Confirmation!

Heeding the call to intercession is strategic to God’s work. Do you remember this young man?

Do you remember the call to pray against an impending attack around Christmas time from Islamic terrorists? Do you remember the guidance that was received that this would have something to do with airplanes and also that it was not a big attack, like 9/11 or something like that? Well, right after this we had the attempted, and thank God prevented, attack by a young man who has now become known as the “underpants bomber.”

I just found out something amazing: Ron Sharpe, a Presbyterian Church of Canada pastor living in Windsor, Ontario (across from Detroit) reported that upon reading this call to intercession he felt a strong leading from the Holy Spirit that Windsor was in some danger. He gathered a group of pastors from Windsor and intercessors in his congregation to discern the threat and to pray. They engaged in urgent intercession against an attack and for protection of their city. After the attack was averted, they found out that if the explosive had gone off as planned, the plane would have come down right over Windsor with the possibly of casualties on the ground.

I just found this out this “coincidence” today. Frankly, we can sometimes feel a little crazy with some of the stuff that we get or see and so having some “objective confirmation” come in is really encouraging and helpful. This is not to make us think, “Oh good! I heard right. Now I do not have to submit things for discernment.” Rather it makes us know how important it is that we indeed get discernment because God really does speak, and really does use us, and really has chosen to include us in His redemptive work in the world. This is both invigorating and humbling at the same time. Prayer makes a difference.