Prayers Stored for Generations
I have shared with you before regarding our prayers being stored in Heaven. My friend, Quin Sherrer, shares about this applying to America.
“Have you ever wondered why your prayers weren’t answered in your perceived time frame? Sure, you have. The Scriptures indicate that prayers accumulate. So, yours could still be stored in bowls in heaven.
“We read in Revelation 5:8, ‘And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.’
“In his book, Intercessory Prayer, Dutch Sheets explains: ‘Not one bowl for all of them but “bowls.” We don’t know how many but I think it very likely that each of us has our own bowl in heaven. I don’t know if it’s literal or symbolic. It doesn’t matter. The principle is still the same. God has something in which He stores our prayers.’
“Reading further in Revelation 8:3-5, ‘And another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.’
“Dutch continues writing, ‘According to these verses, either when He knows it is the right time to do something or when enough prayer has accumulated to get the job done, He releases power.
“‘In answer to our requests, He sends angels to get our bowls of prayer to mix with the fire of the altar. But there isn’t enough in our prayer bowls to meet the need? We might blame God or think it is not His will or that His Word must not really mean what it says. The reality of it is that sometimes He cannot do what we’ve asked because we have not released enough power in our prayers to get it done.’ 1
“What do we do? We add more prayer!
“My friend Sarah thinks her life now is the result of ‘stored up’ prayer. She was not a Christian, when in her senior year of college, she became pregnant. She loved the father of her unborn child but when her mother urged her to have an abortion, she just could not.
“‘My grandmother, mother, sister, and cousin had all had abortions, and I wanted to break that cycle. I wasn’t religious, but something in me longed to do the right thing, and I knew abortion was wrong,’ she said.
“Sarah and the baby’s father married, and two days after her graduation their son was born. Eventually, they became Christians, and three decades later, their family—three children and grandchildren included—all serve the Lord. Sarah now has an international ministry and touches many through her mentoring outreach. What’s more, some of her younger relatives have also become Christians.
“She thinks her willingness to save her unborn child came from prayers offered generations earlier. She explained it this way:
“‘I’ve been to Germany and traced my family’s line back to those who had close ties with Martin Luther and the Reformation. Clearly, my ancestors back then were devoted, praying Christians. However, one of my great-great-grandfathers embraced liberalism and had no time for God. The next generations of my forebears did not acknowledge their Creator, so my mom thought nothing of urging me to have an abortion, as she had done. I believe the prayers of my ancestors from earlier times were stored up in heaven and released when I needed them,’ she said. 2
“As Americans weren’t we benefactors of accumulated prayers offered by some of our Founding Fathers? Early leaders clearly were praying men and women. Reading some of their letters, journals, and documents proves that.
“For example, on June 1, 1774, when the colonies were seeking God’s will as to whether they should break ties with England, George Washington wrote in his diary, ‘Went to church and fasted.’3
“As the first U.S. president, George Washington wrote a proclamation calling for November 26, 1789 to be a national day of Thanksgiving, noting that both individuals and nations have obligations before God. It read in part:
‘Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have… requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness…’”4
Quin says, “Friends, we must not cease praying for our nation—for its current situations as well as for its future destiny. Nor can we allow God to be erased from our American history.
“In recent months thousands of Christians have been beseeching God on behalf of our nation—for it to be restored to God’s original purpose. We have asked forgiveness for many sins. We have prayed for family members to receive Christ. For peace to reign in our streets. For diseases to be contained. For businesses to be restored. For our children’s safety. For a spiritual renewal. We have earnestly cried out for God’s mercy!
“When the timing is just right God will have His angels upturn those bowls of prayers and a Third Great Awakening will spread like fire all over the globe. Many think it has already started. We pray that America will be a leader in this!
“So, let us be faithful to keep filling those bowls with more fervent petitions, supplications, and cries for salvations! We expect to see a harvest of a billion souls for God’s kingdom worldwide.”
Pray with me:
Father, we have repented for my sins and for the iniquity of my forefathers and we do so again. Forgive us, free us from the bondage of our past and cleanse us by the blood of Christ. Pour out Your supernatural power in our families so that our children and their children will take their place in the Body of Christ and fulfill Your calling on their lives. Thank You for our positive heritage—for the godly ancestors who served You and sowed prayers for us. And for our American Founding Fathers who asked You for guidance and direction. Lord, we trust You to fulfill our prayers in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way. May we be more diligent and faithful to pray for our beloved country and the nations of the earth. Thank You for our Savior, Jesus, and for His atoning sacrifice. Amen.
Our Decree:
We decree that at just the right time, the bowls of heaven will tip upon America and the nations of the earth causing a Third Great Awakening.
You can find out more about Quin Sherrer here and fellow author Ruthanne Garlock here.
1. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer, (Bethany House, 1996, 2016, pp.208-209).
2. Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Chosen, 2017, pp.111-112).
3. William J. Federer, America’s God and Country:Encyclopedia of Quotations (FAME Publishing, Inc., 1996, p 637).
4. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091