Prorogation: What does that mean for prayer?

by Richard Long,

Numerous people have asked us how they should pray about the recent decision by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament until after the Winter Olympics. 

First of all, one should take with a few grains of salt all that is said in the media about this.  Prorogation is a regular occurence in parliamentary systems around the world and happens every 12 -18 months on average.  It allows the government to reset the agenda, by having a new throne speech, and hopefully creating a new tone.

The downside is that all government bills that have not been passed into law are deceased.  Normally they are reintroduced, perhaps with some small changes, or if they are meant to be quickly brought back to their previous status, they are introduced in the exact same form.  Opposition parties will negotiate which old bills they will fast track in the new session.

The good news is that private members bills are unaffected by a prorogation.  So for example, M.P. Joy Smith’s bill on Human Trafficking that is currently in the Senate will continue on once the new session starts back up again.

My sense about the big reason that Parliament has been prorogued, and thus delayed for a month, is not really about the Olympics or the Afghan detainee issue.  The real sea change that will come to Parliament Hill in a few more days, is the appointment of 5 new senators by P.M. Harper.  This is the real “game changer” because for the first time in many years the Conservatives will have a majority in the Senate and thus begin to do some major reforms of the Senate.  They will also be able to pass their bills more easily.

So … let’s be praying for wisdom in the appointment of those 5 new senators!

If you want to know more about the technicalities of prorogation you can go to the official parliamentary website.

By the way, we are still welcoming prayer teams to come to the National House of Prayer throughout January and February.  Our Government still needs prayer!

Twenty – Ten: A Year of Prayer

by Richard Long,

  Happy New Year to all our readers!  May each of you grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus in 2010.

  We hope to be able to continue providing daily blogs on this site, and also a new Parliamentary Prayer Post each day so that you can pray intelligently and strategically for the people who make up our government.

  Amongst many exciting things we see developing this year, the one that officially started today is the Unite Canada:24-7-365-2010 effort.  You can check out each day the prayer groups that are covering the hours and minutes praying round the clock for Canada.  What amazes me is that the first 24 days of the year are already covered!

The folks at Pegwatch led by Jonathan and Carolyn Mutch are the first ones to carry the torch of prayer from Winnipeg.  Bless them and pray for them today and all this next week. 

  I know that Daria Tomiuk, who is coordinating this effort has been in Urbana recruiting university campus groups to join this challenge.  Let’s pray for her as she bears some extra burden on this, and also pray for her and Matt (who got engaged in the week before Christmas) as they prepare for their special day.  Especially let’s pray for all the finances needed to make this Year of Prayer happen.  We are believing that a 2/3rd salary should be provided so that Daria can give herself to this project.

A Dedication Prayer – Lancelot Andrewes

by Richard Long,

  As we prepare for the turning of the calendar year, here is a great prayer crafted by Lancelot Andrewes. (1555-1626).  He was a very devout priest during the post reformation years in England and was appointed by Queen Elizabeth I as a royal chaplain and then went on to be a preacher in various chapels including St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Dean of Westminster Chapel and eventually a bishop.  He wrote many wonderful prayers.

A Prayer of Dedication

Lord Jesus, I give you

my hands to do your work

my feet to go your way

my eyes to see as you do

my tongue to speak your words

my mind that you may think in me

my spirit that you may pray in me.

Above all, I give you my heart

that you may love in me your Father and all mankind,

I give you my whole self

that you may grow in me,

so that it is you, Lord Jesus,

who live and work and pray in me.

One Thing Conference

by Richard Long,

  They estimate that there are about 20,000 young adults attending the “One Thing” Conference in Kansas City this week.  Anyone following the IHOP movement will know that this year is expected to be an extraordinary year because of the “revival” that broke out in late November at the IHOP School of Ministry.

   The good news is that you can watch the conference from your own computer.  Catch it live or watch the archived footage.

Here’s the link to the video feed.

Pray more specifically for Government

by Richard Long,

   Often our prayers for our government are quick, simple “bless them” prayers.  I believe that all prayers count.  But I also believe that some prayers are more effective than others.  There are lots of factors: faith, holiness, passion, etc.  But one important factor is specificity.  At NHOP we call these targetted prayers, or “accurate arrows”.

  This is why we go to the work of researching and presenting some specific information on a Parliamentarian every day on our Parliament Prayer Post.

Check it out today.  Did you know that one of the most recently appointed Senators is a renowned and much-awarded former president of a university?

Unite Canada: 24-7-365-2010 up and running!

by Richard Long,

The National House of Prayer is very honoured to be partnering with other prayer ministries across Canada in 2010 to make it a year of unprecedented prayer.

The Unite Canada: 24-7-365-2010 website is now up and running.

Here’s the opening lines from the vision statement.

The Vision

After gathering with about twenty ministries as part of a national prayer network (Camp Stillwood, BC. Sept 2009) we all sensed the importance of uniting and working together to fuel and inspire more prayer in our nation. An idea birthed out of our meeting was to mobilize a year of non-stop prayer that travels through churches/communities in cities across Canada.

Our hope and dream is to unite Canada in prayer right across the nation, including all generations, denominations, cultures, cities and ministries. Different denominations have completed a year of prayer for their nation (Salvation Army in the UK) and Canadian cities have united in prayer (7 churches in Regina for 40 days)… But we want to go beyond and unite generations, denominations, people groups and ministries in every city to PRAY…. like never before, 24-7-365!

Read more …

Prime Minister’s Christmas Greeting

Here’s the official Christmas greeting from our Prime Minister’s Office …

Here’s the text …

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following Christmas greeting:

Christmas is always a special time, a time when Canadians celebrate the bonds of family, faith and friendship.

This year, we have even more reasons to give thanks – a challenging year ended well and a new year brings hope and promise.

We shall be the site of the next G-8 and G-20 summits, where the world’s most powerful leaders will set a new course toward sustainable growth and prosperity.

And Canada will welcome the world at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler. Young Canadians, already winners of the contests to represent our country, will face off against the best athletes in the world. Their eyes are on gold and our hearts are with them.

Their courage makes us proud. Their determination inspires us and when they take the podium, they will tell us something of our country: in a tough, competitive world Canada can lead. Every great thing to which our nation should aspire is within our reach if we have the spirit of an Olympian.

Laureen, Ben, Rachel and I join in wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

And we ask that you remember in your thoughts and prayers our men and women in uniform who risk their lives in the service of our country and their loved ones here at home who anxiously await their return.

And to them, and all of you, we wish a happy and prosperous New Year.”

We were in The National Post yesterday.

We were in the news!  A very positive story by a very fair-minded reporter.

From The National Post.

Praying for good, honest government in Ottawa

David Akin, Canwest News Service  Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Chris Wattie/Reuters

Since 2005, Christian group National House of Prayer has been sitting in the public gallery of the House of Commons, silently praying for the politicians below.

OTTAWA — When the political fight in the House of Commons gets particularly nasty and noisy, Rob and Fran Parker literally look to the heavens for some sanity and civility.

The Parkers are the founders and leaders of the National House of Prayer and, on just about any day that the House of Commons has been sitting since 2005, the Parkers or a group from the NHOP are sitting high up in the public gallery at the south end of the House of Commons silently offering a prayer for all the politicians squabbling beneath them.

“People may be surprised to hear this, but our main agenda is not for a Christian government,” Rob Parker said. “We’re just praying for good government, for fair government, free of corruption, which respects the whole of the nation. I believe that that’s God’s ideal.”

The Parkers hail from Vernon, B.C., where, after 13 years leading a community baptist church there, Rob Parker said he felt a calling. In 2000, he did a “prayer walk” from Calgary to Ottawa, surveying evangelical churches along the way to learn how they interacted with their federal government.

While the liturgies of some churches, such as the Anglican Church of Canada, routinely include prayers for political leaders, Parker found that in evangelical churches, prayer for federal politicians was rare.

Now, partly as a result of the work of the NHOP, Christian evangelical churches are thinking about Ottawa more and more.

“Our whole focus was unity in the church and to see Christians more aware of our nation,” said Rob Parker.

When they first came to Ottawa in 2005, the Parkers set up shop in a space in Ottawa’s Byward Market, but are now based out of a former convent that has embassies and other official buildings as neighbours a few kilometres from the prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive.

There, the National House of Prayer hosts prayer teams from across Canada who come to the national capital for a few days or weeks at a time.

Despite the economic downturn in 2009, the NHOP was as busy as ever with visits from prayer teams.

They stay in the converted convent, hold prayer meetings and learn up close how their federal government works. Rob Parker said he always makes it a point to connect each prayer team with its local MP and even senator while they’re in Ottawa.

The Parkers and their staff hold trips to the Supreme Court, to House of Commons committee meetings, to the Senate and other spots where the nation’s business is conducted.

Many of those who travel for a stay at the National House of Prayer are visiting Ottawa for the first time. In 2007, one lucky prayer team from Fort Saskatchewan Christian School in Edmonton met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Harper’s House of Commons office.

The Parkers insist, though, that their work is non-partisan. They are not, they say, praying for one particular political party’s success over another.

“For us, a key focus is it’s not OK to leave your Christianity within the four walls of a church. You’ve got take it out and engage with it.”

Check out the National Post website to see the interesting comments!

Favourite Christmas Song

by Terry Long

            For years my favourite song has been “O Holy Night” and I still get chills with the lines “long lay the world in sin and error pining, t’ill he appeared and the soul felt its worth…”  I know it is familiar to you all.    I truly love this carol.  But ten years ago I was introduced to an unfamiliar and fairly unknown song written by Brian Doerksen in 1994.  It was sung by the amazing Carl and Hana Erickson from Toronto one Christmas at Runnymede Baptist Church.  The tune and lyrics are beautiful.  To my knowledge, there has only been one recording ever made and it is difficult to find, but it is well worth the search if you do find it.   I had to go directly to Brian himself to obtain more information about it.   I really hope that he will record it again.  (Brian, I told you that already and those of us who know the song are still hoping and waiting)   Here is a portion of the lyrics and yes….it also gave me chills when I heard it sung.

                                                                         

Jesus, I love the way 
You came to earth 
Through the humble act of birth 
I can almost hear
The angels gasp
As they listen to Your newborn cry

Jesus, you are our Humble King.

Charles Wesley’s Christmas Prayer

by Richard Long,

Charles Wesley wrote thousands of songs in his day. A few of them have survived as classics, including some Christmas carols. The best known is Wesley’s “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.

Lesser known, but truly a prayer is the Advent Hymn, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”.

Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.