Scripture tells us in Habakkuk 2:14 that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea. That¹s a big task, and much of it falls upon the shoulders and knees of His obedient Church. It should be no surprise that God is calling His prayer warriors from across national, state and county borders, as well as beyond denominational lines.
What does this look like in San Diego, and how will a local, united prayer impact society? The answer is as varied as the different interdenominational groups that are taking on this prayer burden.
Carlsbad resident Debora Leitner is the state coordinator for the Global Day of Prayer. ³I believe history is in the breath of the intercessors. We¹re in such a pivotal time, God is stirring up unity, prayer and praise like never before. The prayers of the saints will shape our cities, counties and nations. As darkness covers the earth God¹s glory will cover the darkness.² Last year¹s first-time Global Day of Prayer participation included over 200 million Christians praying on that day in 156 nations, at 10,000 worldwide locations. San Diego brought multiple churches together in four locations countywide. ³This June¹s Global Day of Prayer, we expect 500 million prayer warriors joining together from every single nation,² reported Leitner.
No stranger to worldwide exposure, San Marcos resident and 86-year-old minister Ray Bringham began answering God¹s call for what he has called Prayer Summits, beginning in 1982. Since that time, these international summits have been held in capitol cities around the globe and prayerfully attended by world church and government leaders. ³This is a movement of the Spirit of God,² said Bringham, who, in obedience to God, is currently handing the Prayer Summit presidency over to Dr. Moses Lee, a Korean minister (see related story). Lee is an internationally revered minister who is also known for declining Paul Yonggi Cho¹s offer to pastor the largest church in the world — turning him down several times.
The main prayer purpose for these venues is to encourage city, state, and country leaders to humble themselves, repent on behalf of their geographical locations and seek God¹s face.
Also carrying an international prayer burden is the Morris Cerullo World Prayer Center, based in San Diego County¹s Kearny Mesa. Their focus is on hurting and desperately searching individuals everywhere, with a broader emphasis on worldwide unity and the harvest of souls. According to Rachel Graham, vice president of partner relations, ³our goal is to mobilize an army of intercessors in every nation that will unite in strategic warfare prayer to see God¹s end-time purposes fulfilled in an unprecedented worldwide harvest of souls.²
Horizon North County hosts a unique television prayer ministry tied to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. During selected international crusade broadcasts throughout each year, San Diego prayer warriors from 85 churches around San Diego County join the total of 3,000 trained volunteers in 35 phone centers across America and the Bahamas. Their directive is to minister to the special needs of the callers within broadcast coverage. According to Roger Pyes, Horizon assistant pastor and TV ministry phone coordinator, since 2001, this San Diego phone ministry has taken 18,000 calls, with 4,500 people making first time commitments to Christ. ³Many others are rededicating their lives to the Lord,² added Pyes.
George Runyan of City Church Ministries and Gary Goodell, overseer of Third Day Churches have joined with denominations countywide to form a Justice House Of Prayer (JHOP) Ministry in San Diego. This national thrust joins prayer warriors throughout America to pray and intercede for God¹s justice in the courts and the nation as a whole.
Anne Subia is the National Day of Prayer taskforce coordinator for San Diego County. She is thrilled to see ministries throughout the community join together in prayer for the city, state, nation and world. ³It¹s exciting to watch people come together,² said Subia. ³Last year the National Day of Prayer helped facilitate 65 different events across the county, within a variety of cultures and communities. It¹s encouraging to see the depth of what San Diego¹s prayer warriors are doing in our county and how we¹re connected worldwide.²
More state and worldwide connections can be found through Uniting Our Hearts in Prayer (UOHIP), a ministry co-directed by Judy and Keat Wade, who attend Skyline Church in La Mesa. ³We¹re always looking for opportunities to network with other prayer leaders in the state, nation and world,² said Judy Wade. ³During vital times such as this,² added Keat, ³we all must get quiet before the Lord, so we can know what¹s on His heart. Then pray accordingly.² UOHIP also partners with PrayCalifornia; a group that has prayer representatives interceding for each county in California, and the Azusa Street Centennial Prayer Council, which will celebrate the 1906 Azusa Revival in late April. The Wades are also regional coordinators for the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, led by Robert Sterns of Eagles Wings, New York City, and Jack Hayford, head of the Foursquare Churches, internationally.
Dan and Sara Shepler are the directors of the San Diego Healing Rooms. Similar to the model provided by John G. Lake from Spokane, Washington in the early 20th century, their godly directives are to lead small teams of two or three to pray for the spiritual and physical health of each person who visits their clinics. We have included this prayer ministry in our article, because the San Diego Healing Rooms are tied to 350 Healing Rooms round the world in 38 nations. In fact, the San Diego Healing Rooms have formed a bond with the Kansas City Healing Rooms to train and send out healing teams. The first was sent to Mumbai, India in late 2006 to open up healing rooms there.
These groups represent a sampling of San Diego¹s prayer ministries that are obediently interceding for the state, the nations and the world. We humbly apologize for missing countless others. God¹s plan to change lives and impact the globe with His love is an overwhelming task. It is comforting to know that Christ is calling San Diego prayer groups and ministries to join together with a united voice in fervent and targeted prayer, so that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord can truly cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Caz Taylor of San Diego is a freelance writer and works in the marketing field.
