Unusual & Extraordinary

In 2004, I saw a vision of cities stopping everything for 10 Days in order to pray and seek God.  This is not normal behavior in my city or in any other city that I’ve ever known.  It was clear in the vision that God was calling for cities to do something unusual and extraordinary.
 
Think about it for a moment: If this vision is true, what’s the point of this kind of unusual, extraordinary prayer?  And why now, at this juncture of history?What's with all the shaking?
 
I have two friends, Allan Parker and Dave Warn, that have independently developed the same evangelism strategy.  They’ll ask a stranger this question: “What do you think about the direction of our nation right now?”  It’s interesting that almost everyone they talk to thinks we are headed in the wrong direction as a nation.  Allan and Dave are then able to begin a conversation about God and also share about their love for America.
 
America is experiencing levels of upheaval, division, and conflict not seen since the 1960’s. The turmoil many of us feel  and our own lack of power in the face of them are meant to drive us to a posture of greater humility and paradoxically, greater power and influence.  The shakings that we’re experiencing nationally and internationally are meant to bring us to our knees in prayer.

God has appointed prayer as one of the primary means through which “His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven…”  If we want to see the Government of God breaking into our world, we must use  God-appointed means (prayer) to bring this about.
 
 The current shakings are intended to bring us to an end of ourselves and our confidence in the “normal” means so that we can begin to cry out for something extraordinary.  
 
Felt Needs/God’s Desires
 
While I think the shakings that we’re experiencing in this nation are real and God is using them to get our attention, he does not want our focus to be on the shaking--he wants our focus to be on what cannot be shaken! We know that as we approach the return of Christ, these shakings are also going to increase.  As things around us shake, it's increasingly important for our focus to be on knowing Him and His purposes.  He wants us to be firmly established in the midst of this shaking and to emerge a beautiful, united, and victorious church on the other side!  We’re living in extraordinary times and if we’re to remain steady in the midst of them it will require extraordinary prayer. 
 
A Teaching Series: What’s on God’s Heart for Prayer?

God is using external events to get our attention but He doesn't want them to keep our attention.  These shakings are designed to cause us to seek Him, and in so doing align our hearts with His eternal desires and purposes for us and for the world. 

Over the next weeks, we'll be sharing about four major intercessory purposes--four things that God clearly wants to do on the earth to prepare the way for the return of Jesus.  God's not planning to do these things unilaterally--He always works in partnership with His people, so it's important that we understand and agree with the desires of His heart.  
We’ll also be sharing encouraging updates from around the nation and beyond as cities mobilize to unite in seeking the face of God.

In the midst of a world in turmoil, we're receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.  Let's position ourselves for unusual times through extraordinary prayer!

Jonathan Friz