Rising Generation Praying in Asia

The Phantom Intercessor, August 9th, 2010

It’s midnight and I’ve just shown up to the 24-7 Prayer Centre at this Camp in Hong Kong, for my midnight to 3 am “monitoring” slot. As I entered the room, I am met by sweet and simple sights…

A Chinese girl from Hong Kong receiving prayer from two of my teammates, and she gets up, joyful and giving out goodbye hugs. There is a foursome from Africa – from Ghana and the Ivory Coast – worshiping in a corner, with a guitar and with arms raised, so pure and beautifully sincere. We sent one young Chinese boy back to his dorm room, as he was falling asleep in his chair at the “creative prayer” station. Many others huddle around the massive homemade map of China and Asia that’s laying on the ground, writing on it the new songs that God sings over those nations. A 30-foot stretch of wall is covered with artistic expressions of prayer – many of the younger kids and teenagers here particularly love this exercise of worship to God with pastels, coloured pencils and crayons.

A girl from Hong Kong (who’s a university student at the University of Connecticut) shared with my housemate R and I how broken her heart is over American university students, over the breakdown of the family in the U.S. “All I can do is pray, and try to love my roommate,” she shared with us. Another Hong Kong woman came to the prayer room, very concerned over something she’d heard – a report trickled down to her (hopefully mixed up due to cross-cultural and language challenges!) that a girl had stopped breathing in the prayer room and that a group was praying resurrection from the dead for her. R and I were fairly convinced that no one had died in the prayer room, so we assured her that their prayers for resurrection were probably spiritual in nature, connected to the prayer station about Jesus commanding Lazarus to take off his grave clothes and exit the tomb!

Two hours later, the Prayer Centre is buzzing, busier than it was at midnight… at least three teams of young Chinese pray and intercede together. Two groups are worshiping in two wings of the prayer room. Two young Chinese men lay on their faces before the cross. One young man sits under the tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, receiving from the only One who Heals. Girls hug and huddle together in prayer.

This year’s theme at the Camp is “Deeper, Closer, Further” – and God is indeed taking each of us Deeper with Him, drawing us Closer to one another, and catapulting us Further into our destinies. There is particular attention being given to the Father pouring out His love on sons and daughters, with powerful ministry times where hundreds are in tears, receiving His embrace through the Holy Spirit and releasing the pain of various forms of fatherlessness and motherlessness. Last night, about 300 moms and dads (25 and over!) were poised throughout the auditorium to stand in blessing with a prayer and a hug for the other 1,300 there. A few of the girls I prayed for clung to me in tears, desperate for love and connection, while a few of the others were stiff in my embrace, unsure how to receive something so foreign.
Here are some exclamations of “Deeper”…

• “Some of the boys on the team are beginning to hear from God personally.”
• “Daddy, here is my heart…take it. Love, Son.”
• “Father, restore my identity. Give me, I need You!”
• “God…why You always so CUTE!!!”
• “He says, ‘Welcome back, My child, I love you so much!!’”

Jesus has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation, and this is taken seriously in this context: We have just spent two days focusing on reconciliation between parents and children and the younger and older generations, as well as between the Hong Kong Chinese and Mainland Chinese, the Chinese and Japanese, and between others where dividing walls of hostility separate. I am powerfully swayed to tears each time a wall falls down in me and in those around me, and the Father delights, He absolutely rejoices, in the ways His children are crossing barriers to unite as one family.

Here are some examples of the way He’s been bringing us “Closer”…

• These four pieces of the wall of hostility were torn down and taken to the Cross: “Hatred toward myself because of failure in relationships.” “Hatred toward my family.” “Anger toward the Church.” “Lord, I surrender my pride, my hurts, my unforgiveness and judgments toward the older generation. Father, tear down the walls of our generation. Prepare and consecrate us as One.”
• “Thank God for rebuilding the relationship among the youth and their parents.”
• “Heal the Vietnam…help the nation to forgive China.” – A response prayer: “We apologize to Vietnam and ask for forgiveness from Vietnam. A repenting China.”
• “Lord, give me the heart to love the next generation.”

We’ll spend the next two days looking at God’s role for China and Asia as the times reach their fulfillment. He has prepared and is preparing a strong and mighty Chinese and Asian bride, steady in love, operating out of the Father’s delight, and they are rising…rising…rising in the earth. There is no denying it. My heart resonates to the deepest levels as we talk and pray about these things, partly because I also find my place here, but the Spirit of God confirms to my spirit that these things are of Him.
The Chinese, in partnership with the nations, are going “Further”…

• “Fly with me, Baba!” (“Baba” means Father – and this is accompanied by a picture of kites)
• For Mongolia: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
• Over Uzbekistan: “I will do your will in this land!”
• Over Kyrgyzstan: “May the Lamb of God receive the full reward of His suffering.”
• Over China: “Revival in China! Freedom and Joyful!” and “China and its people belongs to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Amen.”

It’s nearly 3am, and I don’t really want to leave. I don’t know how I’ll make up this sleep, but I don’t care about that right now. Dreams realized, seeds sown that have sprung up to life, beauty from ashes and nothing. Xie xie, tian fu. Gan xie ni. Wo ai ni.