“Fire from the North”

If you want an undisturbed holiday, don’t take it with over 300 prophets and intercessors from the northern nations – people who watch what is going on, hear what God is saying about it, and intercede into it!  

When that prayer conference is also in Shetland with all its Celtic artistic and musical creativity, and is led by people like Mark Stibbe from St Andrew’s Chorleywood and Roger Mitchell, chair of the prayer trustees of Ashburnham, then it makes for an extraordinary experience.  I am the least emotional of people, but there was no day during the week on which tears did not come to my eyes more than once.  There was also dance and all were encouraged to express themselves through their God-given gifts.  People were not only prayed for in the Spirit, but played for in the Spirit as well – musicians coming down from the platform to play over groups of pray-ers.  Is this what we mean when we sing that we “have heard the Father’s song”?

So why was it disturbing?  There is much in our pasts that needs reconciliation.  Germans were forgiven and accepted by Channel Islanders, Portsmouth by the Shetland island of Fetlar, where the press gangs rounded up over 60% of the male population to fight, and mostly die, in the Napoleonic Wars – things which we English may have forgotten, but the victims have not.  We spent time praying for Europe, including praying at length for Germany as a centre for spiritual revival and as “princes” for God – not exactly a usual British prayer!

We were also challenged as Western churches – whether we are in danger of God “removing our lampstand” as he did for Ephesus (Rev 2:5).  We looked at the prophecy of Amos to an Israel which had turned from God even though it still ascribed its prosperity to its religious institutions.  We looked at what God condemned in the surrounding nations (Amos 1 & 2), and Britain is guilty of most.  Amos says Israel is about to go into exile (Chaps 7 & 8) – does he have the same message for us?  What form would such “exile” take?  Could it be that Christendom will lose control over its country and institutions - perhaps to Islam?  If you want to know what is happening, the church library has a copy of the new report on “Islam in Britain” today.    

The fault here does not lie with Islam – it is merely fulfilling its declared objectives – the fault is with us.  The Church needs to stand united at this time, to repent collectively and to ask God to break the hold of the prayer in the Friday liturgy in the mosques that God would send division and destruction on the Christians and the Jews.  The need for God to have mercy and heal our land is serious.

There were other challenges at the conference, but this was the strongest.  Read Amos, - or if you would like to hear the talk we have it on CD.  Jos Johnston.