The people of the Turkish Republic will be heading to the polls on June 24 for their General Election. Now is the time to seek the Lord, discern and move into prayer.
A change in the constitution of the Turkish Republic following a referendum last year makes the outcome of this election more important. The constitutional changes has shifted authority away from the parliament and the judiciary and centres it in the Office of the President. The results of this election will mean either an opportunity for greater democratic rule or it will lead into greater authoritarianism.
This means that the results of this election are not just significant to the Turkish Republic, but will have an impact on the whole region, Europe and even the world.
As with any general election, there are a number of factors which will influence the population of Turkey in how they will vote. There are political issues along with economic, religious, military and ethnic influences which all combined together in a complex interrelated web.
In addition to all of these, there is an added spiritual dimension, with a clash of kingdoms taking place. The kingdom of darkness is resisting the advancing Kingdom of God.
Turkey is a gateway from Europe into the Middle East. It is the location for the seven churches of Revelation, in which we see the clash of kingdoms taking place.
It’s clear that the spiritual conflict between the Lord and Satan has been going on for a long time. This means that the spiritual battle is not straightforward.
How do we pray in such situations?
We can pray in a general way the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray… “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”We can pray this line from the Lord’s prayer, trusting in faith that God in his sovereignty will accomplish his will in the situation.
We can also allow our prayers to become more specific. We can pray that the results of the election would be such that they would serve to advance the kingdom of God in Turkey.
This has been the type of prayer that many in the underground church of China have been praying for many years in the midst of persecution and the church there has thrived and continued to expand despite opposition.
Again, this is a general way of praying, but we can become more specific yet as we wait upon the Lord for words or knowledge, words of Scripture and words of wisdom, which can guide our prayers.
It is important at this point to ask the Lord to take authority over our own thoughts and imagination so that we hear from the Holy Spirit. (It’s also important, in prayer, to silence any voices of the enemy which would seek to confuse or deceive us.)
Then we can ask the Lord to show us what He is doing through this election and intercede for the things the Lord reveals that he is doing. Along the same lines, we can also ask the Lord to show us what the schemes of the enemy are so that we know how to pray against them.
Praying specifically for Andrew
It is in the middle of this spiritual and political conflict that Andrew Brunson finds himself.
Incarcerated in a Turkish prison, Andrew is waiting for the next trial date in July. The charges against him are bogus, the court, which should be impartial, is clearly biased.
He is a pawn in a greater game of political maneuvering between Turkey and the USA. But he is also a key person in the work the Lord is doing to advance God’s kingdom in Turkey.
We need to remember to pray for Andrew. Here are some suggestions for ways in which we can continue to pray for him during this time.
- Pray for strength and comfort in the midst of the wait.
- Pray against feelings of despair, isolation and hopelessness.
- Pray that the Joy of the Lord would be Andrew’s strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
- Pray 2 Chronicles 20:15 over Andrew “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
- Pray for truth to be revealed and that the cloaking of deception which surrounds Andrew would be pierced and removed.
- Pray that the light would shine into the darkness and expose all that is false (John 1:5).
- Pray Luke 8:17 over Andrew’s situation: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”
- Pray that Andrew would continue to know the peace of Christ, even in the midst of imprisonment.
- Pray John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
- Pray Psalm 46:10: “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
- Pray Psalm 141:8-10 for Andrew:“But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you, I take refuge—do not give me over to death. Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
Absolutely Amen.
In my local group, we have been praying for Andrew’s supernatural nourishment, and especially his teeth. That his physical condition is a testament in and of itself.
I was just praying for Andrew and I was praying he would raise up in Praise. That his Praise of God would fill the prison and Gods temple and shake the prison and region to its foundations. That the Praise of The Lord our God the one and only true God would fill the atmosphere.