5 Keys to Intercession for Nations
“Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? (Isaiah 66:8 NIV)
Can God respond to Intercessors’ faith in this modern age and supernaturally give birth to nations?
The answer depends on what kind of prayers we pray. Jesus did not speak of prayer only in terms of asking, seeking and knocking. He also intended us to use the ‘keys’ when He said:
“I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven”. (Matt 16:19)
If you want to be an Intercessor, you must learn to go beyond mere ‘door-knocking’ prayers to using ‘keys of authority’ which will give access to open nations for Kingdom purposes.
Are there Nations yet to be born?
There are over 196 Countries in the world today. The world’s newest country is South Sudan which gained independence in 2011. Since the 2nd World war with the end of the colonial era, many new nations were born and over 50 nations gained independence in Africa alone. Since 1990, 29 new nations have come into being, mainly emerging from the collapse of the Soviet Union (14 countries), and the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (7 countries).
However what scripture speaks about is not just political or geographic nations; they are God’s nation within nations, God’s Kingdom within kingdoms, His People within people groups.
“For you are a chosen Nation, and Kingdom of priests and People belonging to God”.
Two Major Scenarios.
To use the ‘Keys of Intercession’ for nations requires spiritual understanding of the scenarios that govern these nations. Firstly, there are nations closed or opposed to the Gospel with repressive regimes who deny its people access to Christ’s message. Satan’s schemes prohibit any missionary activity from within or without that will result in establishing a national church capable of reaching the nation. Secondly there are democratic nations with freedom of religion who promote secular and atheistic world views and Satan uses materialism and apathy to weaken the Church or to divide it; so that it will not fulfill its mandate to reach the nation with the Gospel. In both cases the god of this world has ‘blinded’ the people, and both need strategic intercession to bring spiritual breakthroughs in each nation.
5 Keys of Intercession for the Birth of Nations.
The redemptive purpose for the birth of the Nation of Israel was that “all the nations of the earth be blessed” through them. Therefore the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt provides a model and effective keys for those interceding for nations.
Key 1. The Intercessor- Moses.
The nation of Israel was formed in the matrix of Egypt’s slavery because God had to preserve and separate the Jacob’s 12 tribes from the other nations, to multiply them to become an unique nation. It was the birth pangs of intercession which initiated their deliverance as they “groaned because of the bondage” and their “cry came up to God”. (Exodus 2:23) This ground-level intercession is what indicated their time of birth and heaven was initiating its plan for the delivery of the nation.
However God had to raise a Prophetic Intercessor who was not a captive but a deliverer who had keys of authority to challenge Pharaoh and demand “let my people go”. While ground level prayer seeks relief from the present conditions of suffering, Moses’ Prophetic intercession looked beyond to unlock Israel’s purpose and destiny as a ‘Holy Nation’ and a ‘Kingdom of Priests’ and liberate them to possess their destiny.
Today God is preparing His nation in the matrix of many troubled nations. We must know that Satan will not allow political leaders of such oppressive nations to easily yield to appeals of freedom for humanitarian reasons. Mobilizing intercessors from other nations who can exercise the keys of authority is vital for opening of doors for deliverance of such people. Unified intercession can break the strongholds in nations just as it did through Moses in Egypt and liberate God’s people.
Stop and Pray: Ask the Lord to lay on your heart a burden to intercede specifically for a nation, a people group or a religious bloc from the list given at the end of this article and claim their prophetic destiny through Psalm 2:8:
“Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for your inheritance”.
Key 2. The Overthrow of Evil Rulers.
In any nation, it is the evil and corrupt rulers who cause most of the suffering and bondage to its people. Satan’s strategy is to secure the power bases of such rulers so that no human systems or power can overthrow them. Regime changes attempted through resolutions, sanctions, protests, coups, use of force and even war often has little effect, but only prolongs the suffering of people due to fact that spiritual strongholds had not been penetrated.
Pharaoh represented a demonic ‘strong-man’ who derived authority from a dynasty which enforced generational bondage over Israel for 400 years preventing their covenant destiny. While slaying the Passover Lamb, God simultaneously slayed the ‘first-born’ of Egypt to abolish this demonic dynastic influence to overthrow Pharaoh’s rule of terror and the obstinate opposition to God’s purpose: “Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” Ex 12:12. Therefore Intercessors today must tenaciously declare God’s call of deliverance over nations and persistently pray in faith for the removal of evil systems.
This is repeated when rulers of Babylon were overthrown by God to pave the way for Israel’s ‘second Exodus’ from Babylonian captivity. Here too Daniel the Intercessor interpreted the handwriting on the wall to King Belshazzar and declared; “God has numbered your kingdom and finished it” (Daniel 5:26). This regime change happened just in one night! Daniel lived through the fall of 3 World Empires, (Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian) and interceded for the birth of a ‘New Israel’.
Stop and Look: As Intercessors pray, the ‘handwriting on the wall’ is becoming graphic for modern Kingdoms which are ruled by despotic rulers and religious demagogues.
Ask God for a vision of the ‘redeemed nation’ and the ‘chosen generation’ in each nation and pray prophetically declaring the power of the ‘Lamb of God’ to deliver them.
At the end of this age, humanity will gratefully acknowledge the fact that only the “Lamb” was able to liberate them from nations.
“You purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Rev. 5:9)
Key 3. Destroying the Power of Bondage.
In many nations there are ideological, religious, cultural, political, economic and other bondages which keep people in corporate bondage. These must be destroyed first before delivering the people. Moses’ power encounters with Pharaoh not only broke the powerbase of Pharaoh, it also “plundered the Egyptians” causing economic collapse of Egypt resulting from the transfer of their wealth to Israel (Exodus 12:36). The greatest missionary force in the last days will be released from these nations which can cause the greatest damage to the kingdom of Satan. We have seen that the former communist countries where the church suffered severely, has now become strong missionary sending nations.
Different nations have ‘power bases’ which gives the enemy advantage over these nations. In the modern world nuclear power represents such a power used by nations to ensure their superiority and security. The ‘cold war’ kept tension between the world superpowers for over 40 years; and they used their nuclear capacities to keep threatening each other. While no nuclear warhead was used in any attack, it was the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster that changed the whole Soviet Union and caused the disintegration of states to give birth to nations. In the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in 2006, President Gorbachev wrote:
“The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl 20 years ago this month, even more than my launch of perestroika was perhaps the real cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union five years later. Indeed, the Chernobyl catastrophe was a historic turning point: there was the era before the disaster, and there is the very different era that has followed.”
Intercessors must believe that God can cause the collapse of any powerbases whether they be military, economic or religious; to transform nations and kingdoms for His purpose.
Stop and Listen:
You must know that man-made or natural disasters such as wars, disasters, famines, political upheaval and economic crisis are indicators that it is time for intercessors to believe God to open doors for the Gospel in nations.
Key 4. Destroying Walls or boundaries of Egypt.
Dogs were symbolic of the terror of Egypt’s slavery which created an invisible wall of fear that kept God’s people in bondage. Today there are walls of fear, intimidation, incarceration and other psychological means to keep people in bondage within political and religious systems.
However, in Egypt it took only ‘one night’ for the wall to come down and a new nation to be born! “And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” Ex 12:29. God is looking for Intercessors who will stand for nations in their midnight and declare the power of the Lamb with authority.
Take the story of Germany where people in East were separated from the West.
When the Berlin Wall went up on August 13, 1961, it imprisoned 17 million people in East Germany. However on the night of November 9, 1989 it is said that despite the Wall’s brutal history of death and repression, that night no one fired shots or turned loose the dogs. Berliners flocked to the Wall in the dark, and in days ahead amazed and awed that this dreadful symbol of repression was crumbling down and they celebrated, danced and played music, chipped at the hated concrete or scaled to the top, raising their arms in victory.
However, behind the scenes there were millions of intercessors praying for years for the ‘Iron Curtain’ to come down, and God sovereignly moved to liberate nations.
The dogs of Egypt will not stop God’s people as intercessors will exercise their authority.
“But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” Exodus 11:7.
Stop and Stand:
The midnight has come for many nations and a new day of revival is about to dawn on nations. The unseen barriers which has kept people under bondage for centuries can be brought down even in one night! For “this is that night of the Lord”. (Ex 12:42)
Key 5. The Deliverance.
The deliverance of Israel happened only through the ‘Passover Lamb’ which was so dramatic that it caused a rapid exodus of people out of bondage. This was unrivalled to all other demonstrations of power and brought supernatural deliverance to Israel. Even today, only the power of the Blood of the Lamb can bring deliverance from tyranny and bondage in nations. That is why the proclamation of the Gospel is paramount in all our endeavors in Missions. Intercessors have the legal authority over the evil powers of bondage and has the right to make declarations over nations through the Blood of the Lamb.
It is said that the American nation was born long before the war of independence was over when it was declared in ‘parchment and ink’ as the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was drafted by men who saw in faith the freedom and liberation from Britain although it was officially accepted and realized by the Paris Peace Treaty in 1783.
Intercessors have a document of Independence ‘written in blood’ when the Lamb of God was slain in Calvary for the redemption of Nations. Those who know the power of the Blood know that their enemy is not ‘flesh and blood’, and their weapons are not political, social or military. We make declarations that the Blood of the Lamb of God is still powerful enough to deliver nations!
Stop and Ask:
“Do I believe the mandate of Missions must be fulfilled in every nation on earth?”
2000 years ago Jesus confidently proclaimed the ‘Declaration of Independence’ to all nations:
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come”. (Matthew 24:14)
The Apostles laid their signature to this document on the day of Pentecost and began to proclaim it to every nation. The Lord Jesus is still committed and is personally involved to fulfil His Mission on earth through you.
Conclusion:
In closing let me draw your attention to another time when the nation of Israel was born.
For almost 2000 years the nation of Israel vanished from the map and its people lost and scattered among the nations. Although Israel becoming a nation again was an impossibility, due to its Prophetic destiny, a nation was to be born in modern times.
On May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv, in an afternoon ceremony at the Tel Aviv Art Museum, Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years and pronounced, “We hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine, to be called Israel,” prompting applause and tears from the crowd gathered at the museum.
In the distance, the rumble of guns could be heard from fighting that broke out between Jews and Arabs and Egypt launched an air assault against Israel that evening. Despite a blackout in Tel Aviv–and the expected Arab invasion–Jews joyously celebrated the birth of their new nation. At midnight, the State of Israel officially came into being upon termination of the British mandate in Palestine.
God is able to give birth to a nation in a day!
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ (Isaiah 65:1 NIV) Resources for praying for Nations:
Pray for Nations – Operation World: http://www.operationworld.org/
Persecution World Watch list: http://www.worldwatchlist.us/
Unreached People Groups: http://joshuaproject.net/global_statistics