The Lord blessed New York City with a reminder of His covenant promises on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. A double rainbow stretched over Manhattan in the aftermath of sometimes pounding rains on the 22nd anniversary of the attacks that leveled the World Trade Center.

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From certain vantage points, the rainbows appeared to originate near Ground Zero, where many gathered Monday to remember the 2,977 people who died in the terrorist attack.

People had a variety of responses to the beautiful rainbow, but intercessors see the Lord’s hand in the sign. IFA has carried the concerns of the Empire State before the Lord for years. But intercession is more targeted, detailed, and regular with the advent of IFA state prayer groups.

The New York State group, which meets Tuesday evenings on a conference call, prays for repentance and salvation for sometimes cynical New Yorkers. We have called upon the Lord to forgive myriad sins, from immorality to greed to idolatry of all sorts. Mary Massoud, who leads the group with the help of Ingrid Hernandez, points intercessors to the issues confronting New York specifically.

One such issue centers on the “quarantine camps” NY Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to implement related to executive branch actions during medical epidemics. Attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, who successfully argued against the governor’s proposed regulations in the state’s Supreme Court, argued before the appellate court on Wed., Sept. 13 — two days after the double rainbow adorned the sky.

IFA’s state prayer group spent most of Tuesday evening’s call praying for Cox. Some members of the prayer group went to Rochester, NY, to intercede onsite at the court proceedings. In the video here, you can see Cox offer remarks after her court appearance.

Additionally, the New York State prayer group has joined with all of IFA to Command the Foreword, as encouraged by Dutch Sheets. My husband Rich, also an IFA contributing writer, and others circled Manhattan island praying for each city borough and Westchester and New Jersey. Click here for IFA coverage.

For my husband Rich and myself, the double rainbow is especially encouraging that the Lord intends good for New Yorkers, such as ourselves. We’ve carried a burden for the city residents that has ratcheted up in the last several years as the Lord has shared increasingly stern and specific warnings about the judgment coming to the area.

The Lord’s prayer instruction has been equally specific. In Feb. 2022, the Lord shared the following prayer strategy with me. Notice how the judgment is evidence of God’s mercy:

“Repentance for all things, especially the greed that binds this city and nation into webs of witchcraft and has cost the lives of so many in these days.

“Repentance for the sexual misuse of themselves and the misuse and subjugation of the many — especially the children.  I will no longer allow this evil in this land.  Take note:  Those responsible will be judged by My Own Hand.

“Mitigation for the evil — Pray the long lasting nuclear elements be rendered inert.

“Pray those charged with protection see and respond accurately and adequately.

“Worship among the saints.

“Protection for My Own.  I shall again return them to this city.

“These [are] my orders.  Be uplifted for this will lead to the necessary correction.

“Be sure — those who have rebuffed Me cannot hide the reality of My Presence.  Know their hearts’ hardness requires this move.  In this way, Mercy lies.

“Amen & Amen”

Lord, thank You for Your love and desire to call all people to salvation. Thank You for using IFA to pray specifically over states, sending prayer like bombs to the target. Thank You for sharing the beauty of Your covenant promise with us in New York on a day of national mourning. Thank You that someday all mourning will be turned to joy in Your Presence.

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New York City–based Joyce Swingle is an intercessor and a contributing writer for IFA. With her husband, Rich, also a contributing writer for IFA, Joyce shares the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world through theater, speaking, writing, and film. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Joyce worked for about 20 major magazines and now works in pastoral ministry and Christian counseling. www.Richdrama.com. Photo Credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images.