Weekend: Never Underestimate the Power of Prayer
Every weekend my goal is to stir you to greater confidence in God’s willingness to stretch out His hand on your behalf by citing breakthroughs others have experienced, whether in the Bible or at other times in history.
This weekend’s saga of supernatural protection comes from one of my favorite books, Hand on the Helm, by Katherine Pollard Carter, published by Whitaker House, © 1977. Unfortunately, this classic is out of print, but copies can be purchased various places online for a premium.
The setting was Great Britain, 1940, during World War II. Hitler had been stepping up his offense against the British Isles, shooting down Royal Air Force planes, creating a nearly indefensible situation for the British. However, despite the insurmountable obstacles, the RAF continued to stay ahead of the Nazi bombers, destroying 662 of them while only losing 360 of their own.
In September of that year, with Britain already under strained conditions and limited supply, more than 220 Nazi aircraft flew in toward the British coast from all directions. Only 25 British squadrons were available to defend southern England. A call was made to the north for help; only 3 additional squadrons were available. The supply was exhausted.
Mrs. Carter wrote, “Then inexplicably…the great Nazi air flotilla had turned back. With 185 of their aircraft downed in flames, they were in retreat! Miraculously, against all logistical probability, the Royal Air Force had won the battle!”
A captured Nazi pilot was questioned by intelligence officers as to reason for the Nazi retreat in the face of only two RAF planes defending that position. The pilot was shocked, and stated that the Nazis had not been confronted by two, but rather by hundreds of planes.
Later, a captured Nazi officer confirmed this amazing number when he demanded to know where they had acquired the hundreds of aircraft!
Mrs. Carter wrote, “His British interrogators managed to mask their surprise…There was no sky full of Royal Air Force planes! Only a few dog-tired pilots, making anywhere from their third to their seventh combat mission that day, had met his mighty bombers.”
A third Nazi prisoner, an intelligence officer himself, disclosed this unusual piece of information. He related that at the stroke of nine o’clock each night, “…you used a secret weapon which we did not understand. It was very powerful and we could find no countermeasure against it…”
Indeed, at nine o’clock every evening, the people of the British Isles and the Commonwealth of England dropped everything they were doing to engage in the Silent Moment of Prayer. This practice had been started earlier that year during the evacuation of Dunkirk and produced great fruit.
Many in our time have called for a return to the nine o’clock Moment of Prayer on behalf of America. If God used it to halt evil in the 1940s, He can use it again in the 21st century.
I agree—it’s time to take up prayer arms again. It’s time to stand our ground, firm in our faith, nothing wavering. Whether it’s at nine o’clock, five o’clock or 1:45, stand your ground. Pray. Set your face like flint and do not budge from your position. Pray as if your nation depended on it; pray, and do not let up. May God save America!
Dorothy
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I realize how frequently all the recent bad news keeps smacking us in the face, and because of that, I want to focus my weekends on the mighty works of God, whether in the Bible, in history, in my life, or in the lives of some of you. What God has done for others, He is more than capable of doing for you. What God has done for me, He is able to do for you. What God has accomplished for you, He is willing to do again.
In 2 Chronicles 20, the nation of Judah was on the verge of being invaded by the armies of several kingdoms. In his alarm, King Jehoshaphat cried out to God and reminded Him of His promise to deliver them. He ended his prayer with these sobering but stirring words, “… we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chron. 20:12b).
God responded through a prophet named Jahaziel. God’s plan was revealed; God would deliver the people of Judah. The following strategies were outlined:
- Do not fear or be dismayed because of the great multitude—the battle is not yours, but God’s.
- Tomorrow go down against them. Yes, they will come up and you’ll find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
- You don’t need to fight in this battle, but station yourselves, stand, and see the salvation of God on your behalf.
And then God reminded them again:
- Do not fear or be dismayed—tomorrow go out to face them for the Lord is with you.
Upon hearing these words, Jehoshaphat and all of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the Lord in worship. The praise was thunderous.
The next day they arose early in the morning and Jehoshaphat said, “Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and you will succeed” (2 Chronicles 20:20b).
Then he appointed the singers to go out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
When the singers began to sing and praise God, the Lord set ambushes against the armies coming against them and they were routed. In fact, the enemies rose up against each other, destroying one another.
Judah approached the wilderness and looked at corpses littering the ground; none of their attackers had escaped.
Take some time this weekend to get quiet before God. You don’t have to know the answers. He is all you need right now, and as you put your eyes on Him and praise Him, you can trust that He will come through for you–and the nation.
Dorothy
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