Grace Assembly : Acts of Grace

In the history of this world, there is one thing the history books will not tell you – the history of the nations of this world was shaped by prayer. We see nation rise and nations fall and if we get to the bottom of it all, we will discover that there is always prayer and people of prayer behind every world-changing event.

We see it from the earliest history in the Old Testament. All the great men, Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they all prayed. Their prayer life was so powerful that it determined the destiny of this world. Surrounding nations looked at these men and believed that they were gods themselves because of the favour of God was so evident in their lives. These were all men of prayer. They did not say prayers. They prayed. They prayed until something happened.

During World War Two, when the Germans bombed Britain, the prime minister, Winston Churchill called upon the British people to pray when Big Ben and all the other clocks in Britain struck at twelve in the afternoon. All the people in the nation stopped what they were doing at twelve o’clock, looked up to God in prayer and asked God for divine intervention. They did that every single day. Then the second round of attack came and thousands of German war planes were deployed. The British could only send out two war planes and hardly enough ammunition to take on the Germans. It was the darkest hour in the nation’s history. But the people were praying. At that time, there was a fight between darkness and light, between freedom and bondage. The whole world stood still at that moment. Everyone thought that it was finished, that Hitler was going to take over. But, as the German pilots flew across the channel and into Britain, they looked at the sky and saw thousands and thousands of planes coming towards them. This sent them into panic mode, thinking they were out-numbered.

We all know the outcome – the Germans lost. After the war was over, when it was revealed that Britain only sent out two planes, the Germans and every one else could not explain how two planes could put thousands of planes to flight. But the Bible says, “..one man chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight ..” (Deut 30:20). Churchill called his country’s weakest moment and its greatest dependence on God its finest hour.

There are many powerful accounts of the power of prayer in modern history - the fall of Communism in Russia, the birth of the Solidarity movement and the fall of communism in Poland, the end of the Ceauşescu regime in Romania and many more. What I’m trying to say is, God has his arsenal of pilots, planes, rockets and sputnik - Star Wars is nothing. They can appear and disappear at His command. It’s called divine arsenal. His name is the Lord of Host. He is a Warrior. He knows how to fight when his children call: Call to me and I will answer you. This is prayer.

Closer to home, we have Nelson Mandela and the fall of apartheid. The former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela is considered one of the elders on planet earth right now. Why? Because he was in prison for 28 years, and when he came out, he had no bitterness, no anger, and no hatred towards his enemies. He is a testimony to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ - he could bless his enemies and love those who persecuted him. Following his release from prison, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa. This man is one of a kind.

Then we have the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, also of South Africa, a man who has a divine connection with God. Tutu says that he tries to have at least two to three hours of quiet time with God daily where he intercedes for nations and continents, giving particular attention to South Africa. At the end of apartheid in South Africa, he chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to unify the people. He is a tireless defender of the oppressed, speaking out against racism and poverty. Someone asked Tutu, “How do you find time to pray in the midst of all these things that you are doing?” Tutu replied, “Do you think that I’ll be able to do all these if I did not pray?”

So does prayer make a difference? Does prayer change anything? Yes, prayer makes a difference, a world of difference, it changes things and shapes history. Somebody prayed. Somebody prophesied. Somebody believed. And God brought it into being. History is actually His-story - God moves the nations through prayer! Hallelujah!

Father, put the spirit of prayer within us so that we can learn to pray, pray unceasingly, joyfully and victoriously, for we know our prayer makes a difference. In Jesus’ name, we come against every hindrance, every discouragement, every delay, every block the enemy has put in our path to prayer. We pray for signs, wonders and miracles in our individual lives, in our families, in our community, in our churches and cells and in this nation, in Jesus’ name. Amen.