The first Friday of each month has long been a day designated by churches and ministries to fast and pray for revival and spiritual awakening. Intercessors for America (IFA) rallies thousands of intercessors every First Friday in prayer for a national Christ awakening.
Intercessors for America has been leading the nation in that hopeful prayer for 50 years—and the ministry continues to expand with a vision for national transformation. When IFA puts out a call for prayer, the organization has the potential of rallying 300,000 citizens in unified intercession.
Its roots include purposeful prayer for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which has been an IFA prayer focus for five decades. Located near the Washington, D.C. area, staff and IFA intercessors have sustained a faithful presence in various venues around D.C., including Congress and at the Supreme Court.
Call to Fasting and Prayer
The organization was founded in 1973 when God impressed the necessity of fasting and prayer on the hearts of a group of godly men. The nation was experiencing a plethora of problems. The Watergate scandal, Vietnam War, Arab oil embargo, Roe v. Wade, a growing acceptance of drug use, and other challenges were changing the way Americans lived and thought.
Christians gathered in Florida for a conference during that founding year were impressed by the teachings of Derek Prince and Ern Baxter. Out of that, a dozen men were chosen to steward a fasting and prayer movement for the nation.
In the 50 years since, IFA has rallied millions of prayer touchpoints by mobilizing intercession based on the vision “to see God’s purposes for America fulfilled through sustained prayer and Spirit-led obedience.”
David Kubal, IFA president and CEO, says, “This is our time to rise and be the people of prayer and action that America needs. The darkness we see now isn’t something we haven’t seen before, so let us meet that darkness with the same fervent prayer and the same selfless action that we have seen in defining moments of our nation’s history.”
Critical to Our Nation
According to Kubal, prayer was the key to breaking a five-week stalemate in the writing of our founding documents and the creation of our nation’s framework.
In response to the floundering efforts and disagreement, Benjamin Franklin challenged his fellow founders in the Continental Convention of 1787, declaring,
“And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proof I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
After prayer and fasting, our Constitution was authored—an inspired document that is the longest ongoing Constitution in the history of the world.
Multiple Connection Points
Intercessors for America offers multiple ways to fast, pray, and stay informed and engaged with national concerns. You can find the following prayer initiatives on their website (ifapray.org):
- Pray and Act: Pray and take action on concerns such as immigration, identity crisis, and protection of life.
- State news: Pray for your state based on current local news.
- Interactive map: Click on a map and pray for fellow intercessors.
- Government leaders: An interactive website allows you to pray and post a written prayer for leaders.
- Webcasts: Video content produced on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and First Friday, features guests with expertise on current national prayer concerns.
- Prayer guides: Multiple prayer guides are free to download on topics such as praying for Israel or the elections.
- Roe v. Wade: IFA asks the question, “Now that we are out from under the curse of Roe v. Wade, what do we do next to proactively protect life?” The website has a page devoted to continued engagement and prayer on the state level.
- Monthly prayer letters: A First Friday prayer letter contains timely national reports, accounts of revival and answered prayer, and a prayer focus.
- Weekly prayer alerts: The Informer email is sent three times weekly with critical issues for our nation’s capital, on foreign fronts, and with national emergency matters.
- Podcast: “On Watch in Washington” tackles current issues with input from leaders and difference-makers in our nation.
Intercessors for America fosters a movement that reflects “prayerful, truthful, generous, hopeful, and relational” values. All their initiatives can be found at ifapray.org.
