Sometimes God speaks in ways that are both simple and deeply unsettling. For me, the beginning of what has become Turn The Battle started in one of those moments. I was driving, listening to a worship song based on 2 Chronicles 7:14. As the words played – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…” – I felt the Lord move me very deeply. I began to weep for the UK.
In that moment I sensed the Lord speak clearly into my heart: “The battle is at the gate.” It was not a message of despair. It was a call to prayer.
Soon after, Isaiah 28:6 came alive to me: “He will be a Spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgement, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” That phrase stayed with me – turn the battle at the gate. I felt the Lord was saying that while there are real spiritual challenges facing our nations, the outcome is not predetermined. The church has been given authority in prayer. The battle can be turned.
Over the following weeks and months I shared this conviction quietly with a handful of trusted leaders. What surprised me was how quickly others recognised something similar stirring in their own hearts. Again and again I heard the same response: “Yes – this feels like the right moment for the church to pray.”
"The church has been given authority in prayer. The battle can be turned."
That sense of shared conviction led to the first Turn The Battle initiative earlier this year – three days of prayer and fasting across the UK and Ireland. It was not intended to be a conference or a centrally hosted event. In fact, we deliberately avoided that approach. Instead, we simply invited churches, ministries, prayer rooms and believers to set aside the same three days to seek God where they already were.
The response was deeply encouraging. Hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of churches and believers took part in some way – gathering for prayer meetings, fasting together, opening prayer rooms, or simply setting aside time in homes and small groups to intercede for the British Isles. Individual believers prayed. Denominations prayed. Networks prayed. Houses of prayer prayed.
It felt less like something we organised and more like something the Holy Spirit was already stirring across the church. And I have sensed strongly that this was not meant to be a one-off moment. In prayer I have felt the Lord saying, “Don’t let up. Keep the pressure applied in sustained prayer.”
There are genuine signs of spiritual hunger across the British Isles. We are hearing stories of people exploring faith, churches seeing new openness in their communities, and younger generations asking deeper questions about God. At the same time, we recognise there is also resistance and spiritual tension. In many ways it feels like we are standing at a gate – a moment where the direction of the future is still being shaped.
And that is exactly why prayer matters so much.
The next step in this journey is something we’re calling Strike The Ground. Inspired by the story in 2 Kings 13, where Elisha tells the king to strike the ground with arrows, it reminds us that half-hearted engagement leads to partial breakthrough. But wholehearted persistence can bring fuller victory.
From 7 – 16t April, a small team of us will travel across several cities in the British Isles simply to pray with local leaders and intercessors. We’re not hosting public events or building a platform. The heart is relational – standing alongside those who already carry responsibility for their regions and agreeing together in prayer.
At the same time, we are inviting believers everywhere to join in by prayer-walking their own streets and neighbourhoods during those days. Even 20 or 30 minutes walking and praying over the place where you live can be powerful. There is something deeply biblical about placing our feet on the ground and asking God to move in that place.
Looking ahead, several leaders involved in the steering group have encouraged us to think about establishing a simple rhythm of prayer each year – moments where the church across the UK and Ireland can come together again in focused intercession. Not as an organisation or programme, but as a shared habit of prayer. You can find more information on our website.
For me personally, the heart behind all of this is very simple. I’m not trying to start a movement with a name attached to it. The church already belongs to Jesus, and He is building it in ways far bigger than any one initiative. My hope is simply that we might help encourage the church in these islands to keep returning to the place of prayer. Because when God’s people humble themselves, seek His face, and pray together, history has shown that things can change.
The battle may be at the gate. But together, in the place of prayer, it can be turned.
