27th August, 2014
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PICTURE: Vivek Chugh/www.freeimages.com |
National prayer leaders have joined in calling for seven days of prayer and fasting, asking God for an "explosion" of the Gospel in Australia and for protection for those being persecuted for their faith overseas.
Warwick Marsh, one of the organisers of the National Day of Prayer and Fasting which takes place in February each year, said he had been feeling for some months to call the nation to fast and pray for "breakthrough for revival and transformation and specifically for marriage, family and fatherhood" as well as for "our Christian brothers and sisters" facing persecution in the Middle East.
"I have sensed a wave of darkness trying to destroy the church and the people of God over the last few months and this ferocious attack has not been limited to the Middle East but it is occurring to Western Christians as well…" he said in an email to Sight.
Mr Marsh said his sense was confirmed by other national prayer leaders and the National Day of Prayer and Fasting team, all of whom "passionately believe in the power of prayer", before the call to prayer was issued.
"Prayer is still the most powerful force in the universe because our Father in heaven is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords," he said. "We must preserve our unity and stand strong to protect each other. As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘We must all hang together or we shall all hang separately’."
A four point prayer plan released by the prayer leaders this week calls for people to pray for an "explosion of the Gospel and a sovereign outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with an accompanying revival in the church to bring transformation across the nation" .
The prayer plan – which organisers say takes II Chronicles 7:14 as its "foundational verse" and is also inspired by Joel 2:15-17 – asks people pray for "angelic protection" and aid for Christians in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East who are facing severe persecution for their faith.
It also calls for prayer to protect the definition of marriage, noting that "sexual radicals" are campaigning for the Coalition government to abandon its election commitment to marriage and describing the issue of the redefinition of marriage, after the issue of abortion and the "killing of innocents" as the "biggest social justice issue of our time". Prayer is also urged for a "revolution and restoration of fatherhood in Australia" this Father’s Day.
The seven days of prayer and fasting runs from 28th August to 3rd September.
~ www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au
– DAVID ADAMS
