FROM R.K.’S CORNER
Intercession through prayer walking is a familiar concept in our Bridge ministry During The Bridge’s pioneer stage in the eighties and nineties, when regions where there today are thriving churches, were completely closed to the Gospel, we would initially clandestinely send in prayer teams to strategically water the land with their fervent prayer and tears while entreating the Holy Spirit to visit the land! The fruit was always remarkable. When the evangelism team later would arrive, they were stunned at people’s openness to receiving Jesus Christ — especially among those who had never heard! Prayer and intercession are at the foundation of planting dynamic churches!
Two couples, dear American friends of ours – one living in the States, the other in Europe, each with an international ministry – carry the mutual burden to see the Muslim dominated nations of North Africa again embrace faith in Christ. They joined forces more than a decade ago, whereby they travel together, or with teams, throughout North Africa, blanketing the region with strategic intercession, and ministry, to the underground churches. For security reasons, I withhold their identities here.
The couple who lives in the States, visited us a few weeks ago. The husband shared from their most recent trip, how they experienced physical manifestations in nature as a clear response from the Lord to their prayers. We trust this report will edify you and strengthen your faith!
PRAYER WALK INTERCESSION IN NORTH AFRICA – by an Intercessor
It all started in Rome ten years ago. Six teams had been involved in what we called “the North African Initiative”, which involved groups of people praying in Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Israel. At the time we couldn’t get into Algeria but the team from Egypt was able to interface with a few doctors who were getting ready to go in there. Our goals were to pray at an historic Christian site, pray at a government site, pray on the Mediterranean and then fly to Rome for a time to share, pray together and see what the next steps should be. The theme or goal of this trip was to “DIG THE WELLS AGAIN”. There had been so much Christian influence in these areas until the wells were stopped-up and the message of Christ buried. Our praying would be part of the digging and replanting of God’s word in these areas.
We had all been convinced that we should go to Egypt the following year and call the dominance of Islam back across North Africa the way it had swept in. However, the Arab Spring happened within a few months and we had not been able to follow through with this until 9 years later. Meanwhile we held true to our vision and went into Morocco once a year to pray and encourage the underground church and ministries that were there – many had labored there for years, doing their work quietly and faithfully.
In 2018, we felt the Lord would have us double our investment, so we went in twice. This time we were able to split our time between Morocco and Egypt. In Casablanca there is a huge mosque that is built half on land and half in the ocean. The prophetic significance of this is a visual statement that Islam will go from there, cross the ocean, and take over the West. It was initiated in 1993 by the father of the present king of Morocco. The problem now, is that the mosque has begun to sink, so it is actually closed. We found it to be a very interesting dynamic.
After praying there, we flew to Cairo to pray in Egypt for the domination of Islam to be drawn back from across North Africa and return to where it originated. The Muslims believed that their prayers at this mosque would advance Islam toward the West, but we prayed for it to go back East!
We had a strategy for where and how to pray in Cairo, after which we would go to the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria, Egypt, and finally to the Red Sea. We had planned go by train across Egypt, but the people who were hosting us in Cairo cut a deal with us that played into the overall work of God quite well. Man makes a plan but God guides his steps! They offered to drive us to our appointed places of prayer and join forces with our team IF we would minister at three planned meetings they would be conducting during our stay. (Three former pastors can rarely turn down opportunities to minister!) It was truly a blessing to have our national hosts guide us, as it not only made the travel easier but the prayers were definitely more solid. At these agreed-to-meetings we were all encouraged and quite surprised. The presence of the Holy Spirit was so thick, and the people were so attentive and hungry for everything we had to share! If we had traveled this far for those meetings alone it would have been enough but, as usual, God had other surprises in store for us.
Two of us had to leave early, but our other friend stayed on and attended yet more meetings. As I was sitting on the plane, reflecting on all the intercession and those amazing meetings, I started having a little conversation in my head with God which went something like this: “So, you liked those meetings?” “Yes I did. They were great. Thank You for that wonderful surprise.” “Well,” He continued, “the meetings were great because You obeyed Me and accomplished what I told you to do. But, if you think the meetings were good, they didn’t compare to the effects of your obedience in prayer for these nations, which I also assigned for you to do.”
I mused on that and realized that often we don’t comprehend the power of prayer or the pleasure God receives when we’re obedient TO pray! We think dynamic meetings are the sign that He is at work and being pleased, and while we don’t want to diminish wonderful times of fellowship, there is so much more happening behind the scenes that prayer is affecting!
Meanwhile back in Cairo, the Lord was speaking to our friends through His creation because that morning it started to rain and continued to rain hard. There were three odd things about this: #1 — There wasn’t a cloud in the sky; only sunshine and blue sky. #2 — It doesn’t rain this time of year. #3 — The wind started to blow from the Northwest which was another oddity. The people who live there exclaimed to our friend that they had never seen anything like this before. “We live in the desert and it doesn’t rain like this especially when the sun is shining! Plus, it only rains in the spring—and this is winter. We get our water from the Nile–not from rain. Also, the wind comes from the Southeast and rarely, if ever, from the Northwest!”
It was time to inquire of the Lord and find out what He was saying through His creation. This is what the Spirit made clear to all of us: #1 — The sun shining is My face turned toward North Africa. #2 — The rain is bringing My blessings and I will fill the wells of salvation, again. #3 — The wind is blowing in the direction of your flight, back across North Africa where I will draw back the dominion of Islam.
Praise the Lord for His love! Praise the Lord for His mercies and blessings! Praise the Lord for using people to pray His love, mercies and blessings onto the earth for His glory and purposes. Never underestimate the power of your prayers, for God is at work through them! Amen and Amen!