We are Gathered in His Name! (From L-R: Lina in white cap, Nicole, Titi in blue coat, David and Andrea)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14, NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)

On Saturday, February 21, 2026, Andrea and I were delighted to resume our Gathered in His Name Intercessory Prayer and Outreach with several members of our church joining us. We were delighted to welcome back Titi, our dear sister in Christ who joined us this past fall, and welcomed newcomers David and Lina, to the group.

In preparation for our gathering that Saturday, we encouraged everyone to fast the Friday before as we usually do, knowing that fasting intensifies our prayers. From this past fall’s intercessory prayer and outreach, Andrea and I (along with other members) can attest to the need to fast and cover each other in prayer, to be a fortified “wall” or “unit” if you will against the attacks of the enemy which are certain to come when retaking territory for God’s Kingdom and freeing people from things that have enslaved them.

We began our gathering with introductions and shared our mission and vision for the ministry and group, with our mission to “faithfully obey God’s call to prayer, fervently interceding for others to bring about a move of God in our lives, homes, communities, nation, and the world.” Our vision is to “see Christ’s transforming power manifest in our community, resulting in awakened hearts, broken chains, and miraculously restored, fully reconciled lives.” Based on Jesus’ words told to us in Matthew 18:19-20, which serves as this ministry’s foundational scripture, Jesus tells us that “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (NIV)

Reading from the book that Andrea graciously gifted me, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting by Derek Prince (Derek Prince Ministries, 1973), I shared with the group what Prince calls the “Eight Principles of Effective Prayer” (Chapter 6), which are:

1. Reverent Submission (to God)
2. Invoking the Name of Jesus (Through whom we have complete liberty and boldness to approach our Heavenly Father)
3. Thanksgiving and Praise
4. Boldly and Without Condemnation (Approaching God boldly without a sense of condemnation)
5. For God’s Glory (Praying with sincere motives that glorify God)
6. Right Relationships (Forgiving others)
7. The Power of the Holy Spirit (Asking the Holy Spirit’s help to pray as we ought)
8. According to God’s Word (Joining the Holy Spirit’s power with the mighty Word of God)

Gathered in His Name near the pond.

In what has begun as a very tumultuous 2026 in our nation concerning the harms to and displacement of our immigrant and refugee brothers and sisters, it is very much on our hearts to pray for our nation, government, for the marginalized, for righteousness and justice. By Andrea’s suggestion, we could not approach this season of prayer without first casting our own burdens and cares on the Lord, as we are told to do in 1 Peter 5:7 and Psalm 55:22. To concretize this verse, Andrea walked us to a pond near the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where we each picked up rocks (embedded in mud from the melting snow) to either name out loud (or leave unspoken) the burden or concerns we were carrying and casting the rock into the pond. As each person cast their rock(s) into the pond, we then laid hands on each other while we prayed and released those cares to the Lord just as His Word says. In doing so, we were mindful to avoid hitting the three beautiful Hooded Mergansers in the pond, known as “diving ducks.” The ducks were two males and one female with one of the ducks diving under the water, as Lina noted, reminding her of Jesus’ baptism. God is truly intentional! Per Andrea, seeing the diving ducks also encouraged us to go deeper in our faith walks with Jesus.

Hooded Mergansers

As we concluded, our sister Titi encouraged us with scriptures from Jeremiah 22:29, Revelation 12:16, and Psalm 24:1 noting that “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” and God’s sovereignty over all creation—His sovereignty over us, even the very breath that we inhale and exhale. She prophesied that as our help comes from the Lord and the earth (as the earth helped protect the woman from the dragon in Revelation 12), we each will complete the work God has entrusted not leaving this earth until our work is done.

As intercessors, we have been entrusted to stand in the gap and with the burden and tension of what is and what we are interceding to come to pass, what we are calling to be; to bring God’s Kingdom to earth. We are assigned to intercede in the gap—gaps that require us to be watchful to see and discern what is shifting. It requires our “Yes” to be pruned, refined, and purified privately before we intercede and war on behalf of others, communities, nations and situations publicly. We may not always see the immediate effects of our prayers while standing in the gap. But trust that the prayers are and will have an effect. Stay faithful.

-Nicole