The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact not just on individual health, but upon the whole structure of our western society. It is impacting medicine, politics, economics and our social structures just to name a few.
It is vital at this time that we are engaged in the work of prayer and intercession for our world. There are many different ways that you can engage in this work of prayer. Here are some of the ways you can join with us in doing this essential work of intercession.
Praying for Breakthrough
During this time of crisis, many prophetic words are coming in that are bringing us hope but are also predicting that around Easter and Passover that we shall reach a turning point in defeating COVID-19.
Even President Trump expressed hope that so much progress would happen in defeating the virus and restoring America to economic activity. That churches would be full on Easter celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He also added an amazing personal testimony about his faith in Christ’s resurrection.
Based on excellent medical advice, the President has just extended the period of social distancing guidelines until April 30, 2020. That seems to be the way of great wisdom.
It means that we must step up our prayer for our Lord to intervene through both natural and supernatural means to put an end to this virus and its devastating effects not just on health, but on the economy.
Discerning Prophetic Words and Visions
In keeping with the urgent call to discern the times, I want to submit another word that may be a prophetic vision.
I am like Philip, who had daughters that prophesy! My daughter Elizabeth just sent what I believe may be a comforting word from the Lord. She was sharing this with me on the phone yesterday, and I asked her to write it up and send it over for Discerning The Times:
About ten years ago, when living in New York, I was a part of an intercessory prayer team that met once a week to pray for our church, community, and nation. During one of these prayer sessions, I received a startling clear aerial image of a prosperous Florida beachfront. The sands were white, the ocean, brilliant blue, and the day perfectly clear. Along the beach were high-end hotels, resorts, and other signs of affluence and abundance. Inland stretched more signs of a comfortable and well-to-do community. Then, suddenly, the water began to pull away from the beach as it was gathered into a massive on-coming tsunami that came barreling towards the shore. The wall of water crashed into the hotels and resorts, completely covering them and swept deep inland in a churning mass of destruction. Everything was awash. Then the wave reversed and began flowing out into the ocean, carrying with it the tattered remains of what was once a thriving city.
But then, in the Spirit, I was told to look closer. As I did, I saw that not all was destroyed. In fact, here and there, scattered among the wreckage were homes, buildings, and infrastructure that were completely unharmed. The wave could not touch them and from them flowed healing, recovery, and restoration. Then, the Spirit spoke, saying, “A wave is coming that will wash away everything that is not rooted in Jesus Christ or God’s eternal principles. Pray for individuals, families, businesses, organizations, communities, and even nations to return and be rooted in Me so that they may not be swept away.”
I had forgotten about this vision until just recently when it leaped suddenly into my mind as clear as when it was first given. When it was first received, I had the clear sense that it was for a future date. This time, it was given as an urgent message for right NOW for the wave is upon us NOW. Whether this “wave” is the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic fallout, or international tensions with China that will follow, I do not know. But the message is clear: We, as individuals, families, businesses, communities, and nations, must be rooted in Christ.
I witness to this, but please submit it to the four discernment questions.
- Does it give glory to Jesus Christ?
- Is it consistent with the witness of the Bible?
- Do those who are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit witness to it as a word from the Lord?
- Is there objectively verifiable evidence – does it take place?
Use the link below to share your discernment about Elizabeth’s vision, or to share your own discernment.
The interpretation which Elizabeth gives is to pray for individuals, families, businesses and communities to be rooted in Christ, but it is only one facet of what is happening at the moment. Martin Boardman, our prayer mobilizer describes it this way:
During prayer time the other day I had a picture of standing next to Jesus on a high mountain overlooking a plain below, as I looked I could see lots of different things all happening at the same time. Some were moves of the enemy, some were the things that the Holy Spirit was doing. Jesus was watching all of it, directing and instructing how things were to happen. The complexity to me was overwhelming and I asked how do I pray? The answer from the Lord was simple. Pray for what I tell you to pray for when I tell you to pray.
The Lord may call us to different places in prayer during this time. Sometimes it may be to pray for what the Holy Spirit is doing. At other times it may mean praying to frustrate the plans the enemy is seeking to advance. In everything, we need to be led by the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus, who is our commander in chief.
To be effective in this we really need to understand our place of intercession.
Your Place of Intercession?
Back in December, I was getting the guidance from the Holy Spirit that the first six months of 2020, were going to be an intensive period of kairos moments of opportunity to advance God’s Kingdom. But at the same time, there was the potential for great evil. Or what I would call “the hour of the power of darkness.” This what Jesus said when they came to arrest Him in the garden. It meant that all the conditions were right for evil to prevail for a season.
I had a great urgency to set in motion several initiatives that would advance the work of prayer. Among these were preparing Christians to step into their place of intercession. One of the urgent tasks set before me was to write the book: Called Beyond Politics to History-Shaping Prayer: Lessons from the Spiritual Battle of the 2016 Presidential Election.
In your place of intercession, you step beyond all human dynamics (whether it is in your congregation or the nation or world) into the position of cooperating with Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit to advance the Kingdom of God. The result is that you are called to history-shaping prayer.
I was able to learn a lot about this place of intercession when I was called during the 2016 Presidential election into my place of intercession, which included praying for the candidate who was not at all my choice for President – Donald J Trump.
Intercession never happens in the abstract!
Intercession is always connected with specific ways in which God is working through human history. So while these amazing prayer experiences took place around the election, the lessons learned are applicable for our situation right now in the global crisis and opportunity presented by the COVID-19 virus.
God is calling and anointing a great global army of Christians to step into their places of intercession to work with Him in defeating Satan’s plans and praying in a worldwide outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
I believe that it is so urgent that this equipping into your place of intercession to prepare you for this time of crisis that I want to make this book available to you as a free download. You can buy a hard copy online through Amazon or bulk copies through PRMI, but as we are closed right now, get the book over Amazon if you need one.
Also, I have you provide a short course—a three video series—in which I lay out the basics of “Your Place of Intercession.” I recommend it.
Shalom Prayer Times
Thanks for your strong prayer support. Please join Martin and the noon Shalom prayer meetings over the internet, Eastern US. These are truly anointed times of prayer when people have gathered from the nations in Jesus to pray.
While we have to be isolated from each other, it is critical that we “shelter in the arms of Almighty God!”
Learn More: Presbyterian-Reformed Ministries International
Thanks, Brad! Very encouraged by this email today. God bless you and PRMI
Thanks for sharing this picture. It is a time to increase our prayer. Psalm 59 is my prayer today. Also the Holy Spirit reminded me of the taunt of Sanballat in Nehemiah 4:3 “that stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked on top of it.” . The wall is the prayers of God’s people. Let us storm heavens gates in prayer and intercession for all Gods people to rise up in prayer. Ps 59:16-17 be on our lips. May God our strength be glorified.
Good morning Brad,
Earlier this year, Bill Hyer and I were led by the Lord to start a Rivival Prayer Team to pray for our church, city, state, nation, and the world, which we have been doing faithfully every Tuesday evening with 8 prayer warriors in the Pentacost House of Prayer at St Michael’s Church.
Little did we know how important this prayer group would become as we are experiencing the scourge of Coronavirus and praying against it. But God did!
Thanks for helping us stay focused on how to intercede during this critical time in America and the entire world
Thank you Mr Martin Boardman for sharing in my prayer times I’ve learned to pray for what the Holy Spirit assigns me to pray we as one person cant pray for everything we must be faithful in what is committed to us in prayer
Thank you Brad, PRMI and all faithful intercessors. I have been a Christian 45 years, and pray in the spirit for 22. When I was interceding for hours last weekend, I could “hear” the intercessors in their native tongues around the world crying out to our God and Savior simultaneously. I’ve never experienced that before. I believe our Lord is connecting us through a “spiritual internet” as we heed His small still voice of “Come to me”.