The name of the ministry is Let’s Pray Strategically and the name conveys an invitation to come together and unite in praying together for our city. Strategic Prayer involves praying geographically for our world, for nations, cities, suburbs, regions, people groups. There is a group called Pray Redlands Coast under Jos and Daphne Damant that meets every Friday and has existed in some form for about 20 years. Their main focus is prayer for leaders in our city, both Christian and Civic – so pastors, chaplains, councillors, the mayor and so on. They are consistent and faithful in their prayers so I see this new ministry complementing, not competing with, what they are doing.
The invitation involves joining a prayer group focused on one of the suburbs of our city of Redlands. There are 12 suburbs on the mainland as well as North Stradbroke Island and the Southern Moreton Bay Islands – 14 groups in all. So if, as I share, you sense the Holy Spirit inviting you to be a part of this, please make contact with me.
Psalm 24 is a favourite psalm of mine and it begins with the words: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” So we pray for each suburb in our city with the knowledge that our God is the rightful owner of everything He has created. We are stewards under Him of the land and its people. All of creation belongs to its Creator.
This kind of prayer group does not exist for the benefit of its members. It is a ministry group, engaging in the ministry of intercession. The focus is outward not inward. The members of each group need to be adaptable as there will be participants from different denominations, different generations, different ethnic backgrounds, men and women, possibly clergy as well as laity. The diversity will bring depth to our practice of prayer and we will learn as each member expresses prayer through the spiritual gifts God has given to them. This unity in diversity is very important as we share God’s heart for the suburb we worship, live, work, study or play in. We long to see the kingdom of God come in all its fullness.
So we will pray suburb by suburb, issue by issue, across our city, sometimes in a room, sometimes out and about in the community. That might sound a little scary but it’s actually fun and engaging. I envisage groups meeting monthly, with activity in the community in between meetings.
There are three main contributing factors to the content and effectiveness of strategic prayer. These are OBSERVATION, REVELATION and RESEARCH.
OBSERVATION is simply the use of our natural senses to gain information. It is what we see and hear as we go about our life in the city. What are we hearing about our suburb/city as we gather for sporting events, at church gatherings, through news media and so on? What do we see when we are shopping, walking along the waterfront, dropping kids at school, interacting in our retirement villages? We are looking for both the positive and the negative. For example, in this suburb of Victoria Point, we are seeing, in our church community, an increase in the number of young people who are interested in having a relationship with Jesus. Until we talk with other church leaders in our suburb, we don’t know if they are experiencing the same thing. In prayer, we worship and give thanks, affirming this is God’s Spirit at work, while asking God’s protection of these new seekers and praying that God will extend what He is already doing. Our cry is always, “More, Lord, more” when we see God moving.
On the other hand, Victoria Point has been in the news recently as a place where there has been a significant increase in youth crime. As a group, we would ask God how to approach that issue prayerfully, while using observation and research alongside what the Spirit of God reveals to us. REVELATION is what God shows us from the scriptures or through words, dreams or visions. We take what we observe and what God reveals to us and do further RESEARCH to gain a complete picture to inform our prayers.
The first group formed will focus on the suburb of Victoria Point. If you express an interest in being a part of a group, you will be asked for your name, contact details, and suburb of interest. You may choose the suburb you live, work, study or play in. If you supply an email address, blog articles will automatically be sent to you when posted.
Geographic regions have gates and gatekeepers as do the institutions within that region. The gates may be geographic e.g. the highest mountain, the most easterly point, or they may be cultural, educational, religious, governmental and so on. The gatekeepers, whether human or spirit, may be positive or negative as they decide what or who enters through the gates of the city or suburb. They allow and disallow entry to the place. Peter Wagner spoke of the pastors as the spiritual gatekeepers of a city. As pray-ers, we are watchmen and women, with a desire to see the gates swung wide open to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As we keep watch, we are aware of what is entering our city. Spiritual leaders and intercessors work together to see the gates open to the King of Glory(Psalm 24:7-10) or, as the Message Bible says, the “God of the Angel Armies.” He comes to fight with and for His people, to see His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
So are you ready to enter the battle for a suburb of our city? THE INVITATION IS OUT. If your heart responds, make contact with me and I will respond as promptly as I am able. There are brochures available with more details and a summary of my experience in prayer ministry.
