Our Prayers Will Make the Difference

A young pastor from Uganda with a great burden for America came here to warn us. Judgment is coming for this country and soon unless we travail in prayer! He gave us a choice – judgment or revival.

Rev. John Mulinde spoke to approximately 200 prayers and intercessors from throughout New England at the New England School of Prayer, sponsored by New England Concerts of Prayer, at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Hamilton, Mass., September 20-24, 1999.

Other featured speakers included Rev. David Bryant, President of Concerts of Prayer International and Dr. Walter Kaiser, President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The Meeting was facilitated by Rev. Jeff Marks, Director of New England Concerts of Prayer.

God is Calling America to Prayer

Rev. Mulinde told us that God is calling America to a place of prayer, deeper than ever before. Because of believers’ prayers, God has been holding off judgment and has poured out his mercy on the great cities of the world. But now there is a critical need to raise the prayer volume and push to a breakthrough. He said that God’s eyes are seeking throughout this land for persons with holy desperation, those who will “stand in the gap” and cry out for this nation to renounce its wicked ways and turn back to him as requested in Ezekiel 22:30-31.

Rev. Mulinde noted that when sin reaches a level of fullness, it gives way to death. (James 1:13-15). Death or judgment can take many forms. Because of his mercy and grace, God does not want to bring judgment. He searches for a person who will pay the price.

Rev. Mulinde indicated that God’s judgment will come in three ways.

Judgment against the God of mammon. He will break our sense of security by destroying the things we trust and allowing America’s economy to collapse and the economy of many other countries. God calls his people to fix their faith on him alone.

Judgment against man’s pride in his civilization, ingenuity, and ability to handle problems. This will come through natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

God will allow sin to explode. There will be a collapse of morals and a collapse of restraint. People will realize that they should never have let things go this far. The very rights and benefits they demand will cause their downfall.

God Promises the Greatest Revival Ever!

When Reverend Mulinde asked God if he should say all this or just pray it, God said say it and don’t fear. I want to send the greatest revival ever. Rev. Mulinde said we have to humble ourselves as a nation. We have to get down on our knees, stop business as usual, and let the cry of prayer be louder than the cry of sin.

Rev. Mulinde says that if there is going to be a breakthrough, we need to ask God to “crush us.” God will then fight the battles and bring us back to him. He noted that in America, many laws are written covenants that break God’s law. Such power of sin takes greater travail to break. Rev. Mulinde asked the Lord, saying … “but America is so full of prayer groups and intercessory movements” … God said “Yes son, but the cry of sin is still louder than the cry of prayer. They need more and deeper prayer.”

Travailing Prayer is Needed

On Monday night, Rev. Mulinde explained some keys to travail. He said, that the key to travailing prayer is to have a desperate heart and to cry out (sometimes with tears and wailing) because we really crave change. When we can’t afford to be denied and don’t mind what people say or think, that is the moment we break into God given travail. If we worry about what people think, we quench the Holy Spirit and stop short of the mark.

How Prayer Transformed Uganda

Rev. Mulinde and others were used by God in the transformation of Uganda. His country suffered greatly first under Idi Amin and then under Abote. Next came the Aids plague. In 1996, while in Israel, he asked the Lord why they weren’t seeing what God had promised. God said that the land was under blood guilt and needed national repentance and reconciliation, that the nation had to be re-covenanted back to God.

When Rev. Mulinde told God that he was willing to do anything, God showed him the iniquities of Uganda – not from current atrocities but from long time sins and yokes. God showed him a land full of injustice whose sin was crying out for God’s wrath and judgment.

Rev. Mulinde was then asked by God to go back to his country and call his nation to repentance from the President on down. Rev. Mulinde gathered his team and began to seek God.

He wrote a letter to the first lady but she did not answer right away. He contacted pastors but responses were not encouraging. He called intercessors from all over the city to a night of prayer and briefing. He knew that everything was at stake and sought the Lord all day. That night the Lord called them to 90 days of fasting. If they would comply, God promised to open the doors and remove every hindrance. The fast was to consist of 90 days of liquids only, no food, and several hours of prayer daily. At the meeting, 150 people responded to the call. Many others joined later in one form of fasting or another. It is estimated that by the time of the solemn assembly as many as 100,000 people may have fasted throughout the land.

Awesome Answers from an Awesome God

Suddenly the first lady responded. Pastors came on board. The parliament opened up, so did the army, police, prisons, schools and universities. The list included business people and professionals, the judiciary, and all tribes of Uganda. All responded to the call for a solemn assembly.

The president participated and prophetically handed the national flag to the intercessors as a sign he was making God the supreme authority of Uganda, handing Him the nation!

Recently many presidents of African nations came to Uganda to see what could be done to improve Africa. The Ugandan President made a speech which Rev. Mulinde read to us in its entirety. A few excerpts follow.

The president said that when he sees the problems of Africa, he knows that Africa has not been penetrated enough by Jesus Christ. He stated that those of us who claim to love God should love each other and that he has decided to follow Jesus with his whole heart. He also recommended that Africans follow three precepts that Christ taught: forgiveness, humility, and love.

Rev. Mulinde finished his four night message by asking us if we can dare to believe God. He told us that many in Uganda are praying for us – that they have adopted America and are crying out for this country like it was their own. These people call Rev. Mulinde the dreamer whose dreams come true. Let us take to heart Rev. Mulinde’s warning and travail for this country in prayer. Let each of us “stand in the gap” to make Rev. Mulinde’s dream of revival for us a reality!

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Dear Lord –

I thank you this wonderful country and all our blessings.

I know You love us and You don’t want to bring judgment.
You want revival for this country, not devastation.

Like Daniel, I ask forgiveness for my sins and the sins of my country.
Show me the things I need to forsake to be totally useful to You.

Lord, help me to cry out so that my country will be spared Your wrath.
 Help me to find time to hear Your voice and to pray.
I will not let busyness rule my life anymore.
I will put You first and let You direct my life and my priorities.

Show me my part in praying for this country.
Give me Your assignment and I will do it.
In Jesus’ name I pray.

AMEN!

DLH – Published in the Good News Connection
November 1999