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THAT SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE sticking one's talent in the ground. The Lord was not too happy about that.

THE LORD set the rules. One of the rules is HE INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY ABOUT LEADERS ONGOINGLY.

HE INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY FOR PEACE--OF JERUSALEM AND OTHERWISE ONGOINGLY.

HE SET UP the great mystery of our prayers influencing His hand and world events. HE IS THE ONE WHO GETS A KICK OUT OF THAT. IT IS HIS WAY. It is HIS delight that we ENGAGE with Him in a world changing dialogue. Who am I to try and change His rules on such?

I almost cannot fathom that a believer would construe it otherwise.

I know Andrew Strom a bit--not Chris. I believe they feel a burden to stir up the gifts that are in The Body of Christ that each believer might be found to be busy about the Father's and the Master's business at Holy Spirit's direction. I can understand his focus in the article exhorting people to get with it in terms of intercession.

As Yong Yi Cho has noted--western Christians have classes on prayer; preach about prayer, talk about how essential prayer is--then don't pray.

OF COURSE GOD IS THE STAGE DIRECTOR AND MAJOR ACTOR ON THE SCENE. But HE--GOD ALMIGHTY exhorts us to pray without ceasing.

I once had a super crisis involving 5 families in an extremely conservative Lutheran mission. I called the committee head in Wisconsin in charge of the team. One family was at risk for losing their relationship with God entirely and 3 out of the 5 families were at risk for leaving the mission field. And all the committee had done for 3 years was make things worse.

I told the chairman that he had better get all the elderly prayer warriors in his church--all the praying elderly ladies to praying hard and long because he had a bigger mess on his hands than he had the first clue about.

He immediately responded in the most pontifical, haughty, etc. tones imaginable--NOW WE CAN'T GET TOO EXCITED ABOUT PRAYER. PRAYER IS

NOT

A MEANS OF GRACE.

I about fell through the floor. I learned later from the team that that denomination kind of thought of prayer as a sort of meaningless religious duty. They never expected prayer to change anything. They never really expected prayer to matter to God at all. What rubbish!

OF COURSE we are to use discernment etc. and do our best to focus on God's priorities in our prayers. Of course we are to seek His Glory and will. . . AND TO THEN PRAY ACCORDINGLY! That's another reason tongues is so essential to me--HOLY SPIRIT KNOWS FAR BETTER THAN MY CONSCIOUS MIND WHAT THE FATHER'S PRIORITIES ARE *AND* ****HOW**** TO PRAY IN CONCERT WITH THEM. I'm SOOOOOOO THANKFUL for that comforting service of Holy Spirit.

Incidentally, That chairman became such an obstructionist in the process--and the 5 families were so kind and loving toward one another AND WANTING TO DO GOD'S WILL but sooooo desperately in pain as well in their relationships--I knew to begin with that God had His hand on them.

But at one point talking to the chairman, I felt my spirit quickened that I had to warn him. I exhorted him simply but matter of factly that if he persisted in trying to trouble the team or obstruct God working a redemptive work in the team out--that God was likely to take the chairman out of this life. Of course he poopoohed the idea as utterly ridiculous. He continued his foot-dragging obstructionist stance and within a month or so he was dead of a brain aneurysm. The whole team knew The Lord had spoken as even did some others on the committee.

That sort of thing is going to become common place. People will either get with GOD'S program or be left in the dust or be taken forcefully out of the way.

You will see the simple phrase or 1-3 sentence prayers of young children stop whole armies or mobs or earthquakes.

But you don't have to believe me--just stay tuned to life in our era.