My life as a prayer intercessor

As an intercessor, June Freudenberg has seen God move as ground is taken through prayer. In a recent Limitless Leaders podcast, she told Tim Alford some stories from her life of intercession

 

Praying at... Kensington Temple

June served as prayer co-ordinator at Kensington Temple – a time where she learned to pray and lead prayer teams.

“One morning at Kensington Temple, the preacher caught my eye – he knew I was praying during the meeting – and put his hands very briefly into an attitude of prayer. I knew he meant me to pray, and I knew there was something happening I couldn’t see.

“I really increased my prayer effort. I didn’t know that there was somebody in the congregation who could ‘see’ spiritual things. Later, they said they saw demonic spirits attacking the speaker so he could hardly speak. Then suddenly the spirits got thrown off.

“When you really pray and take hold of God in faith you are standing in the role of intercessor on behalf of the person you’re praying for.”

Praying at... Notting Hill Carnival

June lived in Notting Hill at the time its annual carnival was dogged by violence and rioting. She was determined to transform the situation through prayer. “The Notting Hill Carnival at one stage was really riotous and violent. There were usually some deaths.

“I lived in the area, so I knew what it was like. You didn’t know whether your house was going to be invaded, whether you would have a riot come past, your windows broken. You had no idea what was going to happen. It was really terrifying.

“That was the first year I lived there. The second year, I thought, ‘God, I’m going to take this on in prayer.’ And so I began. A group of us used to meet when I was part of the prayer ministry at Kensington Temple. I started a night of prayer once a month and the first part of that I used to pray for the carnival.

“I would pray that the Holy Spirit would presence himself on our behalf in the planning. I was targeting it because targeting your prayer is very important … [we were praying] ‘Lord, there will be opposition … we pray you will give them good wisdom, good understanding, help them to realise the needs of the environment,’ and so on. Then we would pray for those who were holding stalls, hundreds of them.

We would pray there wouldn’t be jealousy and fighting, that they would be supportive of each other – so you’re bringing in a right spirit before they’ve even set up their concession. They’re moving into ground that is already being prayed over.

“We would pray into the hospitals, that the staff would be available and ready, that there wouldn’t be the need … for the crowd, that there wouldn’t be violence, that there would be joyfulness, happiness, that they would all enjoy the day.

“We prayed for the police, that they wouldn’t be over-anxious and therefore over-sensitive to situations, but there would be a good attitude and atmosphere.

“We prayed for the churches too.

“The police had told us at Kensington Temple to put away anything on the ground that was throwable, to batten down the hatches, to more or less get ready for violence. But at the end of that year of prayer it was an amazing day.

“The church put on a concert which was well received. I listened out for the news but nothing was said about the carnival … and then last thing on Monday night, like an afterthought, they commented on it. The police and the people were dancing together. It was a happy, happy carnival.”

Praying at... Limitless

June leads Limitless’ intercessory team, battling in prayer at events like Limitless Festival for encounters with God and tackling any issues leaders highlight for intercession.

“The youth of today are the nation of tomorrow, and you want them to be the best they can be. That’s why I came to what was previously The Gathering and is now Limitless. I asked if I could come to pray for the youth; that the Lord would speak into their lives and reach into their hearts.

“When this started I was a team of one … and when it’s a group like this you stand as the representative for all before the Lord on their behalf. It’s a huge responsibility.

“That first meeting of The Gathering was so tough. It was like praying to a brick wall; it felt like there was nobody there, and you were praying, ‘Dear Brick Wall, would you please do something?’ In fact, you were praying and breaking through the negative spirits coming against this work that was then beginning, because our battle is not against flesh and blood. The best way I can describe it would be an atmosphere. The atmosphere was heavy. It was dark … but I just battled on.

“The next year it was a bit easier and I’ve found over the years that it’s like gaining ground in the Spirit. Let’s use the example of a football field, and you have battled your way through. You’ve got a little corner that is really free in the Spirit and you can do whatever is appropriate within that area with a sense of freedom. And then as you progress, you gain more and more territory.

“Today, the teachers and leaders would say the meetings are getting easier, that youth are responding more easily to what is going on. Sometimes an atmosphere can be so heavy you feel you’re getting absolutely nowhere, but when there is somebody praying, they can break through that and make it freer for the person who is leading or speaking.”

 

Listen to the full podcast

 

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.