The longer
I walk with Jesus, the more important prayer becomes. Jesus Himself modeled a prayer life during
His life on earth. He took time away
from the pressing crowds to be alone the His Father. He would steal away and spend a night in
communion with Father.
Rees
Howells: Intercessor by Norman Grubb is an important book that every person
should read who is interested in being used of God in prayer. It traces how God led Rees Howells step by
step in learning how to be an intercessor.
Rees began by taking baby steps of a disciplined, focused prayer
life. Then God laid on his heart certain
people to intercede for. Slowly, over
many years, Rees took on larger and more challenging prayer targets. Finally, after 30 or 40 years of praying, God
led him to join his prayers with those in a Bible College
he had founded to intercede for various key battles in World War II. Their prayers made a difference in the
outcome of that war.
One of the
chief motivating factors in what Rees Howells prayed for was the establishment
of Israel
as a nation and the return of the Jews to their homeland. Rees correctly saw that this was a key to
world evangelization and the ultimate return of Messiah to the earth. The motivation to “pray through” (pray until
Holy Spirit assured them of victory) against the Nazi war machine came because
Rees could see that if Alexandria fell in North
Africa, Palestine
would be threatened and fall into Nazi hands.
The same was true in the battle for Russia,
particularly when the Nazis attacked Moscow and
later Stalingrad—if the Nazis succeeded, the Holy Land
would be invaded from the North. At key
times, God prompted them to pray against the Nazis and God turned what looked
like sure victory for Germany
into major defeats that saved the world from tyranny.
The author
Norman Grubb summed it up: “…the prayer
in the College for the Gospel to go to every creature, and for the Jew to
return to Palestine, has always been with the
one great anticipation of the return of the Saviour in glory, and the setting
up of the Millennial
Kingdom.” What drove Rees Howells to pray was God’s heart
for evangelization and the return and reign of Jesus.
What do
your prayers focus on? What drives you
to “pray without ceasing”? Only a heart
gripped by what is on God’s heart will have the motivation to stay in prayer
until victory is won. God could trust
Rees Howells with truly large prayer initiatives because he was first faithful
in the small things (like healing for one person or the salvation of one
individual).
So what
will ignite your prayers today?