Alberta Conference Day of Fasting & Prayers

Submitted by Pastor Honey Todd, Prayer Ministries Coordinator for the Alberta Conference

Jeremiah recounts God challenging us to call on Him and open space for Him to respond in great and unsearchable ways (Jeremiah 33:3.) On April 21, 2020, from 6 am to 6:30 pm we called on God. People from around the Alberta Conference were praying. Two events happened simultaneously that day. First of all, every church in the Conference was invited to participate in and then assigned a one-hour timeslot to have prayers covering Alberta throughout the day. Simultaneously, there was a video conference call taking place with different people leading out each hour, and thus opening space for people to give praises and lift-up requests to God. Precious brothers and sisters in Christ came together from all around Alberta to seek God and His kingdom.

It was a time of encouragement and connection in a deep and meaningful way. I had feedback from 16 churches who participated in the local hour of prayer, and the comments unanimously indicated it was a positive experience in which people could see God’s hand. Over 230 people participated in prayer that day. Due to COVID-19, we are very restricted in our ability to socialize and gather together, but we do not need to feel isolated. God is with us every moment of the day. Praise the Lord for technological advancements that allow us to speak to and see each other, although separated by great distances. Geographically spread out from the far north to the far south of the province, we were together in Christ, united in our intent to seek Him and His righteousness, asking for His intervention globally and personally.

Passages of Scripture were shared to encourage us to trust in God and His faithfulness. Many of these came from the book of Psalms, with Psalm 91 being a hot favourite, closely followed by Psalm 46. Near the end of the day, someone shared a passage that I found very encouraging - II Chronicles 20:17 tells us “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.”

Due to COVID-19, we are very restricted in our ability to socialize and gather together, but we do not need to feel isolated.

As we get closer to the Second Coming of Jesus, we know that conditions will worsen in society, in nature, in politics, and dangers will increase. However, we do not need to be afraid! God is with us and for us. He will deliver us. Our part is to stand firm in our faith in Christ, and do whatever He calls us to do, no matter how scary. We hold onto God, trusting in His salvation with the knowledge that soon this will all be over, and we will live for eternity with Jesus. My prayer is that as we wait for the Lord to return, we will fix our eyes on Jesus. Seek Him and His kingdom, pray without ceasing and share Him with everyone we can, so that they, too, can experience His radical, extravagant love.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in prayer on April 21, 2020. Keep praying!