In the Missionary organization in which I was working, namely Friends Missionary Prayer Band, we found from the beginning that prayer is the spiritual strategy for transforming people groups along with what is done by evangelists and missionaries.  Psalm 2:8 says, "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession."  We focused on 300 people groups with a target time.  We took all the stronghold details (religious blocks and barriers for the Gospel, social blocks and barriers, cultural hindrances and all bad customs and habits among the people).  We started thousands of prayer groups to pray all kinds of prayers such as one-day prayer group prayer, fasting prayer on Wednesdays, 3 days full fasting prayers, all night prayer and other special prayer initiatives.  The Lord of the Harvest really granted our prayer requests, doing great things in all the mission fields with signs and wonders.

FMPB was able to plant 1157 churches, 6607 congregations with 614,834 believers.  The Government of India in their research found that wherever there is Christian missionary work in progress, there is no Naxalite (communist guerillas) or terrorist activity.  

Sometimes it takes time for separate parts of complex situations to fit together.  God knows the perfect time to give maximum results.  The Anti-Conversion bill in Tamil Nadu, the state where I live, was removed after two years of prayer by many believers in the churches throughout the state.  God took two years to put the complex political situations in line to remove the anti-conversion bill.  Normally it is impossible to remove such an ordinance by the Government.    

Sometimes it takes time for God to prune our negative attitudes, wrong habits, values on possessions and spiritual idols, which will be normally hindering our prayer life.

Sometimes He requires massive prayer to make a breakthrough in the devil's hold and fortresses.  The Tamil Nadu Highways department planned to demolish the Arcot Pentecostal Church building, which was on the Vellore Chennai High Road.  The whole church prayed through chains of prayer day and night.  The Lord answered their cries and the Tamil Nadu Highways department changed the road laying plan to the opposite side of the church. The church premises was safely spared and now it is a growing, witnessing church.

There is always a mystery in the timing of God's answer.  It is a mystery to us because we cannot see as God sees.  If we see as completely as God does, we would understand what God means by "the proper time." "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

Sometimes the answer is delayed because the devil is strongly possessing a people group or a situation or a place. Jesus taught that some cases of demon possession required more prayer and fasting than others. Spiritually sensitive people have sometimes been aware of greater spiritual darkness and resistance in certain geographical areas.  Satan seems more entrenched, particularly in areas where there has been much Satan worship in its various forms, occult practices, or idolatry.  It often requires prolonged prayer or amassed prevailing prayer before spiritual breakthrough comes in such places.

The following model of prayer practiced in Sandola village is a radical example of how persistent and continuous prayer can change a dark village into a Christian village. The tribal people of Sandola village which is in Jharkhand state used to sacrifice cows, goats, buffalos and hens for their gods.  If their gods were displeased with such sacrifices, they used to do human sacrifice also.

A few missionaries went to lead this people to Christ in the year 1987.  The village people stopped them from entering the village.  Missionaries, evangelists and believers prayed for that village with a great sense of burden.  After 7 years of prayer and perseverance, a few women from Sandola village came and asked us to teach them songs of Jesus.  As per their request, we proclaimed Jesus in Sandola village through songs in the year 1993.  As a result, 64 persons (60 women and 4 men) took baptism in the month of October 1994.  The women who took baptism said: "We pray for our husbands with fasting.  They too will accept Jesus Christ".   God honored their faith and they participated in the Christmas service as families.  The next day, all the village people took baptism.  From that day onwards, they stopped their animal and human sacrifices and began offering the sacrifices of praise joyfully to the Lord Jesus.  A church was built there, and the people are worshipping God.  Hallelujah! So perseverance is a very important component of the intercessory prayer to receive answers from God in His sovereign time.

Ezra Malto, an evangelist in Jharkhand prayed with a great passion and with fasting to ask the Lord to give one church in each of 76 villages of Hiranpur Taluk.  On the 4th day of his fasting he fainted.  When revived, he was asked to take some food.  He refused to take food, saying unless the Lord answered his prayer he will not stop his fasting prayer for Hiranpur Taluk.  By the Lord's grace, he completed 7 days of fasting prayer successfully. Then, a real spirit of prayer broke out among his church elders and believers.  Many continued to join Ezra Malto and prayed and did continuous outreach in all the 76 villages of Hiranpur Taluk.  Now, there are churches in each of the 76 villages of Hiranpur Taluk.  60 villages have become totally Christian villages.  This is another example of importunate, persevering prayer.

Having served 22 years in a missionary organisation, the Lord enabled us to network prayer and organize many united prayer initiatives such as 12 hours of fasting prayer, 24 hours, or 72 hours.  Such united prayer efforts have ignited movements of prayer in places wherever we practice this regularly.  United prayer increases unity and faith among the praying people and churches in the area or state where we practice this continually.  Powerful strongholds are pulled down by the Lord's answers to united prayer.  We still have freedom to preach the Gospel and plant churches in those areas in spite of opposition due to the arrogance of Hindu majority-ism.  

But after attending World Prayer Assembly from 14 - 18 May 2012, Jakarta, Indonesia, we from India felt that what we do in India for prayer is very less compared to what is happening in Indonesia, Korea and China and other nations

M. Patrick Joshua
Director of the National Prayer Network of India and IPC Leader