WHEN some students made a commitment to pray last year, they had no idea it would lead them to the Prime Minister's office.

Last fall, five junior high girls at the Fort Saskatchewan Christian School in Alberta had a desire to pray, and asked staffer Elaine Baillie to help. The result was the New Generation prayer team, which met weekly. The team took inspiration from 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

"This was definitely something that God orchestrated," Baillie said. Later in the fall, she visited Ottawa. When she told the girls about it, they asked: "Would you take us to pray there?" The girls raised their own money for the trip.

The girls were in Ottawa for a week, from May 28 to June 2. They stayed in the National House of Prayer (NHOP), a nondenominational ministry whose purpose is to "provide informed, focus and sustained prayer for Canada and its leaders." They attended Question Period in the House of Commons and prayed silently. They took part in a prayer meeting NHOP hosts each Friday for Senators and Members of Parliament.

Continue article >>

The girls had written a prayer, and were able to present it to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In a 10-minute meeting, one of the girls read the prayer. According to Baillie, Harper "seemed visibly moved" and said, "We need more of that here."

The 'Prayer for Authorities' reads, in part:

"We pray that they would find in the Bible and through prayer, their source of strength and wisdom. We pray that they would remember that they are accountable to God Almighty for the tasks they perform and the decisions they make . . .

"We pray that they would seek to bring back honour and respect, honesty and trust to the positions of power they hold [and] that they would seek to be an example of good character and moral integrity."

July 2007