By Robin C

You can make a difference  by joining the prayer for Africa!   

This vision originated at the Global Marketplace Summit hosted by Dr Victor Choudhrie in Bangalore in February 2011. There were 11 delegates from Africa, representing Benin Republic, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. I had made a particular effort to facilitate their presence at the gathering because the Holy Spirit had shown me over a period of time that he is about to pour out His Spirit in Africa in a new and sweeping way. The delegates were all trained in starting multiplying house-church planting movements, and some of them remained for some days to learn in more depth from church planters whom God has so much blessed recently in the leading to faith of hundreds of thousands of new believers.

 

The prayer should have a specific focus, the launch of multiplying church planting movements in every African nation. This will mean praying for labourers for the harvest, as in Luke 10:2. It should focus on “apostles of peace” – Christian leaders who will catch this vision, including those who are already catching it or who have caught it. We need to pray for leaders yet to be raised up – I believe many who will be mighty people of God in the new move are not yet even saved. Some may even not be born! And we need to pray for people of peace in every area, who will receive the message. This all needs to happen in an environment which has been cleared by spiritual warfare. We need to cast down the obstacles that have been presented by hordes of demons and spiritual principalities and raise up a highway by the mighty weapon of prayer. I know that God is impressing on me that He is bringing me to a place where I must pray for the lost as I never have before.

I truly believe that now is the time for Africa, and that God is calling for the labourers to enable this to happen. I remember at the Global Summit in Delhi 2009 during the Africa prayer morning, Dr Poupo Elie of Cameroon stood on the stage to pray and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in a mighty way. He declared that the spirit of “the dark continent” is broken in the name of the Lord Jesus, and that from now on Africa shall be known as a continent of light. 

The Lord impressed me to share the vision of a sustained period of prayer for Africa, one week for each country, and this found a ready reception from all those I shared it with. As the vision grew, more details were added. The prayer should start for the southern-most country, South Africa, and sweep up the continent, covering each of the 54 recognised independent nations, to finish in Egypt, for “out of Egypt have I called My Son”. The final week should be for all the non-recognised states and foreign-ruled territories, symbolically “the outcasts”, making 55 weeks in all. The 55 speaks of Isaiah 55 – “All you who are thirsty, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come buy and eat. Yes come buy wine and milk without money and without price…………”  

David Christmas researched each country and wrote a week-by-week prayer guide, which appears on the website under the Africa tab. I pray you will be led by the Lord to join us in this historic endeavour of prayer. 

Robin C.