About the Author
Parris HowardParris Howard is a pastor and student who engages with the intersection of Spirit-filled theology and educational formation.
Watch
The church has disabled embedding for this video, so it must be watched on YouTube: Watch the service on YouTube (opens at the prayer).
For the prayer provided below, go to 2:23:00 in the livestream. The sermon that sets up the prayer begins around 1:20:10, and the full period of strategic spiritual warfare prayer runs from 2:22:10 to 2:33:16.
Context
The intercessory prayer is led by Pastor Kim Owens of Fresh Start Church in Peoria, Arizona. Pastor Owens is known nationally for her governmental (Pentecostals would also call this “apostolic”) intercession that leads people in prayer for the state of our government and those who hold those positions. This service was held in 2020 just a few weeks after the Biden/Trump election.
Transcript
This is a rather long prayer with many repetitive phrases, but here is the heart of the prayer. We encourage you to listen to the full original at 2:23:00 of the video.
I go to prayer with you (i.e., worshipers) today, I go to fight with you today on behalf of your family…I go to war in the spirit, I stand with you today…In this natural world the devil is trying to get us to fight one another, and it’s not about fighting one another, it’s about fighting him. We need to turn this thing back on him. We need to turn it back on the powers of darkness right now.
(The prayer actually begins.) In the name of Jesus, God, I stand in the gap with my brothers and with my sisters…I decree, and I declare that this is the year of lost things being restored in the name of Jesus. I say in Jesus’ name: Rise up, Barak! Rise up, Barak! Begin to fight… we rise up against the wicked king, the wicked king that is the enemy that is trying to come against us, the prince of this world. We rise up and take back what has been stolen from this nation. We take back what has been stolen from this nation from the territories in the name of Jesus… We will not stand by idly, we will not stand in passivity, we will not sit…and be comfortable in our peace and in our rest and in our joy, but we arise today, and we pursue the enemy…and we say you must bow, you must bow to Jehovah God, you must bow to Jesus. You must bow in the name of Jesus….We fight for the foundation of this nation, O God. Today, in the name of Jesus, we want to be known for fighting for righteousness…and integrity…Father, in Jesus’ name, God, I pray right now that you would give precision, precision to our government leaders in the name of Jesus…those who will make integrity decisions in this moment, O God, give a precision that is not an earthbound precision but a heavenly courtroom precision…the exact measure of knowledge that is needed in this moment, O God, for those who are judges and those who are lawyers, and those, O God, who sit and stand in decision-making areas in the name of Jesus. God, I pray that you not let the destiny of this nation fall into the hands of selfish people, God. I pray that you not let the destiny of this nation fall into the hands of the unrighteous and into the hands of the evil ones, O God.
Liturgical Description
The church gathers around the central theme of “fighting for the foundation of a nation.” The church feels that God has called them to “stand in the gap” for the country and pray for it to return to its Christian roots—a phrase that Pentecostals may identify with, according to Ezekiel 22:30. In her sermon (1:20:10), Pastor Owens emphasizes the need for Christians to strive for “righteousness and truth and resist the corruption and compromise” of authorities and/or laws that contradict God’s holiness and truth. She claims that “no one had officially won” as of November 29, 2020, and that corruption and compromise were factors in the 2020 election. She states that she (together with the church) wants God’s righteousness and truth in America, but she is not fighting for any political party. The sermon sets the narrative for the strategic spiritual warfare prayer that follows from 2:22:10–2:33:16.
This leads to this period of extemporaneous prayer after Owens’ sermon, presumably in response to the “word of the Lord” given. This is a common frame of thinking in Pentecostal liturgy that encourages congregants to “partner” with the Lord to enact the prayer’s effectiveness in their lives. As you listen to the prayer, watch and listen for stock words/phrases/images like: “calling those things that are not as though they are” (cf. Rom 4:17), “in Jesus’ name” (denotes authority, cf. John 14:14), “we take authority over…,” “stand in the gap,” “warrior, fight, rise up,” and “we declare and/or decree.” These are a few examples that will help you to distinguish the Dominionist warfare aspect of this prayer.
Societal Aspirations
The sermon, the musical chanting, and the prayer all offer insight into their desire for God’s people to fight against the enemy “to take back what was stolen from this nation.” In their view, the weight of the election results was paramount to the spiritual nature of this country. The prayer begins with a chant of “rise and fight,” which refers to the participants’ readiness to take up arms and spiritually fight against the spirits of corruption, compromise, and deceit. Their hope is that by “standing in the gap” and coming against those demonic powers that seek to influence the lives of those in the room and the United States, they might move God to overturn the results in a way that favors God’s choice for the nation.
Appraisal: The Four Theologies of Worship
Read more about the four theologies of worship →
Dynamic Worship Narrative
This prayer rehearses the story of Christians’ power over the governmental realm of the United States. Christians take on the responsibility to enact their interpretation of God’s will in the leading of the nation, whereas this approach differs from worship that is focused on the doing of God’s story reflected in Scripture. The probing question: What underlying historical narrative is influencing the content of this prayer and how is it embodied?
Eschatological
This prayer carries undertones of belief that we are in an end-time revival that will be led by the five-fold ministry (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers; see Eph. 4:11). For individuals who have an eschatological perspective, time is a crucial component of the gospel. The church is a people called to unveil the next era, which is the Reign of God, through a theocratic lens. The prayer reveals the church believes that they are tools of ongoing revival and that their intercession will bring about the day when Christ’s dominion permeates all aspects of society. This expression causes tension because it tends to emphasize how accessible Christ’s complete and ultimate victory on the cross is right now. Their frequent usage of “declaring and decreeing” things into existence serves as proof for this point. The church proclaims that “God’s will”—that is, the election results being overturned and Trump winning—will be carried out and that the forces responsible for the “stolen election” will be overthrown. The probing question: Does the prayer call believers to patient, gracious warfare, or to domineering authority wielded exclusively by Christians?
Trinitarian
While the prayer refers to the Persons of the Trinity, the prayer does not contemplate how the three Persons relate to and honor each other. Instead of inviting us into the relationships among the three Persons, the prayer focuses on how we might place our own cultural and political viewpoints alongside God’s purpose. This viewpoint is illustrated by the liturgical expression in the video, which emphasizes their firm conviction that the election’s overturning is proof that God’s plan is being carried out. They hold that Trump was God’s choice for president and that God would use him to put an end to the cultural transgressions endangering the country’s “Christian identity.” The probing question: How does the content of the prayer draw us into a dependency on the relationships of the Triune God for insight on how we might relate to those opposed to our personal convictions in community?
Christological
The prayer does well to root authority and dominion in Christ (cf. Matt 28:18); however, it pales in its articulation of embodying that authority. By using phrases like “rise and fight” and “war in the Spirit,” the content seems to be more fearful than confident in it. However, when Jesus confronts religious or sociopolitical powers, he expresses wisdom and self-control (cf. Matt 22:15–22) and compassion that crosses social/ethnic boundaries (cf. Matt 8:5–13). The probing question: Does the assertiveness and overtaking attitude of the prayer reflect the character of Christ when confronted with people or situations that may challenge his authority?
For Consideration & Discernment
Consider, on the one hand, the absolute confidence of this pastor when praying that she definitively knows the mind and purposes of God and, consider, on the other hand, the apostle Paul’s admission in 1 Corinthians 13:9 that currently we only know in part and prophesy in part. If Paul’s conviction is true, what wisdom might there be in a more classic form of intercessory praying that incorporates the words “Lord, in your mercy…Hear our prayer”?
Reflection & Discussion Questions
How much of this prayer reflects God’s will for the earth as expressed through Jesus Christ? What do you understand about God’s will for America after hearing this prayer? How much discernment is taking place to weigh the purpose of this prayer and its necessity for believers everywhere?