nations in Revival

How to pray… when all hell is breaking loose

In many nations, terror is breaking forth, violence is trying to overtake governments, Christians are being persecuted. So how do you pray in the midst of “hell on earth”?

I’m praying for Mexico, a country that is being overrun by a very violent drug cartel. Using fear, intimidation and violence these drug runners are literally attempting to overthrow the police force and take on President Calderon’s military. It would be easy to focus on this evil - or the evils you may be facing as a minister or missionary in the nations. But we must remember that God is not out to have a perfect world - at least not right now. That is not His focus, and it shouldn’t be yours either.

God is wanting to have a people willing give their lives to Him and to His Kingdom. People that choose to live holy lives for Him in this unholy world. People who are doing everything they can to bring forth the things of God’s Kingdom into this earth. Christ must reign… and it begins by Him reigning in the people called by His name.

YES, we will fight for righteousness and justice. We will use every weapon available to us to overthrow the wickedness in this world and maintain the victory that Jesus won at the cross. But our focus must be to present God with a radiant bride, washed in the blood of her Saviour and to see that bride cover the earth with God’s glory as the waters cover the earth.

If all hell is breaking loose around you, keep your focus, maintain your priorities, and then your warfare prayers against that darkness will be powerful and effective and you will see darkness dissipate through the lives of people ablaze with the very presence of God.

Global revival is on it’s way. Lift your eyes up and see our Mighty God, Yahweh Sabaot, Lord of Hosts. Overcome darkness with His light in your eyes. - Laura Woodworth

Get a Vision for Long-Distance Prayers for the Nations

Global revival - how is this going to happen? Do we all have to get on a plane and fly somewhere to see revival in the nations? Do we have to become like Iron Man and land in some nation with our weapons blazing to interrupt evil and bring God’s powerful presence? (Okay, okay - so I saw the movie… and it made me think!!)

Get a vision for long-distance prayers. Start mixing your prayers with faith, righteousness, RELATIONSHIP… fervency, anointing… and the WORD OF GOD. “God speaks and summons the earth…” Psalm 50:1. Why don’t you start speaking His will, His purposes, HIS KINGDOM COME into the earth?! Have faith that your prayers - your Spirit-empowered words can have effect.

You don’t have to be Iron Man… you just have to be YIELDED and BELIEVING. Start touching the lives around you and then start reaching to the nations across the earth. Global revival is coming, with the promise that God’s glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.

You can be a part of it all… and you don’t need an Iron Man suit to do it. -Laura Woodworth

Mexico - A Nation Needing Revival

Mexico is a nation that is desperately in need of revival. As I pray for this nation, I’ve broken it into smaller pieces that I can target and pray specifics for (a prayer tip for you!). Chihuaha is the Mexican state that borders on Texas, with Juarez a major border town that has been experiencing unprecedented violence over the past several years because of the drug cartel.

Word to the wise - DO NOT treat this lightly and cross over the border on a whim. There have been over 1,100 murders this year alone along the border of Mexico-US. If you’ve got business (God’s!) then go where you need to go, but I wouldn’t recommend casual trips into Juarez. Nuf said.

In praying for this region, I’m thinking about the Christians - pastors, churches, missionaries - that are living through this. How are they handling this? How are they praying?

I pray that they are fighting this spiritual battle against violence with heavenly weapons. I pray that they are staying STRONG IN GOD and not falling into their own strength and man’s ways. God wants salvation - SHALOM - for this nation, and Christians there must remember that.

I pray that they are remembering the parable in Luke 18 when Jesus taught His disciples that they should always pray and never give up. That they would press in to the throne room of God WITH FAITH and expect God to bring justice.

And I pray for you, too - that you would remember that as well in whatever battles you are going through. Always pray… never give up. Our God will come and He will not be silent. (Psalm 50) -Praying for revival - Laura Woodworth

Praying for a nation? Get a map!

In the middle of my 100-day prayer saturation of Mexico, praying for revival and for God to have His glorious church in this nation! Chilly fall weather has arrived in Kansas City, bringing memories of Mexico City in the winter… no heat in the houses, so it would get chilly and sometimes downright COLD at night, but once the sun rose and warmed things up it was beautiful. You would dress in layers, peeling them off as the day went on.

When you are praying for the nations, I have encouraged you to know the land (See Psalm 48 and blog post “Touching a nation with Global Revival”). Operation World, as mentioned before, is a great resource to have, but I also want to mention the value of just a good old map. I’ve got a detailed map of Mexico that shows the states and major cities and one thing I’ve been doing is to pray for the individual states of the nation.

I had my map out this morning, looking over the whole country again, noting the major cities, the topography, the population concentrations. While I’m praying, I’m listening intently to the Holy Spirit to direct me… to know what the strongholds are and what the needs are for each particular state. You can add to this a little bit of research (just google the state) and God will quicken your spirit in effective prayer.

That’s my prayer tip for the day… get your map out, choose a nation, and start praying for revival! -Laura Woodworth

How far do your prayers carry revival?

So… you’ve got a heart to see the nations worshiping God in revival… but you’re stuck in some hick town in the good ol’ US… or the bush of Africa… or el distrito federal in Mexico….

We like to say there’s no distance in the Spirit, which I believe is true, but the question is - can our prayers for revival in a nation across the world from us REALLY have effect? I think this is a challenge for us as Christians who really believe we’ll see the glory of God cover the whole earth.

Do we have to be the ones to carry the message, OR do we have enough faith - enough of the Spirit’s power - working in our lives to send revival through our prayers? AND to trust that when we pray the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers… that He will? Whether it be us, or whether it be someone else that He positions in that nation?

There’s the challenge. Any believers out there? As I mentioned before, I am in the middle of a 100-day prayer saturation of Mexico, and I am taking this challenge seriously. Can I really make a dent in the spiritual condition of that nation - from Kansas City?

Here’s a great resource that will help your prayers (your life!) become more and more effective. It’s the message shared by Pastor Steve Gray, Saturday, September 20, 2008. Go to World Revival Church and check out the sermon archives or call 816-763-0708 to request this sermon. Cost is only $5.00 plus S&H. Well worth the investment if you really want to reach the nations with revival. -Laura Woodworth

Effective prayer for the nations

Global evangelization and revival is only going to happen when God’s people start praying with power. Once you’ve discerned some of the strongholds of a nation (the weeds!), then it’s time to walk in what the bible calls “the glory of the saints.” Psalm 149:6-9

As my pastor, Steve Gray says, the fight that we’re engaged in is the fight for God’s glory - His honor - to be restored in the earth. When you take up your weapons of warfare and start coming against these strongholds that are standing in the way of God’s church in the nations, you are engaging in the most glorious warfare there is!

Spend some time in two of my most favorite scriptures in reference to the nations - Psalm 2 and Psalm 149. Find out what your role is in pulling down these strongholds in the nations - take courage - and start warring in the Spirit. LET’S SEE THE GLORY OF GOD COVER THE EARTH! - Laura Woodworth

World Prayer - Touching a nation with global revival

How can we see global evangelization and global revival? Don’t forget - this is possible! If the glory of God is going to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, then… (See my previous blog called “God’s Glory Not Conditional - Your Participation is.”)

It starts one nation at a time! Okay - now let’s get real technical - it starts one person at a time, you. What kind of church do you want to see raised up in, say, Tonga or Ecuador? If you’re envisioning a vibrant, life-giving, glorious church, then I guess we as individuals better become vibrant, life-giving, people who carry the glory of God wherever we go. (Get REAL revival here!)

With that established, when we want to pray for a nation, I think of Psalm 48 where it says “Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels…” In other words, KNOW GOD WELL, so that you can speak of Him. Well, I translate that over to nations and encourage missionaries and others interested in global evangelization and revival, to KNOW THE NATION YOU’RE PRAYING FOR! Find out all you can about this nation, using the resources that are out there (including Operation World which I’ve mentioned before and have made a required textbook in the World Revival School of Ministry where I serve as an instructor for Cross-Cultural Ministry, etc.)

Look at the demographics of the country, find out the history of it, and see what’s been going on spiritually in that nation. I tell my students they need to be like a good farmer that KNOWS HIS FIELD. Find out where there are rocks that need to be removed, where the shallow places are that maybe need some cultivation and possible more soil moved in,,, KNOW where the best soil is to plant in (because you may want to start there, if you’re a missionary!).

Once you’ve “walked around” this nation, then you can start discerning the strongholds - let’s think of them as weeds - that need to be UPROOTED, torn down, and destroyed. (Jeremiah1:10) No good farmer is going to plant among weeds, and you shouldn’t either. Recognize the spiritual warfare going on and move against it so that the good seed of God’s word can really take root.

That’s probably enough for now. I want to encourage you again to check out the Operation World resource and also, I’ll see if I can give you a link to a great message by Pastor Steve Gray on Jeremiah 1:10. If you want your prayers for the nations to be effective, you’ve really got to understand the warfare that’s involved and what your participation in it is meant to be. - Laura Woodworth

Global outreach and a hard lesson learned - the importance of research in missions

Recently talked to a missionary who has returned home from the foreign field - early. Not just early, but beaten, disillusioned, and wounded. It’s a sad story, but hopefully this young man will get his strength and vision back and try it again from a wiser stance.

I know he didn’t haphazardly go out. It is a HUGE undertaking to go forth. I commend this man for his faith, passion and courage to attempt what he did. But it sounds like more could have been done before he left that would have helped guarantee better success.

I don’t think he did the demographics that should have been done before he departed; I don’t think the strategy was completely thought through. There are times when you just “go” at the prompting of the Lord, but more often than not, there’s some prayerful homework that should happen before you dive in.

William Carey produced his “Inquiry;” Hudson Taylor researched and wrote his “China’s Spiritual Needs and Claims.” I think we should consider the examples of these two men who blazed a trail in the modern mission movement, and take demographics and other research studies a little more seriously. -Laura Woodworth

World Prayer - The first step in touching nations

Most people think the first step in touching the nations is to GO… but really, the first step is to PRAY. You can have a powerful impact on the nations right where you’re at, whether you’re in Kansas City, Missouri or Freeport, Illinois (our old home town) or Kalamazoo, Michigan… or somewhere else in the world like Mexico or Korea (where our son-in-law is… Hi, James!) or in Italy.

It all begins with prayer. Hmmmm… but not the kind of prayers you pray with your head bowed and your eyes closed and YOU DON’T KNOW A THING THAT’S GOING ON AROUND YOU. How about some prayers with real discernment and wisdom… with an understanding of the times and the need of the nation?

I encourage you to listen to the Holy Spirit who will counsel you in your prayers, but also get your hands on a good resource that will help you to know the nation you’re praying for. Operation World is the resource I recommend, and Alan and I even made it a required textbook for our Cross-Cultural Ministry class at the World Revival School of Ministry here in Kansas City.

It gives a great overview of the nation with enough demographic information to get you started in understanding the nature of the people and the country, and shares “praise reports” and “prayer needs” of the nation as well. Written by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, I highly suggest you make it part of your library. Click on the link above and it will take you straight to an ordering page on the Operation World site, which also, by the way is a great online resource.

Okay - enough to get you started on touching the nations for now. More specifics next time on how to pray for the nations. (I’m in the middle of a 100-day prayer saturation of Mexico… you might be interested in hearing how I’m tackling this nation.)

-Laura