Rules for War: How to Partner with Heaven in Times of Crisis
by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.
Rees Howells (1879-1950) was a man set apart by God after a radical account where he chose to surrender fully. After being a part of the Welsh Revival in 1904-05, he set out to spread the revival throughout Southeastern Africa (including Mozambique), where he saw miracles, healings, and over 10,000 salvations. When God called him back to Wales, rather than continue to travel the world, he was led to a life of intercession (the carrying the burden in focused prayer until the breakthrough or release has come). He was also moved by the Spirit to open a school to train people to walk in a similar lifestyle of faith as he had been called.
With the equivalent of only $0.15 to his name, in 1924, he founded The Wales Bible College which was a place where “young people might come to learn a life of faith, and above all be filled with the Holy Spirit.”[1] Howells was a man of profound consecration and intercession with a calling to raise up a tribe of intercessors. A decade after the school was founded, he felt led by the Spirit to shift the focus of the school to intercede over world affairs. During World War II, these prayer warriors were mobilized as one to pray that God would “bend Hitler.”[2]
Through intercession and prophetic insights, they specifically targeted cities and countries they felt needed to be protected during the war. During prayer, God revealed to Howells that Russia would be attacked. The school responded by interceding for Moscow, which was miraculously protected from Nazi capture.[3]
In his lifetime, Howells raised up an army of intercessors who prayed through major world crises in World War II, prepared the way for missionaries, and both partnered in releasing and paved the way for future revival.[4]
RULES FOR WAR
There are important keys in Howell’s legacy and from Scripture that we can learn from today as we face major world crises and seek to be led by the Holy Spirit in our prayers..
1. Our intercession is significant and we have authority in Christ Jesus to bring change through our prayers
Like how Howells was given prophetic revelation of the plans of the enemy and able to intercede to partner with God to reroute and bring protection in a region, so can we seek the Lord for revelation in knowing how to pray effectively to see His kingdom come and for the light to pierce through the darkness.
In Acts 12:1-3, we learn that King Herod put James to death by the sword and then proceeded to seize Peter with a likely outcome to follow. In response to Peter’s imprisonment however, something very different happened in how the church responded than in how they responded to James’ capture. We don’t read anywhere that the church interceded for James but for Peter, we see in Acts 12:5 that “the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” The result of these intercessions for Peter had a drastically differently outcome. Because the church was praying, instead of him falling to the same fate as James, he was miraculously delivered from prison and the impending death that awaited (see Acts 12:6-18).
It wasn’t that the believers liked Peter more than James, but they learned the negative impact of their lack of intercession in the loss of James and immediately shifted so that the same result would not happen again to Peter. In turn through their focused intercession for the persecuted saint, they were able to partner in prayer to set the captive free and release protection from the enemy.
2. We don’t fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powerS
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
–Ephesians 6:10-13
3. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but have divine power to demolish strongholdS
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
–2 Corinthians 10:3-5
4. God can change the hearts of leaders in a moment
In Acts 9:1-19, we see that Saul, a key persecutor of the church who “was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples,” was sovereignly encountered by God in a divine encounter. The enemy of believers was instantly turned into Paul who became one of the most influential apostles who spread the gospel we’ve ever know.
God is all powerful. We can intercede for Saul to Paul conversions in the hearts of leaders who are partnering with evil rather than good.
We must also be vigilant to pray for protection and wisdom over all of our leaders and those placed in power, that they would be moved by the hand of God.
5. Praise is powerful and defeats armies
In 2 Chronicles 20, we see how King Jehoshaphat was faced with the impending attack of an exceedingly great army. He responded to this by seeking God first and then giving Him thanks by offering up praise and worship. He sent his worshipers to the front lines of battle to give God thanks and declare His enduring love. As he and his people set their faces toward worshiping God in the midst of the impending destruction, placing all of their trust in the Almighty God to save them, God worked on behind the scenes on their behalf to completely destroy their enemies without them having to do anything other than worship.
“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” –2 Chronicles 2:22
As we choose to worship God and put all of our trust in Him alone, He is our great deliverer and help in time of need.
Read Defeating Armies by Praise blog for more in depth on this theme
I hope and pray that Rees Howells’ testimony and the revelations from God’s Word will help position you to strategically partner with heaven to see God be glorified in every crisis we face. Together, unified as one body, let us partner together to see God’s rule and reign become established and for His glory cover the earth. Today I pray that a fire will be ignited deep within you to intercede together with other burning ones to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven for such a time as this. Amen.
See short teaching more in depth on this subject below.
NOTES
[1] Doris M. Ruscoe, The Intercession of Rees Howells (Blowing Rock, NC: Zerubbabel Press, 1983), 100.
[2] Norman Grubb, Rees Howells Intercessor (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1952), 209. Remember that it was when Evan Roberts prayed for the Lord to “bend” him that he had a significant encounter. They were praying the same for Hitler.
[3] Doris M. Ruscoe, The Intercession of Rees Howells, 28.
[4] This section on Rees Howells was largely based off of Chapter 10 in Defining Moments by Bill Johnson with Jennifer A. Miskov (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2016), 189-210.
“If you have not discovered something you are willing to die for, then you are not fit to live.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Join our next 10 day LIVE online School of Revival intensive on the theme of persecution and martyrdom. Meet other burning ones from around the world. Learn from those who have come before to be inspired and catalyzed to step into and fulfill your God given destiny in a family of sold out Jesus lovers.