In fact, most times, as the dreams come, the vibrations will instantly wake me into midnight prayer (which is mostly intercessory). Each of us should know and master the surest way that God speaks to us. Jesus said that His sheep would hear His voice. And if you are truly a son, you will always recognise the voice of your father. Since prayer is communication, you and God must have a common ‘medium’ of interaction. This is very important.
So, when praying in the midnight with my team, we don’t lack prayer topics. We receive these points from the word of God (bible), revelations and other prophetic gifts. Through all these we can discern what the will of God is in any given situation and pray accordingly. By God’s grace we always have the results to show for this.
I wish to also comment on the imperativeness of having a prayer and deliverance team in every church. With all humility, I believe that a church without a prayer team is just like a city without walls. Prayer team serves as watchtower, shield and hedges, guide and spiritual lifeline of any church. They detect the evil plans of the enemy against the church.
They protect the church against the arrows and attack of the enemy. And they also draw down the glory and power of God to the church. I can not be in a church without a standing prayer team. I will feel powerless and exposed. We will say more on prayer groups later. But let’s first comment on other things that also aid our prayers.
Praying in Tongues
For your prayers to be effective, especially during the midnight battles, you must learn how to pray in tongues. It is very difficult if not impossible, to pray effectively for very long hours in the night (which sometimes last for days or months) all with plain languages. You will definitely run out of words. But when you speak or pray in tongues, you pray according to the direction of the Holy Spirit and you will never lack words to express your requests, because the spirit knows exactly what requests to make according to the will of God.
If you have been practicing this, you will know what we’re talking about here. You don’t get tired easily and there is always a sense of strength and accomplishment that envelops you after praying in tongues.
Look at how 1Cor. 14:4, 28 puts it;
“A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally in the Lord.”
As he speaks (prays) in tongues, the spirit refills him with more strength. So he can stay on without getting physically tired. Then, also when you pray in tongues, you are talking to God directly through the spirit encoded words. Who can understand God more than the Holy Spirit? The Spirit surely knows what, how and when to make requests to the father. He knows the will and programme of God more than humans do. So, we must begin to pray in tongues, pray in the spirit. In fact, what I understand as praying in the spirit is praying His word and praying in tongues. Or you can tell me more.
Please, also permit me to clarify something here. I would like us to know that there are three forms of speaking in tongues that I found in the bible. One is the speaking in tongues as an initial evidence of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Two is speaking in tongues as a gift of prophecy. This is the one that requires interpretation. And some are also given the gift of interpreting tongues, according to the scriptures. Then, the third is the one we are discussing here; communicating directly and privately with God. This is the one that the bible said that it is only the Holy Spirit that can decode what you are saying; because your spirit is sending an encoded message to Him directly. And this in what we have called praying in tongues, praying in the spirit or groaning in the spirit.
Pray Until Something Happens (PUSH)
Anyone that is involved in spiritual warfare like the midnight prayer and other forms must have this principle as a banner. Once you know what the will of God is, you must be ready to pray until you see the manifestation or until God tells you clearly that He has answered your prayers. There are so many examples from the bible, but we will just mention two – Daniel and Elijah.
Daniel 10:12-13, “Then he said, don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the Spirit Prince of the Kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the Archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the Spirit of the kingdom of Persia.”
This biblical record gave us a rare insight into some of the activities that go on in the spiritual ream. Daniel was fasting and praying to God. And immediately he began to pray, on the first day, God sent Gabriel (a high ranking angelic being that stands in His presence) to go and deliver the answers to Daniel’s request. As Gabriel was coming, a powerful demonic principality blocked his way and he could not come through to meet with Daniel. Gabriel was there with the demon until another strong archangel – Michael (the Spirit Prince of Israel) came to his help. Only then could Gabriel go to dispatch the divine message to Daniel. Wow!
This is indeed a very rare insight into some of the actions and reactions that go on every day on our behalf in the spirit realm. Now, what if Daniel had prayed for 3 or 4 days, waited for some answer and had given up? Maybe Gabriel would have gone back to heaven and there wouldn’t have been any need for God to send Archangel Michael as reinforcement. Then, Daniel and the people of Israel would have also remained there without any solution to their predicaments.
Without knowing the struggle that was going on his behalf in the spiritual ream, Daniel continued praying and fasting for 21 days, and at last the answer came. Thank God that he stayed on. He endured. That is the mark of an intercessor.
Sometimes, when we pray, we trigger off fierce struggles in the spiritual realm and this can cause delay in receiving immediate responses to our requests. And because we don’t often see what happens in that realm, we get desperate or fall into despondency. We must learn how to persevere in prayer if we must be champions and veterans of spiritual warfare. We must develop the capacity to endure, recognize, ambush and demolish our enemies. I have earlier said that we must persevere, persist, and then we will prevail. And this must be the attitude of a midnight warrior.
Elijah
This man wielded so much spiritual power when he was here on earth that he locks and releases the dew and rain at will. Fire, death, and the laws of supernatural multiplication and velocity also obeyed him. But he once demonstrated that an intercessor must be ready to persist until he/she receives the desired results. Look at what happened after that great contest at Mount Carmel.
He had locked the rain for several years and now he came back to restore it. But that must not happen before his contest with the 850 satanic priests in Israel. After winning and slaughtering those demonic priests, he immediately informed king Ahab that rain was coming. In fact, Elijah clearly said that he was already hearing the sound of a mighty rainstorm and immediately went into prayer.
After the first prayer, he sent out his servant to go and check the rain. His servant went, came back and told him that he saw nothing. Elijah kept sending him until the seventh time. It was at the seventh time that the servant said that he saw a little cloud rising from the sea. And the prophet of God shouted. Then, the rain came.
Now, the lesson is that this great man of God had to persist in pray for seven times before he saw the physical actualization of his vision. He did not give up or show any sign of discouragement. Remember, he had already heard and seen the rain in the spirit and needed to birth it in the physical. We must learn how to pray until something happens (PUSH).
Let us pray for revival. Let us pray for the release of those in captivity. Let us pray to dismantle the dominion of the demonic forces of darkness. Let us pray against the spirits behind the false religions. Let us pray that the glory and power of God will come down in His Church. May God strengthen us in the name of Jesus!
Prayer Groups and Meetings in the Bible
The early church in Acts of Apostles always