“On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” — Joshua 1:4b-6
Rock the River is calling people to put their feet into action this week in a prayer effort to reach Winnipeg, Manitoba, for Christ.
In the sixth book of the Bible, God commanded Joshua to walk around the walls of Jericho for seven days and on the seventh time of the seventh day after seven priests had sounded their trumpets, the walls would come crumbling down.
Miraculous?
That’s exactly the point.
“We can’t expect everything to come together without covering it with prayer,” said David Ingram, director of Rock the River.
Starting Sept. 10, a seven-day prayer walk began at The Forks, the popular meeting place where Rock the River will take place on Saturday.
At a specific time each day, a group of committed prayer warriors have been meeting to walk around The Forks, asking God to tear down many walls in preparation for the evangelistic festival.
“Walking around the site, what it does is an act of remembrance that the Lord delivered then,” said Linda Edwards, co-chair of Rock the River’s prayer committee. “And He’s the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And we’re calling on Him to deliver as only He can.”
The Forks, one of the top outdoor venues in all of Canada, has a grand history, but not all of it has been positive.
“It’s a place that over hundreds of years has been a meeting place,” Edwards said. “As it was developed, it was designed to be a rallying place, a place invoking the spirit.
“The power of spiritual darkness has been invoked there for years. The original people were not worshipping the one true God.”
To encourage prayer involvement, the Rock the River website has added a map of the Jericho Prayer Walk along with suggested scriptures.
The map, designed by Edwards’ husband, Bruce, includes eight different spots recommended for prayer, ending at the Scotia Bank Stage, where Franklin Graham will be preaching on Saturday and many high-octane Christian bands—including Canada’s Thousand Foot Krutch, Winnipeg native Starfield, Fresh IE, The Letter Black and Flame—will be playing.
“I kind of look at it like we’re preparing that site for the presentation of the Gospel,” Edwards said. “It’s like we’re preparing the way for the Lord just like John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus.”
Another area to cover in prayer is the weather. Currently, the forecast calls for a high of 66 with only a 10 percent chance of rain.
“Lord willing,” Ingram said of a dry day. “That’s part of our prayer is good weather. September can be the nicest month of the year in Winnipeg.”
Rock the River begins with Kidzfest at 10 a.m. and goes from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. with its youth-centered program. The event is free, but $25 Rock Zone passes can be purchased for preferred access close to the stage and other benefits.
Used with permission of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
