Today's article is going to be finishing off a series of articles I did a year ago, on the different types of intercessors! For those of you that have waited so patiently for this last article - thank you! Hope you enjoy this..and it helps explains 'nation or people group' assignments!
Prayer Shepherds for Ethnic Groups
The most common 'people group' or 'nation' that people often gather for to intercede is Israel. But..
the term 'people groups' can refer to any group of people based on background, status, residence, occupation, health, knowledge, religion, race, nationality - the list could be endless.
The nation that I personally pray for is not Israel, but (believe it or not), is Scotland. The key is that regardless of what people group or nation that God puts on your heart, you pray for them! We need to learn that one nation is not more important than another and whatever prayer burden God has put on an intercessors' heart - it's important to Him, that we are praying for that nation, or that people group. This is where intercessors can tend to be territorial or get into comparisons. We need to really FIGHT that spirit of division - you know the one...the one that says ' Oh, you don't pray for........? Why not? Don't you think it's important?'...or worse yet, picking up the spirit that says the people in a prayer group don't get you...or aren't as spiritual as you simply because they don't have the same burden - NOT TRUE! We must all be faithful to pray for the assignments God puts on our hearts - no comparisons, no competitions and definitely no judgements! There's enough needs to go around and enough nations and people groups that need our prayers!
As we target a group of people in prayer, God will surface unlikely leaders within the group( we are praying for) whom He can use to turn it around. Lambs don't follow the shepherd, they follow the sheep that follow the shepherd. In other words, as we show others the way, they will eventually lead herds of others along the same path. So it's key to pray for the God's leaders to rise up in any people group we're praying for!
The nation that I personally pray for is not Israel, but (believe it or not), is Scotland. The key is that regardless of what people group or nation that God puts on your heart, you pray for them! We need to learn that one nation is not more important than another and whatever prayer burden God has put on an intercessors' heart - it's important to Him, that we are praying for that nation, or that people group. This is where intercessors can tend to be territorial or get into comparisons. We need to really FIGHT that spirit of division - you know the one...the one that says ' Oh, you don't pray for........? Why not? Don't you think it's important?'...or worse yet, picking up the spirit that says the people in a prayer group don't get you...or aren't as spiritual as you simply because they don't have the same burden - NOT TRUE! We must all be faithful to pray for the assignments God puts on our hearts - no comparisons, no competitions and definitely no judgements! There's enough needs to go around and enough nations and people groups that need our prayers!
As we target a group of people in prayer, God will surface unlikely leaders within the group( we are praying for) whom He can use to turn it around. Lambs don't follow the shepherd, they follow the sheep that follow the shepherd. In other words, as we show others the way, they will eventually lead herds of others along the same path. So it's key to pray for the God's leaders to rise up in any people group we're praying for!
Another interesting thing is that God may ask you to pray for a specific people group, that you have actually been wounded by. You need to remember that it's Satan who may wound us through a people group. Yet, if we pray, the Lord will redeem our hurts and allow us to lead our enemies to Christ. The chronicles of Corrie ten Boom are an example of God's redemptive love. Another example is my personal testimony of being lead to pray for a people group.
I had a season where God asked me to pray for a specific ethnic community in our city. A few years previously I had been attacked on our property by a man of this very ethnicity. When God asked me to pray for that people group, I was stunned! " Are you kidding God?! I'm scared of them!'...Slowly He began to talk to me about forgiveness, and not walking in a spirit of fear. He began to speak to me about mercy triumphing over judgment. He began to ask me' Who better to pray for them Pam, than one who could ask for judgment, but chooses to ask for mercy for this people group?' Wow...I realised that I was in a powerful position ! So...for years I prayed for this people group , that revival would come to them, that the love of God would be made known to them - that salvation would touch their houses and their families! It was an awesome assignment that lasted for a number of years! So, the thing the enemy had for evil, God turned for good, and an assault turned into a fervent prayer assignment for not just one person, but an entire people group!
I had a season where God asked me to pray for a specific ethnic community in our city. A few years previously I had been attacked on our property by a man of this very ethnicity. When God asked me to pray for that people group, I was stunned! " Are you kidding God?! I'm scared of them!'...Slowly He began to talk to me about forgiveness, and not walking in a spirit of fear. He began to speak to me about mercy triumphing over judgment. He began to ask me' Who better to pray for them Pam, than one who could ask for judgment, but chooses to ask for mercy for this people group?' Wow...I realised that I was in a powerful position ! So...for years I prayed for this people group , that revival would come to them, that the love of God would be made known to them - that salvation would touch their houses and their families! It was an awesome assignment that lasted for a number of years! So, the thing the enemy had for evil, God turned for good, and an assault turned into a fervent prayer assignment for not just one person, but an entire people group!
The call to intercession is costly. There are countless amazing and inspiring stories of missionaries who give their lives to pray for those overseas. Then, it may be followed by a summons to occupy a hostile environment where the altars of satanic gods have wrought the curse of idolatry upon the land and it's people groups.It may cost our lives.Our city prayer group has had the privilege of training up people who have gone out to hostile countries to be a light in the midst of great darkness. Yes, it can be tiring, but regardless of the repercussions, we can rest assured that our intercession cannot be silence - not even by the grave. The prayers of martyrs echo through the hallways of time.
Three major monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - all dominate the world today. All have roots in Abraham - the Hebrew father of Ishmael and Isaac. Today, Ishmael's descendants represent the Arab nations, most of which are Islamic and follow the teaching of Mohamed.
The world shares a common destiny with Israel and the Jews, because the Jews are the people group Jehovah calls the apple of his eye. There is much confusion over whether the Jews are a nation or a religion, or one and the same. Probably no other people group in history has been more scattered or persecuted than the Jewish people . When you make a decision to pray for Israel and the Jews, you need to sit down and count the cost, rather than fall into the trap of romanticism. How do you pray for the house of David and the inhabitant of Jerusalem?
The world shares a common destiny with Israel and the Jews, because the Jews are the people group Jehovah calls the apple of his eye. There is much confusion over whether the Jews are a nation or a religion, or one and the same. Probably no other people group in history has been more scattered or persecuted than the Jewish people . When you make a decision to pray for Israel and the Jews, you need to sit down and count the cost, rather than fall into the trap of romanticism. How do you pray for the house of David and the inhabitant of Jerusalem?
- pray that miraculous signs and wonders will be released to them
-ask God to convict them of sin so they will see their need for a saviour.
- pray that religious blinders or scales will fall off their eyes-speak comfort to them and bind the wounds of persecution they have suffered.
Regardless of whether you have been given an assignment for nations or a people group, the key is to PRAY! If you can't find a group that wants to pray with you, or has the same burden, then pray on your own! It's your assignment and may not be everyone else's! Remember that some of these assignments may last a short time, or they may last for years. Enjoy them for whatever time you have them. Remember too, that not everyone gets a nation or a people group to pray for - you've been uniquely wired for this assignment! Don't fight it. Dont' compare it with other's assignments - just thank God for what He's trusted you to pray for and that He's created you to love your unique assignments!
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