The act of praying is usually a humbling experience, as God gently guides His children on what they should pray about according to His Spirit, rather than what they believe they should pray about, a minister shared.
Prophetic minister Bill Yount discussed how God interrupts Christians' prayer life in unexpected ways. Yount is an itinerant pastor, the author of several prophetic books, and is an advisor for Aglow International.
In an article published on Charisma Magazine, Yount expressed his utter amazement at hearing God instruct him to pray for the present government of the United States of America.
"I couldn't believe God would say such a thing," he exclaimed.
"Your government is one of My greatest harvest fields," Jesus Christ reportedly told him. "Pray it into My kingdom and remember, those politicians were on the same cross when I died, right next to you."
He was perplexed and inquired as to whether God literally meant loving both Democrats and Republicans.
"I don't see Democrats and Republicans; I only see lost men and lost women on both sides of the aisle," God responded. "You see men as trees walking. Saul, who had Christians murdered, was not beyond my reach. I changed His name to apostle Paul and surprised My people in his day by writing most of the New Testament through him. I want to change more names."
As a result of his encounter, Yount reflected on the significance of praying in the spirit, which, according to the Charismatic community, means praying in tongues.
The reason for this is that it gives the Holy Spirit complete authority to pray what needs to be prayed over certain people groups or countries.
Yount mentioned one instance in which he was praying in tongues and the language sounded like Chinese to him. He inquired of God about it, and God told him that he was praying for China.
"You mean China that's on the news?" Yount asked. For one, China's Communist Party (CCP) has long been renowned as one of the world's most ruthless persecutors of Christians.
"I don't watch the news; I am the news. You just stumbled onto My Most Wanted list," God replied.
Following that, he said that God had given him further names to include on the list, but that he was not permitted to reveal them since doing so would undoubtedly spark a "riot" inside the body of Christ.
He then counseled Christians to compile a list of persons they did not wish to pray for including their worst enemies.
"Beware," Yount cautioned. "Sometimes God puts gems in our enemies. As we love them, we discover the rubies and diamonds."
"As you pray for your enemies, God's pen moves to write their story," he said. "And He's not through writing yours, either. Until we learn not to rejoice when our enemies fall, God will keep raising them back up until we do (Prov. 24:17-18)."
This same premise is consistent with what Jesus taught throughout his earthly ministry. In Luke 6, Christ spent numerous lines in his Sermon on the Mount outlining the beatitudes but emphasizing the importance of loving one's adversaries.
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful," Jesus said strongly in Luke 6:36.
