Psalm 2:8, ‘Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, And dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’
DAILY READING • Romans 3:9-31; 1 Samuel 12; Psalm 57
The revolution that brought down the communist regime in East Germany in 1989 began when a Lutheran pastor named Christian Führer rallied East Germans to resist the injustice of the communist system through prayers.
Beginning in the early 1980s he organized peace prayers every Monday at Church of St Nicholas in the city of Leipzig, about a 100 miles from Berlin. These prayers became a rallying point for the people’s protest against the oppressive communist regime.
As the gatherings at the Church came to the attention of the government, they sent ‘the Stasi’, the secret police, to start beating people and arresting them in large numbers in front of the church.
People coming to the Church every week faced serious danger of being shot, yet they still didn’t give up on coming to the Monday peace prayers. Rather the Church continued to grow in size, despite authorities barricading the streets leading to it and the secret police issuing death threats to the attendees.
The courage of the congregants at St. Nicholas inspired other churches in towns and cities around the country to also begin holding peace prayers, thereby spreading the Jesus message of nonviolence.
On Monday October 9, 1989, the people planned a massive demonstration demanding peaceful change. The communist government was resolved on crushing this gathering and stopping the prayer meetings and so they amassed 8000 police and armed military units to stop them. That day, 70,000 people turned up and marched towards the city center with lighted candles and praying.
As these people marched in defiance of the government, astonishingly, the police were unable to halt them and not a single shot was fired at any of them.
Exactly a month later, the people’s prayers were answered as a series of events led to the resignation of the communist leader marking an end to his oppressive regime and paving the way for the first free multi-party elections in East Germany.
True revivals and revolution are birthed in the womb of prayer.
Prayer is indeed powerful.
Times of trials in our nations should draw us into intercession for Heavenly intervention. Every oppression can be overturned through prayers.
One of the greatest theologian of the 20th century, Karl Barth, said that “to clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”
It’s not enough to just think about the things that are going wrong in our environment or keep worrying about them, something supernatural happens when we choose to pray.
Our prayer puts a demand on Heaven and activates divine interventions. Therefore instead of worrying or complaining, we can rather pray into existence the changes we desire. God causes things to happen on earth when men and women are in agreement with His will.
Truly, to see divine intervention, prayer is a necessity for every believer.
It doesn’t matter how intimidating the machinery of the opposition, when we fight on our knees, we stand in victory. Indeed the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. [2 Corinthians 10:4-5].
As we call upon God in this time of fasting, certainly, we are going to see positive changes. Through the power of prayer we will re-organize circumstances not only in our individual lives, but also in our families, communities, cities, and nation.
PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to fill my heart with Your Word, and to remain steadfast in prayers to see the changes I desire. Thank You Father for speedy answers and for doing exceedingly abundantly above all I have requested in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
Until you cry out in the place of prayer certain things won’t happen. WORDBITE 222