by Ben Quinones

I would like to thank Bishop Dan Balais (Chairman, Intercessors for the Philippines) for his circular of encouragement. This is needed at this time when many of our spiritual warriors are disappointed by the May 10 elections turn out, believing in their hearts that our Bangon Pilipinas votes could not have languished at a measly 1 Million + had there truly been an honest and accountable election.

Let not our grief becloud our understanding of the political situation that’s unfolding before our eyes. Even now the Noynoy Aquino camp is gearing for a nasty battle against the GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) camp for control of Congress. With only about 50 LP (Liberal Party) members joining the 15^th Congress, LP will have to coalesce with other parties to arrive at a majority and beat GMA to the lower house speakership. Noynoy reportedly will use the pork barrel to win over more “balimbing”(turncoat) congressmen to his camp, and ensure that former Quezon city Mayor Belmonte is elected as House Speaker. He says he will devolve to the House Speaker the function of dispensing the pork barrel, perhaps in an attempt to distance himself from the trapo (traditional politician) practice of horse trading in Congress and the Senate as well.

One big casualty in this brewing battle in Congress will be Noynoy’s anti-corruption agenda, capitalized to the hilt by his campaign managers if only to deflect attention from his lackluster performance. But one thing is sure: this battle will expose the pettiness of Noynoy’s anti-corruption agenda as no more than a sheer plot to end GMA’s political ambitions. And GMA et al will use all resources in their command to resist all attempts to thwart her political ambitions.

This emerging battle reminds me of the fight to the finish between the Moabites and the Ammonites when their main thrust was to defeat King Jehoshaphat of Judah. As King Jehoshaphat’s army set out for the Desert of Tekoa, the King told his men: “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld, have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’ 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. The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.” (2 Chron. 20: 20-23)

“When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value – more than they could take away. There was so much to plunder that it took three days to collect it.” (2 Chron. 20: 24-25)

The camps of Noynoy and GMA will be so spent in a bitter battle, they will have no space to mind the needs of the masses of the people. Corruption and scandals will consume them all, no one will be spared from it. Bangon, the Lord’s army of Davids, will see only “dead bodies” among both camps lying in the battleground against corruption. They will have no more interest in the true welfare of the people, they will abandon them. Bangon, the Lord’s army of Davids, must be prepared to carry off the plunder, articles of utmost value – the souls and lives of the Filipino people!

Having seen this scenario, once more I rise up to heed Bishop Dan Balais’ call: “THIS IS THE TIME TO RESTORE AND BUILD”. We must not rest, lest the plague of self-pity overtakes us.

When we were campaigning, the Lord’s army of Davids made a successful breakthrough in mobilizing great numbers of people, penetrating communities, engaging people in meaningful dialogue about concrete programs for their socio-economic upliftment, giving them hope for the future. Never before have we seen such a great multitude of people from all walks of life coming out in the open to hear Bangon’s message of hope, believing in it, and rallying in unity for God and country.

Come now, let us continue the great work we have done during the campaign. Our campaign was not premised solely on the goal of capturing government office. Ours is the eternal campaign for the souls and lives of our beloved countrymen.

By Jade Angelo Gascon
Executive Assistant, On Eagle’s Wings Foundation

Intercession is the last thing I would imagine myself writing about.

Prayer’s fine with me. You know, asking providence for today’s breakfast, lunch, and supper; for courage when deadlines draw nigh; for supernatural strength in times of siesta while I’m at work; and for many other needs critical to my growth and survival as a human being.

Interceding for other people (or creatures) is not easy.

But intercessory prayer has always been something too hard for me to act upon and, honestly, to believe in.

For starters, intercessory prayer (or intercession) is a kind of prayer in which one continuously lifts up the lives (the needs and predicaments) of other people to God. It involves pleading on behalf of others, for others.

It’s hard to do. My family and I have enough trouble to consume much of my precious prayer time already. So why bother praying for a classmate who is heartbroken or a workmate who doesn’t know Christ yet?

It’s also hard to believe in. If God were sovereign, what’s the sense of continuously praying for people? Can’t I just pray once for them, and rest assured that God has it on record already?

At the 20th National Prayer Gathering (NPG) of the Intercessors For the Philippines (IFP) in Cebu on Nov. 17 to 19, all my antiquated misconceptions about intercessory prayer were phased out.

I learned that God calls every Christian to be an intercessor. Peter describes us as a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). He alludes here to the role of priests as those who present prayers, thanksgiving and praise to God on behalf of people. Thus, praying for needs that are beyond one’s own benefit should be a habit every Christian must desire to develop as “royal priests.”

An Israelite high priest intercedes to God on behalf of the people

This intercessory duty cannot be performed by hearts that are not transformed. It’s easy to be compelled to pray for friends and family because they are people we care for. But interceding for strangers, enemies, and nations requires compassion of epic proportions.

Indian preacher Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj stressed during the NPG that the key element for intercession is a heart of compassion. Christians will always find excuses to not find time to intercede if there’s no single trace of compassion in their hearts that motivates them to intercede.

Compassion drives the believer’s heart to sacrifice time in prayer for people and nations in need. It fuels our spirit to de-emphasize self-benefitting prayers (these are not unnecessary, though), and move into a prayer attitude that spends more time on other’s needs. Selvaraj also pointed out that, “The act of intercession is the act of meeting with God by falling before him for pleading on behalf of another… You can’t stop praying until the burden is lifted from you.”

The only way to have this kind of compassion that leads to intercession is to sync our heartbeat with God’s. And His heartbeat echoes loudly throughout the Bible. It resonates with Good News to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed (Luke 4:18). This is Jesus’ anointing. This is the character of intercessory prayer. Centrifugal. Sympathetic. Salvational.

I can’t believe I’ve just written about intercession.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

By Jade Angelo Gascon
Executive Assistant, On Eagle’s Wings Foundation

I don’t know which is harder to believe: that icebergs are now heading to New Zealand according to glaciologists or that there’s still hope for the Philippines according to our politicians.

Iceberg heading to New Zealand

To remain hopeful for a nation dominated by a dynasty of surnames under which leadership it has become the most corrupt in Asia is not worth the imagination. It’s a waste of our precious Filipino intelligence.

And then 2010 is coming. Elections. What is supposed to be a chance for us to hope once more is also a chance for the ambitious to propel themselves to the pinnacle of political power. Now this isn’t hard to believe: There will be bloodshed. In the Philippines, the quest for public office is a violent, self-centered, animalistic adventure.

Even animals hope, though. So why shouldn’t we give it a try? I remember 2004. I was 17 and it was the first time I exercised my democratic faculties in support of a candidate. I was full of hope. But hope proved powerless in the face of evil. History would now testify to us that the 2004 elections is a big joke.

Even animals hope. Elephant seal hopes the iceberg wouldn't hit NZ.

I don’t want the joke to be on me again this 2010. So when I attended the National Prayer Gathering (NPG) of the Intercessors For the Philippines (IFP) on Nov. 17-19 in Cebu, I was, again, hopeful. Hopeful that the National Prayer Gathering would achieve more than babbling the usual prayers for my beloved Republic.

Since its founding in 1989, IFP has been rallying Filipino Christians to pray so that the Philippines would be free from various forms of national evils. Since then, nothing has seemed to happen.  And by “nothing” I refer to the “Hello Garci” scandal, the “Ondoy” tragedy, the extrajudicial killings, the coup attempts, the online sex dens in Las Piñas and Pampanga, the Transparency International reports, and the species of senators we breed today.

I must admit that I have somehow developed a skeptical mindset toward prayers for the nation. And I know I’m not alone here. Many Christians have certainly been weary of the Philippines.

A promotional poster of NPG held on Nov. 17-19 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu

Praying—much less hoping—for the Philippines has become tiresome.

But at the NPG, nobody seemed tired. IFP Director Dan Balais kicked off the sessions with a fitting Scripture quotation from Ecclesiastes 3:1, reminding us of the truth that God ordains the times and seasons that govern nations. This idea is supported by Psalm 102:13 and Acts 17:26’s reference to God as “appointing” and “determining” times not just for individuals but even for nations.

The Philippines has long been under a season of judgment for its unfaithfulness to its claim as Asia’s Christian nation. We say we’re Christian but the way we practice business and government would make Jesus regret that His other name is Christ! Show me a fixer-free LTO agency and I’ll stop writing now. Unrighteousness teems richly in our society. This is why we’re under judgment. I must be quick to add, though, that judgment isn’t so bad, as many might think, for when God executes His judgments, people learn righteousness (Isa 26:9). Thus, a season of judgment is followed by blessing if the people would give in to its spiritual consequence of learning righteousness.

God changes times and seasons by changing the rulers of nations. Take note that Israel’s Biblical history was shaped and defined by the incumbent king. God’s delight on Israel depended on the righteousness or wickedness of its ruling sovereign. Following this principle, the Philippine 2010 elections is a ripe season for God to change the course of Philippine history.

Bishop Dan Balais is a leading figure in Philippine biblical Christianity. He inspires us to intercede for our nation.

Our history is not on auto-pilot. The NPG made it clear that God’s purpose for the Philippines would only head toward fulfillment if the body of Christ shall unite behind righteous leadership.

Knowing these Biblical principles energized me to hope and pray for the Philippines again. Though national renewal is hard to believe, it is not impossible. Besides, what Christian teaching exists that is easy to believe in the first place? The virgin birth? One God in three persons? Undeserved grace? The resurrection?

The difficult idea of a resurrected Philippines can only be realized by hearts and minds that have faith so strong they can resolve to believe in any other out-of-this-world Christian doctrine. This leaves all of us to no other choice but to submit to God in humble acceptance of our helplessness as a nation without His righteous counsel.

This Filipinos must believe.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite