"Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it" (Jeremiah 33:9).
Dear intercessors,
I used to travel from nation to nation on a ship that spread the good news of Jesus. Upon arrival in a new country we would often have a great welcome from the people of that city. In New Zealand we experienced a special dance from the Maori Indians. It was quite impressive, and one I will never forget. At the end of that unique tribal dance, each member of the staff and crew of our ship received a beautiful wreath of flowers around their neck and the Maori greeting of rubbing noses. It was quite a cultural experience for many of us.
In other countries we had special greetings unique to each culture—everything from other cultural dances, gifts, songs, and banners—that were a beautiful welcome for the ship into their unique city. It made all of us on board feel very welcome in that country and city. It made us deeply desire to stay there and interact with the people.
Perhaps God feels the same way.
When He sees His people eagerly pray for His presence, and welcome Him into their city through prayer and worship, He is delighted and wants to invade that city with His presence. When He sees your desperate cry for His presence, He feels like a welcomed and longed-for guest. He wants to make your city His home.
Difficult things are happening in cities all around the world. Just recently the tragedy in Houston, Texas through Hurricane Harvey should make us aware of how we need to pray for our cities and how much we need to pray for Houston. The storm left behind a massive amount of devastation in its wake. It is expected to cost as much as $100 billion to clean up and repair. Most people did not have insurance. And there is another hurricane on the horizon. Our cities need prayer, massive amounts of prayer.
We need to prepare the way for God’s Kingdom and presence in our cities. Even tragedy can turn many to find God as the answer. It can awaken the Church to new levels of commitment. We need to increase our prayer life, and find others who have a vision for transformation in our cities. We need to get together regularly with others who want to pray for our city and other cities; God will lead us and add others to our prayer meetings. Transformation will occur in our lives, and we will become consumed with a hunger for God’s presence.
The Lord will hear our cry for our city, and God will begin to move in our midst.
Early in the morning in a month of 24/7 prayer in Spain, God made his presence known to me in a very special way. There was no rain outside; it was completely dry. As I was having my prayer time early, I suddenly looked out the window and there in the sky surrounding the House of Prayer was a bright rainbow. It was as if God was speaking to me and saying:
“My desire is for citywide, united prayer. Keep praying for I shall surely come with my presence—I have heard your cry.”
It is time that we change our lifestyles and become desperate for God and His ways. We must seek the Lord. We must be willing to put God and prayer first. It is time that we welcome His Kingdom into our neighborhoods, our cities, and our nations.
Our Prayer for the city of Houston
Dear Lord, we ask that you would visit Houston and the surrounding area with your power and presence. Let the people of Houston welcome You into their city. Turn many hearts toward you. Turn this tragedy into abundant prosperity and peace for Houston (Jeremiah 33:9). Bring forth your destiny and salvation into that city. Meet the desperate human need that they feel. Minister to their lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Protect lives and remove all disease and heartbreak from their hearts. Take away all fear from their lives and bring in your supernatural peace. Move in their midst and let them know You as their Good Shepherd at this difficult time (Psalm 23). Hear their desperate cry.
We ask for Your glory to descend on their city. We ask for revival to break out. We ask for Your Kingdom to come into Houston. Bring a bright rainbow of hope into their lives. Increase the prayer lives of your people in Houston. Unite the Church of Houston and break through any division. Give them a united vision of what you can do for their city. Let them be a shining light in their neighborhoods and workplaces. Bring your supernatural joy right in the midst of their hardship. Bring forth Your Kingdom purposes for Houston. Let your vision and plan for that city come forth in all its fullness. In Jesus' name, amen.
Pray this over your own city and bring the unique hardships of your city before God in prayer.
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Take action and join us in Athens, Greece in November, 2017 for 30 days of 24/7 Worship and Prayer in the Spirit of the Tabernacle of David. For information, see www.lighthouse247.org / helpfriends7@gmail.com.
"To be desperate means to be without hope in your current condition and to know that in your own power you don’t have the necessary resources required to change it. People who are desperate become determined to find help, often taking great risks to meet their desperate need. In the communities where transforming revival has occurred, the people of God were desperate enough to change their lifestyle and their priorities and to commit their time and resources, making everything secondary to the desperate pursuit of God in their midst. They cried out in desperation, and the Lord heard their cry." Rhonda Hughey
Together in the Harvest,
Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC)
deb@intercessorsarise.org
www.intercessorsarise.org
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