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Hello everyone,

Today, Sunday 26th January, we have 370 people from all over the world and from many Christian and some non-Christian denominations joining together in prayer. I was going to sneak in a quick little reflection this week as Chris and I spent another lovely day in prayer down in County Limerick. (We are working on a project together and these places are part of our research.) But what hit me on the night's news when I got in? Another step closer to war and an Israeli incursion into the Palestinian areas causing multiple deaths. 

Then, when I opened the emails - three about war! Looks like it can't be avoided this week as we come closer and closer. I'll just copy and paste two of them, the third was a load of images showing the reality of war and the obscenity of dead children, the innocent victims, children as hard-hearted revolutionaries and man's complete inhumanity to man. God, how Satan destroys! Generations of hate that can only end with the healing hand of God, forgiveness and reconciliation. There is a little reflection from Bob and Debbie Gass from The Word for Today called:  The Real Battleground

We lost two Prayer Warriors after last week's reflection, less than I thought might go, two more than I prayed would leave!

The Weekly Intentions are included below and available on a plain page to be able to print off and kept to hand for your own prayer time.

http://www.circleofprayer.com/prayerbook.html
http://www.circleofprayer.com/weekly-intentions.html

"Father, bless all those who have requested prayers in whatever it is that you know they may be needing this day! Father, we ask You to heal the broken bodies, broken hearts, broken spirits and broken relationships and may all their lives be full of your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with you. Amen."

"Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers because we know You hear every prayer and never refuse to answer. You are providing
answers and healings from the prayers of all these wonderful people. Praise God!"

God Bless you all and thanks a million for being part of the Circle of Prayer - the Prayer Warriors.

Mary Mullins in Galway, Ireland
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Please say the two wee prayers below as often as you can, particularly the first one to the Holy Spirit if you need to see things in
a clearer perspective. There are some further down you might consider saying too.

"O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen"
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"Dear Lord, I give you may hands to do Your work; I give You my feet to go Your way; I give You my eyes to see as You see; I give You my tongue to speak Your words; I give You my mind that You may think in me; I give You my spirit that You may pray in me. Above all, I give You my heart that You may love in me - love the Father and love all humankind. I give You my whole self, Lord, that You may grow in me, so that it is You who lives, works and prays in me. Amen."
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Where did this impending war come from all of a sudden? It's as if Satan's in a real frenzy these days - can't do enough damage, cause enough death and destruction. He's using his minions on both sides to do his dirty work for him and the foolish men are dancing to his tune. God must be so sad to watch it all yet His gift of free will to mankind cannot be interrupted. 

Strange isn't it - the greatest gift is life and we let Satan take it at will! Prayer is the only weapon against this evil destroyer. I'm leaving in the same prayers as last week and would ask that every day we try to say the 3 o'clock Prayer for peace as well as dedicating Friday for the protection of the unborn. 

Here's the emails that arrived, they give us plenty to reflect on this week:

PRAY BEFORE IT STARTS

The Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa  (918-838-1621) is lighting a torch today to be passed along to your e-mail  friends...asking them to pass it along....and along....and along. We can do  something about the threat of war; both in Iraq and with terrorists. In the Old  Testament, God's armies were always led by the priests. When the waters parted  in the Jordan, it was the priests' feet which first hit the turbulent river.  In the New Testament, Christians are also  referred to as priests...all Christians. We must,  therefore, go in first.

As the possibility of war approaches with Hussein  and Iraq, we are asking the priests to step in first.....ahead of our military.  Let us be setting up camp for our soldiers' entrance into the conflict. How? By  prayer. Let us be sending in "prayer missiles," "cruise and scud prayers" to  target
enemy plans. "Patriot prayers" to shoot  down incoming threats.

We at Memorial are praying for two things: (1) that  the enemy leaders become confused, disoriented, and distrustful of each other;  that their entire system of attack fall apart, and (2) that in God's wildest  ways, these enemies would become aware of His deep love for them and the war
Jesus has already fought for them, personally, on the cross. God had Gideon reduce his army from 32,000 to 300 men. He then equipped them with nothing but  trumpets, pitchers, and torches. What an odd combination to fight off well-armed soldiers. When Gideon gave the command, the Bible says the enemy fled crying and turned on each other...all  because God messed with enemy plans.

We have been praying for this for about a month. On  CNN last weekend a report came out that although  Hussein has nothing to lose, his generals do.  Is confusion beginning to develop? Please pray for God to set the stage  for defeat of all those who intend to do harm.  When our men and
women of uniform arrive on the  scene, may they be surprised at how God had camp set up before they ever got there.

Would you please do two things? (1) pray, and (2)  copy and paste this into your email programme and pass it along to those you know will pray. May we build an e-mail army of over a million in force...beginning with you.

Dear Mary,

A friend (who is training to be an Indonesian language teacher) sent this to me today. It's interesting how the Indonesians are responding to the Bali bombing, after 100 days. 

Bali tragedy observed with joint prayers
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta 26/01/2003

Dozens of students observed on Saturday the 100th day of the bomb attack on Bali, asserting the need for the nation to put differences behind them in the fight against all acts of terror.

They gathered at the University of Indonesia's (UI) old campus in Salemba, in Central Jakarta, to pray according to their respective beliefs. A videotape of the bomb aftermath in the Bali's renowned tourist resort of Legian was displayed later on. 

To live up to their own pledge, participants of the joint prayer listened to sermons delivered by religious leaders representing the five legalized religions in the country: Islam, Protestant, Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism. 

The Oct. 12, 2002 Bali bombings left more than 190 people, mainly foreign tourists, killed and more than 300 others injured. The blasts were the worst act of terror since those on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. 

Lenny Hidayani of the UI Buddhist Student Association (KMBUI) who chaired the event's organizing committee said that the joint prayer was aimed at renewing calls for a peaceful movement against terrorism. 

"We need a breakthrough in our bid to remove segregation in our country. Religious values like forgiveness should be promoted throughout the country so that there will be no more hatred, revenge, or anxiety among religious followers," she said. 

The religious leaders recited prayers asking for a helping hand from heaven to people the country, the government and other countries. 

They called on people to remove all grudges with the perpetrators of the Bali bombings and to join forces despite their diversity in promoting peace across the country and the world. 

"Lord, please let us uphold your nature of being merciful, forgiving, caring and loving so that we can put away our hatred, selfishness and egoism. Please guide us to lead the future life in harmony," former supreme court justice Bismar Siregar, who represented Muslims, said during in his sermon. 

He added that as religious people, Indonesians should learn from the Bali bomb attack in order not to repeat the tragedy. 

Another preacher, father Hariyanto of Jakarta, asserted the need for forgiveness. He hoped victims of the Bali tragedy and their families would be able to hold on despite the tribulations. 

"We pray for those who were crippled for the rest of their life. May God give them strength to accept their condition. May our Lord enable us to comfort and to be comforted, to understand and to be understood, to love and to be loved, and to forget and forgive," he said. 

The religious leaders also appealed to the government and leaders of countries in the world to be wise and not to spread hatred that would only trigger conflict among people. 

"God, please let us live in peace and harmony without any other humanitarian tragedy. Not in Bali, not in this country or elsewhere in the world, including in Iraq," Putu Setia, a Hindu preacher, prayed. 

He emphasized that Indonesians should not fall into a cycle of revenge and that national leaders must improve their sensitivity to all suffering of the people. 

The students then sang different religious songs after the sermons and raised some funds to be given to the victims of fire in Jakarta. 

A group of students from the UI Christian Students Association (KMKUI) sang: ...Open your heart to the Lord; We are all together as one family; No more walls, no more chains; No more selfishness and closed doors; It's time to pray, a time to praise; A time to lift our hands to God... 

The Real Battleground 

" PRAYING ALWAYS…FOR ALL SAINTS. "  EPHESIANS 6 : 18 

After telling us to put on the whole armour of God, Paul writes, 'Praying always.' Why? Because prayer is the real battleground. That’s where you take back what the enemy has stolen from you. That’s where you bring to pass on earth what God’s already decided in heaven.

It was when Joshua prayed that he received both the strength and the strategy to take Jericho. (Josh 6:2-5). Think: until you pray, what do you have to obey? Until you hear from God, whose authority are you acting on?

The large shields used by Roman soldiers in battle could be locked together in such a way that an entire row could move forward as one single unit, each soldier fully protected. They looked like a moving wall! Their protection was multiplied because of their unity! Their power was increased, because of their ability to work together!

The call of God to us today is a call to unity. As we join together in prayer, the power of God to save, heal and deliver is released and multiplied – millions of times over! The Bible says, 'One [can] chase a thousand, and two [can] put ten thousand to flight' (Deut 32:30).

There are times when we are alone in the lions’ den, and God delivers us. There are other times when we are together in the fiery furnace, and our collective faith brings us through. In most cases, it’s 'the prayer of agreement' that releases the greatest degree of power, and wins the biggest victories (Matt 18:19). So today, start looking for some prayer partners! 

Three O'Clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy

You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You. Amen

Prayer to Saint Michael:

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, cast down to hell Satan and all his wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls"

Prayer for Peace:

O God from whom all holy desires, all right counsels, and all just works do proceed. Give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Thy Commandments, and that unafraid of our enemies, we may spend our days under Thy protection, in peaceful order, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.  Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Pray this prayer with the US, Britain, Iraq and the supporting nations in mind that their hearts may also be changed.

Pray before the Cross:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.”