Prayer makes things work according to God’s plan and purposes and turn difficult situations around. “Prayer at the forefront” extends our understanding beyond our wildest dreams.  We have to enter into the practice of prayer with determined focus, commitment and confidence in God, who sees all possibilities, as we wait and look to the Lord’s return.

This particular approach rests on using informed prayers with understanding and revelation from the Lord God; we pray in his will as well as strategically.  This requires us to do research such as spiritual mapping (which involves finding what the issue is before praying).

This is the confidence that we have in our relationship with God: If we ask for anything in agreement with his will, he listens to us. (1John 5:14 CEB)

Prayer at the forefront for missionaries in the field who are working at the frontiers is very strategic and profound to bring the harvest to the kingdom of God. Those who are not in the mission field can pray and those in the mission field can pray as well.

In our time of seeking the Lord, we do not only pray for our lives and communities, but other nations and the complexity of the world before us, because prayer has no limitations on distance. In our prayers, we have to see what the Lord sees and pray according to his will.

I will position myself on the fortress.
I will keep watch to see what the Lord says to me
and how he will respond to my complaint. (Hab. 2:1 CEB)

Our understanding in prayer needs to be enlarged and grounded in the grace of God so that we will be strong enough to pray effectively, trusting in his faithfulness to answer in a way that will bring strategic breakthrough.

When we pray at the forefront, it’s not only for peace of our neighbourhood, but also for the persecuted and for those places where the gospel has not been heard. We also pray for the safety of our children and children who are trafficked in foreign lands to be set free.

The book of Revelation shows us that God answers the prayers of his people:

Another angel came and stood at the altar, and he held a gold bowl for burning incense. He was given a large amount of incense, in order to offer it on behalf of the prayers of all the saints on the gold altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense offered for the prayers of the saints rose up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the incense container and filled it with fire from the altar. He threw it down to the earth, and there were thunder, voices, lightning, and an earthquake. (Rev. 8:3-5 CEB)

Our church years ago was at the brink of collapse when our late pastor passed on to be with the Lord. The membership dropped as the churches split away. Through this time, we remembered that we could still do one thing: pray.

We prayed for the restoration of the church and took it even further, extending our prayers for the Body of Christ and unreached people groups in Sudan. God answered our prayers abundantly: today the membership of our local church has doubled and the nation of South Sudan has been born. Now, it is part of East African countries with lots of access to the preaching of the gospel. We prayed at the forefront for concrete results, trusting in God’s help.  Our faithful God answered and we had a strategic breakthrough.

We can pray at the forefront beginning in the following ways:

Praying for the brethren

It is important to pray for our brethren, who are the household of God and the Body of Christ. Let’s pray for one another, starting with our families, neighbours, and colleagues both near and far, asking that God would grant them answers and that they would be one in Christ.

For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he will grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person. (Eph. 3:14-16 CEB)

I’m not praying only for them but also for those who believe in me because of their word. I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. (John 17:20-21 CEB)

When the body of Christ is united as one it will bring spiritual breakthrough, which is a blessing to the whole body.

Praying for the lost

The lost are with us, in our families and communities, as well as in nations where the gospel of our Lord Jesus is not allowed to be preached openly.  However, it is God’s will for all men to be saved.

First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.  This is right and it pleases God our savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1Tim. 2:1,3-4 CEB)

There are prayer networks around the world that are highly committed to praying for the lost and unreached people groups of the world. Some even have resources that can help us know and understand how to pray strategically for answers. I have the privilege of sharing prayer with the folowing networks for unreached people groups: Ethne prayer https://ethneprayer.org, 24:14 Ministries International https://2414now.net, Impact Prayer https://impactprayerministry.com/, Prayer Strategists https://prayerstrategists.net/ and Prayer for Sudan www.sudansupport.org. We have heard amazing testimonies of how God is saving many lives as these networks engage in prayer for the lost.

We have to pray that the kingdom of heaven will be populated, hell will be depopulated and that the name of our God will be glorified. We must mobilize prayer for the lost, so that the gospel can be preached from where we are to the ends of the earth.

Prayer for the kingdom workers

The kingdom workers that are within our reach and beyond need the support of our prayers.  This includes those who work in local churches and ministries as well as missionaries in the field. We must pray that God would preserve them to bear much fruit that lasts, and that he will send more workers to the field to gather the harvest into his kingdom. Partnering with organizations which are sending missionaries will give us more information to pray in an informed manner.

Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest. (Mt:9: 38 CEB)

Praying for war-torn zones

We are living in difficult days wherein prayer is essential for the peace of God to prevail over the turmoil and violence which is a result of civil wars.  There are wars in nations such as Ukraine, Sudan, northern Nigeria, Somalia and others.

In the book of Luke chapter 21, Jesus prophesied of war and rumours of war; nevertheless we have to pray for Gods intervention to open doors for gospel preaching and that God may end war in order to stop the bloodshed of innocent people. Sometimes, wars may close doors for the preaching of the gospel in nations where there are unreached.

We have to declare the peace of Lord upon the entire earth so that the preaching of the gospel reaches the ends of the earth as never before.

Then they responded to the Lord’s messenger,
who was standing among the myrtles,
“We have patrolled the earth. The whole earth is peaceful and quiet.” (Zech. 1:11 CEB)

Praying for the kings of the earth

The prominent leaders of the world have the upper hand for the spread of the gospel or for the hindrance of the advancement of God’s kingdom.

Global leaders in the marketplace as well as governments and other religious sects may not profess Jesus Christ, but they have influence upon the world today. We pray for the will and purpose of the Lord upon them. The world is preparing to be one against the spread of the gospel and at the same time God is preparing the Body of Christ to be one in him.

Let’s pray that God has his way and his purposes upon the kings of the earth and in the world today, especially in regions with severe persecution with a great number of people who have not heard the gospel.

During the fierce persecution of the apostles, they prayed to the Lord against the rage of kings and the earth shook.  We need to pray at the forefront that the Lord shakes what needs to be shaken and that his purpose alone will stand, causing strategic breakthrough. (Acts: 4:24-34)

Finally, let us pray in the forefront that the will of the Lord will be done on the earth as it is in heaven, lifting the needs in our world before the Lord Almighty for ultimate breakthrough.  We pray that at the end of all things we will see different tribes, languages and nations coming to worship before the throne of the Lamb.