May 2008
From Isaiah 28:16, 17 the Sovereign Lord says:

“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem (Saskatchewan*) a firm and tested stone.
It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
Whoever believes need never be shaken.
I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness.” NLT (*we pray this for Saskatchewan)

This passage was given to us prior to the Legislature convening on March 10th and formed the foundation of our prayers for government this spring. Continually we worshipped the One who has placed this cornerstone in Saskatchewan and we declared the absolute authority, dominion and sovereignty of our God. We requested of Him that He would measure and check the fit of all that is in place in our government and renovate as He desires.

The spring session of the Legislature adjourned for summer recess on May 15 after eleven weeks of full activity. People were in attendance for all Question Periods and some Legislative Committees. Teams from Moose Jaw, Kipling and Swift Current also attended and visited with their MLA’s. When asked for his impression of his visit one 10 year old boy from Moose Jaw said very seriously, “Responsibility, I feel responsibility”. The heart of the message I believe the Spirit is speaking to the Church of Saskatchewan regarding government is that we have a responsibility to stand on watch on the wall, to cover them and to intercede.

On 16 April, 2008 we had a day of unprecedented favour at the Legislature. What we did not realize until the next day was that it was our one year anniversary being in regular attendance at the Legislature. The day began with many of the MLA’s being in attendance at the annual Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice Prayer breakfast. Later three separate speakers in the Legislature spoke of events or people that gave honour to the Name of the Lord Jesus. Throughout the day I had personal meetings with most of the Christian MLA’s that were uninitiated, the highlight being invited to attend an MLA’s prayer time.

We have also experienced unprecedented favour with our elected officials. From the floor of the Legislature our MLA’s have introduced us and spoken well of us and our activites, repeatedly. We were offered the use of a board room adjacent to the speaker’s office for a prayer room and each Thursday morning a group from Regina and Moose Jaw gather to worship and pray. This meeting will continue on into the summer. We have also been meeting with believers on both sides of the House weekly for prayer. All of the MLAs will be home for the summer so call up your MLA, visit their office, encourage them, love on them and pray for them.

There has been a faithful core team. Our Monday night conference call has been rich and many times the Lord has given direction for the coming week. Consider joining us especially during summer when many are away. Call for connection information.

Habakkuk stated:
“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how He will answer my complaint.”
Then the Lord said to me,
“Write My answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:1-3 NLT

We have been so careful not to initiate but to develop a posture of alert listening to what the Lord is speaking and then to listen again as to how we are to respond. In all of this process He has established the work of our hands. Our position is to lay down our Christian agendas and to seek relationship.

On 21 April an MLA informed me that he had lost his wedding ring on the weekend and was devastated. He had been traveling from Regina to Saskatoon to North Battleford to Lloydminster on the weekend speaking in churches. He told me the ring was valuable (worth about 10,000) and had great sentimental value as it had stones from the rings of his wife’s father and grandfather. He asked us to pray for its return. During our Monday night conference call a Holy Spirit unction rose up among us and we called the ring back to where it righfully belonged. I knew with certainty the ring was coming back. We also had asked that it would be found in a supernatural way that no man could take credit. One week later this MLA is out of province speaking when he awakes in the night and “knows” where the ring is. In the morning he phones his wife who is blind in one eye and has limited vision out of the other, to tell her to find someone to drive her to North Battleford to this remote field where they had walked their dog a week earlier. She was driven there and after only several steps out of the car saw the faint glimmer of the back of the ring in spite of being almost completely blind. The stones, part of a generational inheritance were buried in the mud not visible. Only a small protion of the hoop or ring was visible, the portion of the ring which is symbolic of covenant.

This speaks to me that the Bridegroom’s covenant destiny for Saskatchewan remains in effect. The generational involvement of the Church is not lost. The investment of past generations of believers in Saskatchewan’s destiny has been successfully passed on to us. North Battleford is also significant because this is a resting place of one of the great revivals in Saskatchewan. I believe the Spirit is saying, “What you thought was lost, is not lost. It will be fully restored. The future will be greater than the past. The destiny of Saskatchewan is established on the foundation of those believers who pioneered in past generations. Earlier generations have looked forward to and have seen this day.”

Now it is up to us to carry our portion.

Richard Lepp & Government Gate Team

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On November 7, 2007 the people of Saskatchewan elected a new government. I believe that the church of Saskatchewan prayed for this election with a fervency and faithfulness that this generation had not experienced before. I want to thank all those from around the province who joined in on the prayer conference calls we had 3 times each week of the election and those who attended at the Legislature to pray Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have heard reports of many other churches and prayer groups throughout the province covering the election in intercession. In Hosea 8:4, the word states, “They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval.” In all our prayer meetings during the election I did not hear partisan prayers for one party or another; the church was crying out for our King to choose His government.

We observed the Holy Spirit direct us in our prayers when we laid down our agendas. Early in the election we prayed that fear and accusation would be disarmed and bear no fruit. The newspapers reported that fear had been disarmed. Following the election our Premier-designate Brad Wall stated several times in his victory speech, “Hope breaks fear”. Another issue that we were directed to pray about was the ownership of constituencies that traditionally had been won by one party or another. We declared the sovereignty of Jesus Christ over all 58 and asked Him to choose the MLA in each riding. Each prayer conference call and meeting revealed different issues and perspectives. Frequently the newspaper reported on issues that we prayed about the previous day or two, sometimes repeating the very phrases that were used in prayer. Yeh, God!

During the election I spoke with the two major party candidates in our constituency and asked them how I could pray for them. They both requested prayer for wisdom in knowing how to respond to the demands of the election and for the needs of their families. One candidate that I prayed for wept. When she was asked if many had prayed for her she answered no. Let us remember to pray for our MLAs, call them up and pray for them, encourage them.

A new government brings with it a period of transition that can be unsettling. I was told over 300 job positions in the Legislature alone are changing. Expectations of a new government can be unrealistic and place them under a lot of pressure. I heard an account of a federal cabinet minister who is a Christian say that his greatest critics were other believers when they did not have their own agenda met. Let our expectations for our new government be seasoned with grace and under girded with thoughtful prayer.

A long serving MLA stated the conduct of Members during Question Period was unproductive, too confrontational and needed to change. Let us pray for honourable standards of conduct for Members and for godly wisdom for the Speaker of the House to oversee the sessions of the Assembly.

We will continue to meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Legislature to pray. Join us if you can even if you do not feel called to the government gate. Contact us for meeting times. Our MLAs will be sworn in on November 21, and our Premier-designate Brad Wall has stated a desire to have a short sitting of the Assembly before Christmas. We will be in attendance for all Question Periods once the Legislature is in session. Join us. The corporate strength of the Church of Saskatchewan was seen during the election as we prayed. Let us remain in that position so His desire for Saskatchewan will be seen by all.

Richard Lepp and Saskatchewan House of Prayer team