Empowering the government through prayer
OTTAWA, ON—Amid the sea of embassies and consulates in Ottawa, men and women of faith are aiming to be ambassadors for prayer.
"There is a strong sense of prayerlessness in the Church in Canada," says Rob Parker Jr., associate director of National House of Prayer (NHOP) in Canada. "We want to see prayer become a priority in the Church, not just a secondary thought. You can't grow in your faith without prayer."
Aiming to "raise up a generation of prayer leaders," NHOP offers a three-month intensive internship program. Interns aged 18 to 25 study society's competing worldviews, learn biblical models for prayer, lead prayer teams on Parliament Hill, and volunteer in a Member of Parliament's office one day each week.
Rob Parker Sr., director of NHOP, says, "As we do what we, the Church, are called to do, we empower the government to do what it's supposed to do. We can't ask the government to look after the poor or make righteous decisions, if we are not looking after the poor and walking in righteousness.
"There is a popular belief that faith does not belong in public, and there is a yes and no to that. If Christians impose their beliefs on society, that's wrong, but your faith influences how you make moral decisions."
Parker Jr. adds, "You don't blame meat for rotting when it is unattended. Jesus called His disciples 'the salt of the earth,' so we need to be rubbed into the meat of society and bring that preservation of morality."
NHOP also hosts prayer teams from across Canada. Groups of eight to 15 adults spend one week at NHOP developing their prayer lives, studying Scripture and interceding for the nation. They also attend question period every day, praying on Parliament Hill.
"1 Timothy 2 draws a connection between revival and praying for governments," says Parker Jr. "When you pray for governments you are praying for an environment that is conducive to spreading the gospel.
"Sometimes we think revival is something external that God does, but true revival is just the Church being the Church. We have the most potent, transformative message in all the world: loving your neighbour as yourself."
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