Dale Winder
The National Initiatives Manager
for the BGEA of Canada
When I began my elementary school years we began the day singing the Canadian national anthem and saying the Lord’s Prayer in unison. By the time I finished high school we were taught that science had proven God does not exist. Therefore, not only did we stop saying the Lord’s Prayer we also no longer sang the national anthem because it acknowledged the existence of God.
Today, students are no longer taught that science is true because they are teaching truth is based on what you personally think or feel. As a result, we have fully arrived into a narcissistic society just like in the day of the Judges. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6 & 21:25).
What our society is blind to, is the coming chaos that will ensue in a self-absorbed society that rejects God. With a rejection toward the truth of Scripture comes a decline in moral values. Since there is no agreed upon foundation we enter into a “Wild West” type of law and order of every man for himself. I think we have seen this play out on our streets over the last few years with crowds of people protesting for their personal “freedoms” and “rights”.
How should we as believers respond to these concerning trends? As Christians we can’t even agree on how to counter our culture. Should we stand outside government buildings in “peaceful protest” with placards, send letters to our MP’s, preach on street corners, voice our opinions on social media, play economic warfare by boycotting certain companies, or sit back in tolerance and let it all play out? What should we do?
The first and most effective weapon we have is prayer! Church historian, J. Edwin Orr, in his video The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakening says there has been no spiritual awakening that did not start without a “concerted effort of extraordinary, sustained prayer.”
As I’m sure you have often heard, in 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
So, if we want to see this promise of healing come true in your country then why is it that we don’t see more Christian’s gathering together engaged in extraordinary prayer?
My wife and I have the privilege to work with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada on a National Prayer Initiative. Our vision is to encourage a heart for prayer amongst pastors and their congregations which creates a context where God sees our earnest and unified heart for spiritual transformation across Canada.
We are so encouraged as we connect with pastors and prayer intercessors to see a growing movement of believers who are aware of the need for prayer and are acting on this. To create a practical and easy way for Christians to begin praying we launched the Prayer Walk Challenge (www.billygraham.ca/prayer-walk-challenge/).
What a great opportunity especially during the COVID-19 pandemic for pastors to mobilize their congregations and pray for their neighbors, community leaders and for national revival. We challenge you to consider, in addition to your private prayer life, to walk your neighborhood and pray.
Finally, is there a group of Christians you can meet on a regular basis to pray a concerted, earnest effort of extraordinary, sustained prayer? Imagine what God would do if we all took up this challenge? I believe we would experience revival and the spiritual transformation we desire.
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Dale Winder is the National Initiatives Manager for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada. He has 30 years of ministry experience as a pastor, denomination leader and cross denomination network leader.