My IHOPKC Experience: Judy’s Story

In the spring of 1986, a year after graduating from Christ for the Nations (CFNI), I was at a weekly prayer meeting with my church at that time. And while I was praying at that meeting, I felt the Lord ask me if I would come away with Him to fast and pray. It was so clear to me. I had been seeking the Lord to see what He had for my life, so I said yes.

During that week of fasting and prayer, the Lord encountered me and ministered to me out of Ezekiel, calling me to eat the scroll, be a watchman for Israel. And then He said, “You are an Anna and will spend a season of your life in the house of prayer.” I thought, “Really? What does that mean?” So I looked up “Anna” in the Bible to see who she was, etc., and prayed into this word. Now, in my life in the Lord, I had been an intercessor and would find myself in the churches I attended interceding in the church when no one was there or praying with a small group in the church or find myself in their prayer room interceding. And so, after I received this “Anna word,” I thought, “Well, maybe that’s what the Lord means.”

Fast-forward to 1999 when I first heard Mike give the “Anna call” for the house of prayer at a Passion for Jesus conference, and that was it! The Lord spoke so clearly to my heart again, “This is what I meant in 1986; this is who you are, and this is where you will be.” I moved to Kansas City on May 31, 2001, and spent that summer in the prayer room—long hours—pinching myself that this was really real. I formally joined staff in January 2002, and here I’ve been ever since. These past 18 years have flown by!

My time here has been the most amazingly memorable journey. I am a process person, so I am totally into watching and observing a human life be transformed into the hope of their calling—including my own. My interaction with all of the singers, musicians, and intercessors here at IHOPKC has been amazing. I have had the privilege of wearing many hats in the house of prayer here, working closely with the worship teams and being the Prayer Department administrator—which has profoundly affected my life in God. And I am (and still becoming) an “Anna” in the house, pastoring like a mom to the worship teams. One of my greatest challenges here has been the juggling of my Anna/intercessor call and my administrative duties; but the Lord has clearly spoken to me that it is totally possible and is one of the challenges He wants me to work out. I’m still working it out—wrestling with me and with Him—which I am more at peace with than ever as they are both part of His purpose for me here. God loves the both/and reality
of life!

My life calling is to be an intercessor and to be an “Anna”; to be fully His in every respect and to become His friend because He yearns for friendship with me (us). This is my partnership with Him. I am challenged daily in such a great way to come into agreement with His heart in every thing over the course of my life. And so, by His grace, I am resolved to continue to say yes to His invitation to learn what it is and then partner with Him in it. I want to know and do His agenda. I want to love Israel and to pray with Him for her, for the church here and the nations of the earth. This is a legit full-time vocation for sure.

Being in the house of prayer has helped me to answer my life challenge in being fully abandoned to the Lord and loving Him with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. To go through the experience of becoming lovesick—which takes actually dialing down my life to hear and receive from Him. To become an intercessor who will listen to His heart and then partner with Him. This is not an easy task—it is a real death, because you have to learn to say no to you and others on so many different levels. It causes you to see just how distracted you really are.

Being in the house of prayer continues to help me walk out my life calling. I was made for this by God’s design—I am so grateful. Discovering this truth is huge, and I have true grace to be in a prayer room for long hours. Being part of IHOPKC family has helped me to learn to love myself and others better.

I have observed that these first 20 years of IHOPKC have been filled with the mercy and grace of God. He has gathered thousands of people from all over the world to come together and learn from Him what it is to be an intercessory missionary, to be part of a house of prayer as a vocation in this time of human history, and to know that it is a part of His glorious plan for humanity. I am so grateful He called me to it. I love being in the house of prayer. It is an amazing thing that He Himself has gathered us, and we have come and said yes to the possibility of discovering what He is after in and through our lives.

The Lord is after a people who will actually agree to the plan of His heart in this time of human history. I believe we are still at the beginning because it has honestly taken us 20 years to transition into this lifestyle and vocation (at least it has for me). It takes a long time to make women and men of God; and that is mostly because we are slow to and hate change. Right? And we are all pretty dull (if we are honest).

The Lord has been after a people for a long time to do Psalm 27:4—even before the house of prayer was established here in Kansas City; and we still struggle with it because we are so busy and easily distracted. Doing Psalm 27:4 takes time—and it is a treasure to behold Him. I do not believe the Father releases the revelation of the beauty of Jesus on the run! And when we actually see His beauty, it stops us dead in our tracks, and then we get ruined! And a glorious reality about Him is that He always has time for us; He’s so gracious to us. I am very excited about where this thing is going. We are making history in our day.

Learning about the end times and the age to come over the years has revolutionized and fascinated my heart in a glorious way. I have become a student of the emotions of God and grown in love for the Man Christ Jesus year after year. I remember talking with the Lord in 2004 about what being “lovesick” was, as I heard the singers singing from Song of Solomon 2 with such sincerity in the prayer room. I said, “Lord, what is this ‘lovesick’? Talk to me about it.” And He has been so faithful to do so as I have been studying His emotions, finding out experientially what He is like, and learning what the Word says about the end times, the age to come, God’s intentions, and where this thing is going. It is truly the most fascinating thing I have ever learned.

I am so grateful to the Lord for calling me here and sowing me for Himself in this house and in Kansas City (Hosea 2). It is a real thing. I know that I know that I was made for this one thing. He is the goal of my life—I am my Beloved’s and He is mine.

What part of Judy’s story connects with or inspires you the most?

Judy Doughty

position

Judy Doughty is a full-time intercessory missionary at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri.  She moved to Kansas City in June 2001 and joined staff in January 2002. She is part of the senior leadership team of the Global Prayer Room and provides leadership in the Global Prayer Room in her role as the administrator of the Global Prayer Department and as an associate section leader. Over the last 18 years, Judy has become the “Mom” of the IHOPKC worship teams. Her heart is to love God and His people. She loves to sow into people the knowledge of God from His Word and the truth of His heart for them.