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Intention

To follow Hannah’s example of praying to the God of all creation with ‘joyful anguish’ for souls in Australia to know Jesus.

Scripture

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;
those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

– 1 Samuel 2:8b–10

Reflection

As believers in Jesus, it brings us great delight to continue humbly praying to him to see his victories coming forth upon the earth.

I’m compelled to remember many of the great prayer warriors in the Bible. Hannah is one of them. Through great anguish, Hannah relentlessly sought the Lord in prayer for him to overcome her barrenness. With unshakable faith in God, she kept asking him for a son and would not stop believing him for one.

We can only imagine the people who misunderstood her passion and faith (including Eli, a priest at the Tabernacle). Yet, yet she continued in prayer, and as we know was blessed with many children, including Samuel, one of the great judges, priests and prophets of God (1 Samuel 2:21). I’m inspired by people who pray with this kind of tenacity.

What if, as we seek to see a nation come to know Jesus, we choose not to give up? What if, with such anguish and delight, we keep praying for souls to come closer to God?

Stories fill my ears every day with people who have been seeking Jesus through The Global Harvest. Their stories might include a grandma or uncle giving them a Bible as a child. Or a mother taking them to a church service or outreach event in their local town. Sometimes they met someone in the street who loved God. However, temptation and the world’s attractions came and distracted them, and they went off track.

But God had saints from all churches, movements and cities praying for these souls. There was a sweet moment in the Spirit when their ears were opened, and they were overcome with the need for repentance. Sometimes sitting in lounge rooms or cars, many stop and realise they need Jesus. It’s common. We regularly receive calls from people crying in repentance and apologising for ignoring God, saying they’re now ready for him.

We also receive calls from those whose family origin means they’d never even heard the name of Jesus. But then they saw hundreds getting baptised at a Global Harvest event and booked in a call to ask what makes us different to their family’s religion. Many people have left other religions as they’ve heard about Jesus through what is happening in this nation!

This is why we pray. This is why, united as the body of Christ, we fall to our knees in anguish and joy to recognise that Jesus has a plan, and through prayer and his empowerment of our actions, we are part of it. Every person has a story; every person needs Jesus!

Hannah celebrated in song, and what particularly stands out to me is when she sang, “The foundations of the earth are the Lord’s”. Let’s together declare that he is the creator and owner of everything, that our foundation is him alone, and pray that all may know him.

Video

Prayer

Our dear Lord, from our hearts today, we believe that you are our foundation, and that you hold the earth in your hands. We celebrate in advance every new soul coming to your kingdom. We thank you for speaking to every closed heart and ear right now. In Jesus’ name, draw them towards you and soften their heart, awakening repentance and unlocking a desire to know you.

Lord, keep us tender towards you, and daily call us to our knees. Inspired by Hannah’s example, we pray in anguish, authenticity and joyful delight for our nation, Australia, to be saved!

Amen.

Author Bio

Vanessa been married to her husband, Heath, for 26 years, and have served the Lord together for 20 years with a heart for the lost and broken. They have six young adult children.

Vanessa currently is part of The Global Harvest team, which engages people nationwide through various campaigns, including mass baptisms, local Acts groups and discipleship incentives. Their vision is to see the Great Commission of Jesus Christ fulfilled in our generation through every believer.

Prayer Points for October 2025

1. God to pour out his blessing and Spirit on every church in Australia and its leaders. Hebrews 13:7
2. All churches in Australia to grow in Christlikeness and win people to Christ. Acts 6:7
3. Widespread adoption of Reaching Australia 2033 and its plan to activate every believer in personal evangelism. Acts 1:8
4. Revival for Australia and for millions to come to Christ. Isaiah 64:1–2

We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to faith in Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

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