Transactions with Heaven

A Prayer Strategy to Exalt God

By Natasha Miller

In 2013, I made my third visit to Guam—an island known as “Where America’s Day Begins.” As a U.S. territory, Guam’s western location on the International Date Line makes it the first to experience a new day in the United States.

Our objective was to climb arguably the tallest mountain in the world and pray strategically for the nation of Guam. It was a daring assignment because of safety issues, but I believe our obedience allowed us to experience a powerful transaction with heaven.

Through this experience, the Lord solidified for me a prayer strategy I call the RDTP Prayer Strategy (Repentance, Declarations, Thanksgiving, and Praise).

Praying in the High Place

Since 2009, I have felt the Lord’s leading to organize a “Soulcheck” every year and a half in places such as the Reliant Arena in Houston, TX, and the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. A Soulcheck is a 12-hour gathering of the Body of Christ in sacrificial worship (meaning no one is paid and no offering is taken). Worship expressed in different languages and forms reflects the multicultural, multigenerational, and multidenominational nature of the Church.

I visited Guam to prepare the island for what I called “Soulcheck Guam: A Fiesta for Jesus.” Guam holds monthly fiestas for various “religious saints.” (Idol worship is strong.) But I knew there had never been a Fiesta for Jesus in Guam’s history.

During prior visits, I was told about Mount Lamlam—the highest place in Guam—considered, by some, the tallest mountain in the world. The reason for this claim is that the deepest point on the earth (The Challenger Deep) is approximately 35,893 feet below sea level. Mount Lamlam, with its elevation of 1,334 feet, connects to The Challenger Deep via the Mariana Trench. The combination of this depth and elevation is 37,227 feet. Mount Everest, although fully above sea level, is 29,035 feet (numbers vary according to different sources).

Our recognition of this as a “high place” was significant for our prayers. Historically, God instructed and blessed those who destroyed the high places and idols. Consider Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:3–7, Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34:1–7, and Gideon in Judges 6:24–26.

With that understanding, I issued an invitation to the Guam island church leadership to climb the mountain with me and exalt God higher than any other thing (Ps. 99:9; Isa. 42:12). I sensed the Lord was going to allow us to replace the idol worship of Guam—a focal point of the island’s activities—with the exaltation of God. This climb to the high place was to represent spiritual preparation for the physical worship of God at Soulcheck Guam.

But I believed He was not guiding us to directly address the demonic principalities, powers, and rulers in that spiritually dark nation. He was revealing a different strategy that called for humility and obedience.

Seeing God’s Affirmation

In the early morning hours, we gathered at the base of Mount Lamlam. We wanted to avoid the onslaught of the hot sun and evade the moist morning ground. I once saw a friend fall while climbing—and I have fallen myself—so I wanted to ensure we were climbing in the safest way possible. I was grateful my weather app predicted a hot, dry day.

One of the Chamorro elders (indigenous people of Guam) handed me a bullhorn. I called out a couple of directions, everyone signed waivers related to the potential dangers, and then we began the ascent, single file. When we neared the top of Mount Lamlam, the weather was perfect: sunny with a light breeze.

Once everyone safely gathered at our destination, printouts of Psalms 51 and 23 were passed out. We read in unison Psalm 51—a song of repentance. First we read the psalm “as is,” and then we read it again, integrating Guam into it. For example, we prayed together, “Have mercy on [Guam], O God.”

The minute we repented on behalf of Guam, the weather changed. The beautiful day turned dark and dangerously cold. Rain pelted us. The wind pushed and pulled our bodies and turned the rain into a weapon. The paper in my hand melted away with the moisture. I had to scramble for another printout and keep it dry inside my backpack. My body shivered, bombarded by the rain and wind. I was concerned that people would start running down the mountain for shelter. But no one moved. We stood our ground.

After we finished Psalm 51 and our repentant prayers on behalf of Guam, someone began waving a white flag, and together we shouted, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

At that point, in unison again, we declared the truth of God’s Word in Psalm 23: “The Lord is [Guam’s] shepherd . . .”

In another dramatic shift, we sensed a sudden atmospheric peace—Jesus making Himself known. The rain stopped, the clouds disappeared, the sun came out, and we soaked in its warmth. The wind began cuddling us instead of attacking us. Joy filled our hearts, and thanksgiving began pouring out of our mouths. We thanked the Lord for receiving our repentance, and we believed that He would manifest the full meaning of Psalm 23 in Guam.

Immediately after we sensed God’s peace reigning over creation, one of the nationally recognized Christian Chamorro singers arrived at the top of the mountain. He took out his guitar and began leading our group in praise. We worshiped and praised the Lord with all we had. It was a glorious day.

No one had taken the time to count the participants, but God protected each one of us—no falls! And later, when we counted the number of “waivers” the people had previously signed, we had 51. Exactly 51 believers repented for Guam through the inspiration of Psalm 51! What a wonderful affirmation God gave us in response to our acts of obedience on the mountain!

A couple months later, Soulcheck Guam: A Fiesta for Jesus, was a powerful, amazing 12 hours of worship and prayer in which we could deeply and tangibly feel God’s presence. Hundreds responded to the gospel message and to personal ministry. We fed approximately 3,000 people and didn’t run out of food. And Jesus was honored and exalted in the nation!

Learning a New Way

I believe the Lord allowed us to feel both the physical and spiritual impact from our prayer strategy on Mount Lamlam so we could learn an effective way to pray for people, cities, and nations—and ultimately share the gospel. A few years later, as I reflected on our experiences, I understood more about what I now call the “RDTP Prayer Strategy” (Repentance, Declarations, Thanksgiving, Prayer):

1. Repentance. This is key in spiritual warfare. Our repentance locks the door to the kingdom of darkness and opens the door to the Kingdom of Light. The locking and unlocking mechanism of repentance relies on agreement.

Breaking agreement with the demonic locks the door to the kingdom of darkness. Establishing agreement with heaven does several things: it opens the door to the Kingdom of Light, it creates realignment, and it begets restoration—restoring our intimacy with the Lord and His manifest blessing.

Scripture gives us numerous repentance examples of God’s people, such as Daniel, Nehemiah, John the Baptist, and the prodigal son. God heard them all, whether they were repenting on behalf of a nation (Dan. 9:1–19), on behalf of others (Neh. 1:4–11), or on their own behalf (Matt. 3:2, Luke 15:11-32). He heard and answered according to His promise: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14). The act of repentance nullifies curses and pours out blessings. Repentance frees us from captivity. It enables us to rebuild, to receive the Kingdom of God via Jesus Christ, and to restore our inheritance.

2. Declarations. Once repentance opens the door to the Kingdom of Light, declarations from God’s Word can flow effortlessly from our hearts on behalf of those needing repentance. With satanic activity closed off, the declared Word quickens the manifestation of God’s presence. It can bring us into alignment with Him. Jesus Christ as a man lived in perfect alignment (agreement) with Father God (John 5:19–20). What Jesus declared (John 12:49) came to pass immediately—healing, casting out demons, and other supernatural events. His open door to the Kingdom of Light allowed God’s Kingdom to manifest itself.

For us, however, a lack of faith often prevents that manifestation, precisely because faith in Jesus is what brings it about. Thus, faith is a necessary component. “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1).

3. Thanksgiving. When we then confidently give thanks for something we are waiting to receive, our thanksgiving releases faith. Giving thanks empowers those declarations until they are established. This is why Paul speaks so often of giving thanks in all things (1 Thess. 5:18).

4. Praise. When we have repented, declared His Word, and given thanks, praise allows us to refocus on God and be filled anew by the Holy Spirit. Like a candle on a cake celebrates a birthday, praise celebrates the Lord and His presence. Praise refreshes and creates a sparkle in people’s eyes. It is the perfect way to end an intense spiritual transaction.

Breakthrough Strategies

Whether we’re praying for a wayward child, for friends, or even for enemies, we have a powerful breakthrough strategy. Engaging in this process—repenting on their behalf, declaring God’s Word and truth over them, thanking God for the breakthrough, and then praising Him—can change our own hearts and our family’s destiny.

On a larger scale, like the people near the International Date Line, we can be among the first to experience a “new day.” Exalting God in the “high places” can change our cities, our nations, and our world—one act of obedience at a time.

NATASHA MILLER, who graduated with a master’s of divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, currently teaches and leads worship and intercession through various churches and ministries. She recently published her second book, Praying What Jesus Says (PrayerShop Publishing 2020), which is a 31-day journey to pray through Jesus’ words in the synoptic gospels. She has recently launched The Haggai Project where she seeks to raise up 1 million believers to be houses of prayer.