Born out of an extraordinary twenty-year journey of walking by faith, listening to the Lord, praying and waiting on God, ‘Praying for a World in Crisis’ brings revelation as to how the body of Christ can and must respond to the immense challenges that the Church worldwide faces at this time.

As Alistair Petrie states in the Introduction, “This book provides hope in the midst of uncertainty and perplexity. It challenges us to levels of prayer that possibly many of us have either neglected or forgotten. It provides a lens of reality and challenges us to the brevity of time left before the most extraordinary moment of history occurs – the return of Christ.”

Unfulfilled Commission

Pete and Pippa Gardner describe the inter-relationship between geopolitics, cosmic forces and the Great Commission in a way that is rarely recognised and understood. Their assertion is that cosmic powers are creating the crisis in order to stop the Great Commission being completed and the fact that it is still unfulfilled is the reason the world continues in crisis.

When it does happen, Jesus will return to earth as the warrior king, all evil forces will come under His judgment, and He will press the reset button on everything. This being the case, we as the Church must understand that spiritual warfare is fundamentally about fulfilling the Great Commission and hence we need to be vigilant that we are not distracted from this central task. Jesus made this clear in Matt 24:14: “And the gospel of this kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”.

We as the Church must understand that spiritual warfare is fundamentally about fulfilling the Great Commission and hence we need to be vigilant that we are not distracted from this central task.

Weighty truths

A clear clarion call is sounded to watch and pray at a global level for the coming of God’s kingdom, not only in a general way, but with specific guidance on restraining the darkness and the powers and principalities that battle against the Lord’s reign.

Each chapter, despite its profound depth and weighty concepts, maintains a manageable size to communicate essential truths, and every assertion is justified with Scripture. Chapter titles include: ‘Kings and Gods: How Cosmic Powers Influence Leaders’; ‘Hope: Our Launch Pad for Engaging with a World in Crisis’; ‘Praying for the Persecuted Church’ and ‘Getting Going: Building Prayer Muscle’. The Endnotes are evidence of the thorough research that lies behind the book.

The authors have both written separate chapters from their own experiences. In her chapter, Pip emphasises the necessity of walking by faith, and shares the testimony of once being £36 short for a return flight to the USA.

“Knowing it was time to return, we arrived at the airport to buy two tickets. I was expecting a tap on the shoulder, as had happened to Rees Howells in his book, ‘Intercessor’, when a man did just that and handed him the much-needed money for his train ticket. But no, there was no tap on the shoulder. So, more in trepidation than in faith, we walked to the desk and asked for two tickets to Washington DC, only to be told that the price for them had dropped by £36!”

Despite the profound truths revealed in the text, this is more than a theological textbook; it is a practical and realistic manual that will aid readers to resist passivity and become alert to the reality of our times

Wake-up call

The book in its entirety has a harmony that is born out of the agreed urgency of the days we are living in. Despite the profound truths revealed in the text, this is more than a theological textbook; it is a practical and realistic manual that will aid readers to resist passivity and become alert to the reality of our times.

Ultimately, ‘Praying for a World in Crisis’ is a wake up call to the Church. It contains a message for every Christian, both leaders and those in the pews, to grasp an understanding of the wider picture of the crises in the world and how we may respond in order to be part of the emerging strategy the Lord has prepared for His people in the end times.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who longs to pray more effectively and strategically into today’s world.

‘Praying for a World in Crisis’ is self-published and is available from Amazon for £9.99