We all want peace don't we?
I think we all want to prosper and live in a nice house in a good neighbourhood where our children can grow up without the threat of drugs and violent crime.
We want to see our families and friends grow old without the onset of killer diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
Here in Bahrain we want to see the nation unite. We want to see an end to the political instability, an end to the violence, an end to the armoured cars and constant police presence, an end to the burning tyres that pollute our lungs, an end to the molotovs thrown in anger and hatred.
We want to see this nation restored. Bahrain was once a land watered by natural springs of sweet water.
There will be a day when the ground will break open and fresh water will flow from the ground once more, underground rivers will burst through the surface of the desert and life will spring up where there was nothing living. This will be living water, the water of life and "whoever drinks this water will never thirst." Jesus says in John 4:14;
"The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Just as other cities and nations are being restored and revived throughout the world we claim it for this region, for Bahrain, for Saudi, for the entire Middle East.
One of the most prominent examples of a city changed by a move of God seems to be Kampala in Uganda; a country whose economy was predicted to collapse by the year 2000 because 33.3 percent of the population had AIDS. The World Health Organisation surmised that the inevitability of the situation would be that the country would soon be occupied only by widows and orphans.
So what did the people of Kampala do? They turned to God. They prayed and sought God's will for their land, for their people, for their nation. I will attempt to summarise briefly what happened so please forgive me for any inaccuracies as I am not an historian or expert on the region.
The first major shift was caused by God challenging the people to pray for those in government and speak blessings over them instead of cursing them for the corruption and incompetence that was rife throughout the city and indeed the country.
Proverbs 11:11 says "Through the Blessing of the righteous the City is exalted"
On transformourworld.org it describes how this change in mindset impacted positively on the government and paved the way for changes.
Amen
I think we all want to prosper and live in a nice house in a good neighbourhood where our children can grow up without the threat of drugs and violent crime.
We want to see our families and friends grow old without the onset of killer diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
Here in Bahrain we want to see the nation unite. We want to see an end to the political instability, an end to the violence, an end to the armoured cars and constant police presence, an end to the burning tyres that pollute our lungs, an end to the molotovs thrown in anger and hatred.
We want to see this nation restored. Bahrain was once a land watered by natural springs of sweet water.
There will be a day when the ground will break open and fresh water will flow from the ground once more, underground rivers will burst through the surface of the desert and life will spring up where there was nothing living. This will be living water, the water of life and "whoever drinks this water will never thirst." Jesus says in John 4:14;
"The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Bahrain is also known as Dilmun in ancient history, and has been cited by some historians as one of the possible locations for the original garden of Eden.
The following words come from one of the world's oldest poems that was first written down some 4,000 years ago in the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur near the Euphrates, using cuneiform wedge script on a clay tablet.
"Dilmun is holy, the land of Dilmun is pure.
In Dilmun no cry the raven utters,
Nor does the bird of ill-omen foretell calamity.
The lion kills not, nor does the ravening wolf
Snatch away the defenseless lamb.
Unknown is the wild dog who tears the kid.
The dove does not conceal its head.
No one here says, ''My eyes are sick,''
No one here says, ''My head is sick,''
No one here says, ''I am an old woman,''
No one here says, ''I am an old man.''
The maiden walks here in innocence.
No lustrations need to be poured.
The somber death priest walks not here,
By Dilmun's walls he has no cause for lamentations.
As you can see the poem describes the situation at the dawn of time in a sacred island paradise called Dilmun, a place closely resembling the Garden of Eden, where death and sickness did not exist and sweet waters flowed.
Whether or not Bahrain was the location of the Garden of Eden is irrelevant but it's a nice thought! That Bahrain was previously part of the Dilmun empire is an historical fact and I lay claim to the description above for this country, that we will be without sickness, with no cause for lamentations and that we will once again walk in purity and freedom in a holy land.
Just as other cities and nations are being restored and revived throughout the world we claim it for this region, for Bahrain, for Saudi, for the entire Middle East.
One of the most prominent examples of a city changed by a move of God seems to be Kampala in Uganda; a country whose economy was predicted to collapse by the year 2000 because 33.3 percent of the population had AIDS. The World Health Organisation surmised that the inevitability of the situation would be that the country would soon be occupied only by widows and orphans.
So what did the people of Kampala do? They turned to God. They prayed and sought God's will for their land, for their people, for their nation. I will attempt to summarise briefly what happened so please forgive me for any inaccuracies as I am not an historian or expert on the region.
The first major shift was caused by God challenging the people to pray for those in government and speak blessings over them instead of cursing them for the corruption and incompetence that was rife throughout the city and indeed the country.
Proverbs 11:11 says "Through the Blessing of the righteous the City is exalted"
On transformourworld.org it describes how this change in mindset impacted positively on the government and paved the way for changes.
A door was opened to spend time blessings the muslim mayor of Kampala City, who had just returned from a pilgrimage in Mecca.
The mayor raised his hands in worship as he exclaimed praise to the Lord for sending a helping hand in the midst of the severe criticism he was facing from the public. "Thank you for praying for me, " he said, " now I know that you are the true people of God, if you will invite me, I will come to your church!
Fastforward to 2011, and God has miraculously opened a door. A new statute was passed putting Kampala directly under the authority of the Central Government. This paved the way for the appointment of a born-again christian as Executive Director of the city. Within four months of her appointment she recovered over US$ 20 million of cash hidden in secret accounts. Brand new construction equipment was also recovered and for the first time order was returned to the streets of Kampala as illegal street vendors were band. We are praising God for the release of resources and the transformation happening in the City as a result of speaking Blessings to the City.
From the day I first read this I have started to pray blessings over the government and ruling family of Bahrain and Saudi and over the religious leaders in this region. I am trusting in God that He will move in this place. That as we work together with Him to breathe life into these nations, we shall see revival, we shall see a land flooded with joy, peace and love as it was created to be.
We ask God not just to change the atmosphere but to transform the landscape and restore Bahrain to its original Dilmun beauty, a land where sweet water springs flowed in desert places and there was no fear of sickness or death, just peace and joy and love.
