Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Opening and Closing "Portals" - Rosebud Day 11

Jill Woodliff from Lent & Beyond sent this teaching, Portals of Glory by Ian Johnson. It is challenging and detailed, so take your time reading.

His main teaching is that there are openings ("portals", from the Biblical Greek word thura) between what The Nicene Creed calls things seen and unseen - that is, between our physical world of people, places and things and the unseen realm of spiritual forces.

Some portals connect us to the heaven of God and the hosts of heaven. But others open to the realm of the devil and demonic forces.

Our 40 days of prayer and fasting are part of a "war on suicide" on the Rosebud Reservation. In war, special units are deployed to capture bridges and other key traffic points. The first piece of continental Europe retaken from the Nazis was "Pegasus Bridge," captured by British paratroopers in the wee hours of D-Day to block German reinforcements from attacking the Normandy beach landings.

Praying to open and close portals can be a way to mount our campaign, but this requires caution and preparation. Remember last week's postings: always put on the whole armor of God. Also Monday's post from Psalm 133: our unity or "harmony" of effort can enable us to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God.

That being said, I take up "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." I am moved by a verse in my reading for this morning (1928 BCP lectionary):

Psalm 119:92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.

From this verse, I will offer some "portal prayers." Please leave comments if you sense a leading to add to or refine these prayers! We need to build unity, and have it supplied by God's guidance.

Father in Heaven, we ask you to open a good portal over the Rosebud Reservation.
  • A portal for your instruction, in your pure word, with the Holy Spirit present to teach and explain it.
  • A portal for the joy of Christ's presence, joy that cannot be taken away and will sustain the people to eternity (John 16:20-22).

Likewise, Father, we ask you to close evil portals that open on the Rosebud, especially

  • Any portal that allows "death" to come as a spiritual authority over the people.
  • Any portal that allows "misery" or "despair" to come as spiritual authorities over the people.

We pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Northern Plains:

This is an awesome idea - think your friends in Montana need to emulate this with our own native peoples.

Blessings,

MontanaAnglican

TLF+ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TLF+ said...

Bless you, MontanaAnglican(s).

Good things are coming of this. I have lunch next week with a pastor from the Rosebud. Good connections are being made in Christ.

Anonymous said...

That is just wonderful.

I re-read the article after I posted that and realized ALL of us can benefit from such prayer in our lives. Don't know what in the world I was thinking with that first post...

Montana Anglican

Anonymous said...

Revelation 3:7-8 came to mind re: praying about spiritual portals:

"...These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open.
I know your works and what you are doing.
See! I have set before you a door wide open, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My Word and guarded My message, and have not renounced or denied My name."