When Jessamy Southern first had thoughts about starting a prayer initiative and mentioned the idea to her husband, Rob, she decided to put the thought on the shelf for “maybe another time”.
But she said the idea wouldn’t stay on the shelf and now, the couple, who lead a healing and deliverance ministry at Lighthouse Family Church in Gqeberha, are looking for a venue to start a 24/7 house of prayer for use by Christians from all denominations.
A committed Christian and lover of Jesus from an early age, Jessamy said that through pesonal health battles over the years she had spent much time on her knees before the Lord. “It’s been in that place that I found my strength and actually, my joy,” she said.
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“I’ve seem Him heal and save and deliver me through all the years that I have walked with Him and I know that I can’t do anything without Him. So, when I look back, I think, it would have been so nice if I hadn’t been ill. But actually, I wouldn’t change it because it’s brought me closer to Him, to a place where He is everything,” she said.
Dreams played a part in her journey with God. “I had a series of dreams that changed the course of my life, where I just, I realised I was going to be running full out for the Lord, doing what He asked me to do.”
She also had some dreams in which she heard herself saying: “Shoot the arrow and strike the ground.”
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“It repeated throughout the night. It was like the Lord was saying that the arrow of His victory has gone forth, but we need to continue to strike the ground in prayer until we attain the victory,” said Jessamy.
The call to start a prayer initiative became more pressing after her daughter, Sarah, who is a student at the BSSM ministry school at Bethel Church in Redding, California, told her about a house of prayer she had visited during a mission trip to Colorado.
“It kind of stuck with me that we don’t have any houses of prayer as such. There are prayer initiatives, there are maybe prayer rooms, there are things like that, but there’s no houses of prayer that you hear of here.
“So, I started reading books and just feeling from the Lord that there are huge wells of revival that are in South Africa and that He wants to release. And that every revival is preceded by prayer.
“And I really felt that there’s this swell, this wave, that He’s wanting to awaken His people to pray right now — for our city, for the nation, for the nations,” said Jessamy.
The prayer house idea is now truly off the shelf and both Rob and Jessamy say they are “very excited” to see what God will do with it.
Jessamy said their vision is to establish a place in the city that is dedicated to non-stop prayer, worship, and ministering to the Lord, and which is multi-denominational.
She said she has a picture of a house in mind and Rob has an even more ambitious vision. But they will be happy with whatever God provides. They are looking for a place that is accessible, yet quiet and safe.
A big part of Jessamy’s dream is to inspire people to enjoy their time with the Lord and to understand that prayer is for everyone of all ages.
“Prayer doesn’t have to be a hard and heavy thing. So, we’re wanting to do stuff with prayer stations, interactive prayer, poetry, testimonies, maps, writing graffiti, a prayer garden –, things like that.
“That’s what’s on our heart — just uniting the Lord’s people in prayer and seeing what He will do, because I think He’s going to move mountains.”
Anybody interested in connecting with the house of prayer initiative is welcome to contact Jessamy at jessamyann@global.co.za
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Awesome Southern’s !!