Today is the National Day of Prayer in Australia. It is a day where Australians across the country unite in prayer and fasting. We are praying to see transformation in this nation and to see our nation align with Kingdom values and ways. We are praying for a move of the Spirit to sweep across this land and we are praying for strongholds in this nation to be brought down. We are praying to partner with God in ushering in His plans and purposes for this nation.

 United prayer

As I was praying this morning I had a vision and was looking down from above at the nation of Australia. I could see golden cords positioned all around the perimeter of the nation. These golden cords were linking together in the air above the centre of the nation. From there they were tied together on a golden flagpole that was holding up the Australian flag. I was taken by how high the Australian flag was raised. In the vision the Lord showed me I then saw a portal from heaven open above where the Australian flag was flying on the golden flagpole. A great beam of light fell on the flag and the united golden cords. As the prayers were released into the heavens in unity, there was an activation in the heavens.

I had a knowing that the golden cords were the prayers of the people. The prayers of the people were forming a golden canopy over the nation, covering the entire land area. People around the nation were uniting in prayer, blanketing our nation in prayer. People from all areas and all denominations were lifting prayers to heaven to see transformation come to the nation. The Lord showed me that the cords in the vision were linked to the raising of the Australian flag as this was a symbol of the people praying for the raising up of Australia to be the nation God has called it to be. It is a petition to heaven for the raising up of Australia at this time. It is a declaration of our desire to see our nation aligned with Kingdom principles and God’s plan for our nation. Philippians 4:6b was brought to my mind at this point – in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. The prayers and petitions of the people were being lifted to God and these faith filled prayers were impacting the heavens. These prayers were being sent with thanksgiving as the people were praising God in advance for what was coming and all He would do in this nation.

We are directed to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to be vigilant in prayer with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2). Thanksgiving not only praises God in the moment but remembers God’s past faithfulness. When our prayers are aligned with God’s will, we can have confidence He will answer. 1John 5:14-15 (NASB) – This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Raising a standard

The Lord then prompted me to look at a picture of parliament house in the nation’s capital. I saw that parliament house also has poles on top of the building that link together to a central flagpole that holds the Australian flag high in the air. I saw the similarity between parliament house and the vision the Lord gave me. I felt the Lord was showing me that the raising of the flag in the vision is raising of a standard and is a declaration of who we are as a nation. I also felt the Lord was showing me that the united prayers of the people were shaking all areas of the nation including government.

 The word standard in Hebrew is ‘nec’ which means ‘something lifted up, standard, signal, banner, sign.’ The Lord is calling us as the body of Christ to raise the banner of the Lord’s righteousness and proclaim our allegiance to Him. We should pray for our nation to be aligned with God’s ways and purposes for our nation. Raising the standard also involves standing against evil in the land and coming against the schemes of the enemy. This involves prayer, as well as action in line with strategies given to us by the Holy Spirit, to take a stand against schemes that oppose Kingdom ways and principles.

Jeremiah 51:27a (NKJV) – Set you up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations. In Exodus 17, Joshua led the men out to fight against Amalek while Moses stood on top of a hill holding up the rod of God in the air. The rod was a sign of authority, signifying a raised banner. When intercessors pray against the schemes and works of the enemy they are also raising the standard, bringing down strongholds of the enemy and proclaiming God’s victory through Jesus Christ.

The Lord then showed me a vision of black towers periodically positioned around the border of our nation. These towers represented strongholds of the enemy in this nation. I then saw that as the prayers of the people were raised to God, the foundations of the towers began to crumble. Prayers were activating the bringing down of strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV) – The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Ephesians 6:12 (NASB) – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The Lord is encouraging us that this national day of prayer has activated things in the spirit and has begun to degrade strongholds over this nation. May we continue to intercede to usher in God’s plans and purposes for this nation and to bring down strongholds over this nation. May we stand in unity as one body of Christ and partner with God in seeing Australia transformed and a new move of the Spirit sweep across this land.