"Before there is warfare,
there must be a love affair."
Dr. Gerald Jeffers
I've noticed something
lately in kids prayer groups that have been going for a
couple of years. They're going deeper in intercession
and their love for God is expanding.
During the months of
June and July the hunger kids displayed to go deeper
into the spiritual things was very obvious. Many spent
time just soaking in God's presence and listening to
hear His heartbeat. I know of one girl in particular who
would cry any time the prayer sessions got below the
surface. She would say, "I don't know what "going
deeper" means, but I just know we're supposed to go
there with Jesus." All this quiet time and consistent
training was feeding an ever-growing submerged hunger to
know and do more for Christ.
I, even as one of the
leaders, was in the same boat with the kids about the
whole idea of going deeper. I had my suspicions of what
it might mean, but in the end, I had to rely on the work
of the Holy Spirit - my finite mind was way off base. In
May the video clip that gripped our hearts (When
Children Pray) just wouldn't let go. As we began to give
ourselves to intense times of intercession, we felt a
growing depth. When we began to pray with authority and
some sense of responsibility, we went deeper. As I
traveled through the summer, I saw a similar trend in
several groups. Kids were abandoning themselves to God,
not mindful of the sound of their own voices and
certainly not mindful of the clock.
If you should find your
kids prayer group advancing into the deep waters of the
Holy Spirit, do not be afraid to encourage them. Help
the kids build up a strong love for God, waiting in His
presence, listening to His voice, and doing what He
asks. As the kids move deeper, you will most likely
notice that they are advancing into strategic warfare
prayer. It's a sound that will be somewhat uneasy to
hear, and a style of praying that you may not be
familiar with. But don't shut it down. Prayer of this
intense nature comes as children go deeper into the
things of the Holy Spirit.
A word of caution. Do not
rush kids to this level without taking time for a love
relationship to build up for God. Kids will "fight" for
what they love and believe in - it's not really
something they can put on and take off. This kind of
praying springs from a trust relationship with Christ;
it enables them to see the world as He does. We as their
facilitators can try hurry them along as we paint scenes
for them or we unwittingly put our burdens on them.
However, learn to relax. As they begin to connect to
God's heart, they will seek what He wants and pray as He
directs - leading them deeper into His kingdom and at
times deep into enemy territory. This place of the deep
allows them to do a work that sometimes we as adults are
afraid of. The
last kids prayer meeting I attended in August I brought
out buckets to use as drums and introduced the concept
of praying with the "Lord of Hosts." We waited on the
Lord in His presence (Rev 4&5) until one of the kids
knew what we should focus on. It was the "Invisible
Children" of Uganda (child soldiers). Then someone heard
the sound of a drum and began to play the rhythm for us.
It wasn't long until about 85% of the kids were in
intense intercession, crying out with loud voices. They
weren't just crying over the children that are abused
and neglected. They were commanding rebel soldiers from
the bush to "stop for no reason" and "stay out of the
huts." They said things like, "turn around, leave! You
can't have these kids anymore." Then they told of seeing
boots walking a different direction during their prayer
(more than one child saw this). Two days later it hit
CNN...a peace agreement was signed between the rebel and
government forces - there was a cease fire for the first
time in over 17 years. Now that's "deep." |
