Fasting & Prayer Day - Altensteig, Germany (2009)
Written by Anne Meerkotter Saturday, 04 April 2009 00:00
Suzette taught at JMS in Altensteig at the Deborah Group Prayer and Fasting meeting on the 4th of April 2009.
It was such a blessing to arrive at the venue in Altensteig on the Friday afternoon; the place was beautifully located at the side of a hill, it was just a foretaste of things to come. I could already feel the presence and peace of God during the evening while we were putting up the book table. The following morning over 230 ladies arrived from all 28 different Deborah groups. They were young and old from all different walks of life.
I am certain the praise and worship that went up that morning touched the Father’s heart; it certainly touched mine as some beautiful choruses were sung. Suzette spoke about how God wants the beauty within us, which comes from who we are in Him. She spoke about the glorious daughter and princess in Psalm 45:12-14 and how her garment is interwoven with gold. The ladies mostly valued the honesty and openness with which Suzette shared her struggles and frustrations of the past eight months with her leg. I have certainly come away from this weekend richer having spent time with these ladies who are real prayer warriors and love the Lord.
Gertrud Rothacker, leader of the “Deborah – Prayer Groups” invited Suzette to their annual Prayer and Fasting Day on April 4th. This day was destined for all “Deborah – Prayer Groups” and for women who were interested in joining them. About 230 ladies of different age groups came to the JMS Centre (Youth, Mission and Social Centre) in Altensteig, Germany and they were full of excitement and expectancy.
After a wonderful time of worship in the presence of God, Suzette preached about God really needing our prayers and that prayer always starts in the heart of God. She explained vividly that our heavenly Father – concerned about a situation or a person – longs to put a prayer burden on our heart through Jesus who sits at His right side already interceding and through the Holy Spirit living in us. When we start to pray, we simply bring the burden back to our Father. Suzette made it clear that all of us are God’s co-workers and that the Father needs us. Interestingly enough, not knowing what Suzette was going to talk about, Gertrud had felt the urge to go and buy a rose for every woman in the meeting - symbolizing God’s gratefulness for the prayers of each woman and underlining Suzette’s message even more. Later on, Suzette also preached on Psalm 45 and especially verse 11, “so the king will be pleased with your beauty”, sank deep into the women’s hearts. She emphasized that the psalmist doesn’t talk about physical beauty, efficiency or good deeds but that God wants us just the way we are – even if we feel weak. This message certainly set many women free.
In the afternoon session, Suzette taught on prayer that brings forth fruit. She made clear that being blessed doesn’t necessarily mean being fruitful. Being fruitful literally means praying and speaking out God’s Word, which will always return back to God. The women were very attentive and after an intensive time of prayer and intercession for our nation, all 230 ladies took communion together and an exciting day came to an end. We give all glory to the Lord!