24-7 Prayer
The 24-7 prayer movement is something that we are very involved with. Why? Because we know that prayer doesn't only work, but it is something that is what we were created for. All across the globe venues of 24-7 prayer are popping up. This is a big deal. This is more than a fad, it is a movement working in the heart of the Body of Christ world-wide.
Curious? You might have some questions, so I took some time to write a little regarding this topic:
Why so much prayer?
In a humanistic, "pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps" society, it's not strange to ask this question. I believe what it points to is what people view prayer to be. Many view prayer to be a means-to-an-end when in actuality it is the end. Some look at extended prayer as "lazy" when it is what Christian spirituality is all about. When you ask someone what being a Christian is about, they throw all kinds of answers out: it's about "getting other people saved", the Great Commission, Kingdom Ministry, etc. All these things are a part of healthy Christian life, but these things cannot be the end though. So what is the end? Intimacy with Jesus Christ. When all is stripped away, Christianity (Messianic Judaism when it comes down to it) is all about a heart alive in a revelatory relationship with the Creator of the Universe. From this wellspring of life alive in us, the Great Commission happens in power; because if you are going to disciple people, what are you going to disciple them in? Getting people saved? You'll reap people who will tell others about Jesus, but who don't know what a relationship with God looks like. Ambition in living by a set of rules or values? You'll reap people of ambition for moral living, but in danger of trying to live the Christian life without the relationship. Giving them what you think that they need, or what they were created for: a vibrant existence of a close relationship with God.
Very often the deeper question that lies at the bottom of this one is: Does prayer work? Well, I definitely know that prayer "works". Again, however, what do you view prayer to be? A vending machine for your needs, and for the needs of your friends and family? Or is prayer a communication with our Creator and Lord? Yes, we petition our requests to God, but God knows what we need already. We ask, because prayer is about relationship, through prayer we partner with God's heart and what He's doing in our lives, our friends' lives, our family's lives, our nation and our world. There are a few different types of prayer: personal petition, intercession (praying on the behalf of others) and contemplative prayer (focused and meditating on God). Scripture promises that God listens to us and He answers. He answers according to His will, which is good because often we don't even know what we're asking. In this Heavenly exchange God delights in us as we ask for the things that are on His heart, and as we chase after wanting to know Him more. To see what this has resulted in, on a global scale, visit the 24-7 prayer history section of this page.
Isn't this just another fad?
24-7 prayer has gone on for thousands of years. Check out our 24-7 Prayer history section of this page.
Why 24 hours a day?
It's close to God's heart. The concept of day-and-night prayer is rooted in several Scriptures and Biblical principles.
1. God watches over us 24 hours a day (Ps.121) and in His Word He calls us up to watch and pray with Him. Revelations 4-5 states that the angels and the 24 elders worship God literally day and night. The Bible teaches us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven and in heaven there is only praise, worship and intercession, 24 hours a day. This is why we believe that praise worship and intercession should also take place on earth for 24 hours a day. The only way in which this can be realized, is by establishing 24-hour prayer watches.
2. In the Old Testament, the fire on the altar was kept burning: "And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning on it: it shall not be allowed to go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order upon it and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall be burning continually upon the altar; it shall not go out" (Lev.6: 12-13). The priest’s two most important tasks were: a) intercession (through prayers and offerings); and b) praise and worship. The fire on the altar was a symbol of the continued praise, worship, intercession and reconciliation by the priests.
3. A 24-7 prayer watch helps a church to fulfill God’s command to be a house of prayer for the nations (Isaiah.56: 7). By implementing 24-7 prayer watches churches are able to take responsibility and stand as watchmen on the walls for the church worldwide, for their own communities, their country and for other nations.
4. 24-hours of praise, worship and intercession bring about a new and deeper dimension with regard to an intercessor’s relationship with God.
5. A 24-hour prayer watch prepares the way for the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming and is one way of filling the whole world with His glory. (Hab.2:14)
6. A 24-hour prayer watch focuses on bringing in the harvest.
7. God Himself appoints us as watchmen on the walls to pray for the fulfilment of His promises: “I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; You who are His servants and by your prayers put the Lord in remembrance of His promises, keep not silence, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7). Note a) that it is God Himself who appoints the watchmen; b) they must stand before Him 24 hours a day; and c) the watchmen must not keep silent or allow Him to rest until all His promises have been fulfilled. God’s Word holds thousands of promises for His children and Scripture instructs us to continually pray for the fulfillment of these promises.
8. In Luke 18:7 God promises that He will do right to us (set right what is wrong – crime, violence, poverty, drug abuse, corruption, immorality, injustice, broken marriages and the AIDS epidemic) if we call to Him day and night. "Shall God not do justice to His chosen people who call to Him day and night? How long shall He let them wait?"
9. Paul’s letters speak often of day-and-night intercession for the church and for the advancement of the gospel.
10. To serve God the Father day and night through praise and worship, to grow in intimacy with God and to live in His countenance. Rev.4: 8-11: “And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come. And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever. The twenty-four elders fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne crying out, Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were created.”
11. Confess our sins, humble ourselves and pray for healing of our land. 2 Chron. 7:14: “...If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
12. Pray for this generation (our youth) to return to God and to lift up god-fearing men and women who will carry out the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Lamentations 2:18-19: “The hearts called to the Lord. Then I, Jeremiah, cried, O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; give yourself no rest; let not your eyes stop shedding tears. Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands toward Him for the lives of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”
13. Pray for the redemption of our neighbors and the lost world wide, also for their personal needs. "But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out My Spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth, blood and fire and smoking vapor; The sun shallbe turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the obvious day of the Lord comes– that great and notable and conspicuous and renowned day. And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:16-21). “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
14. Pray for our personal needs. Matt.6: 11: “Give us this day our daily bread... Phil.4: 6-7: "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
15. A 24-hour prayer watch promotes unity among believers because they focus on the same matters and pray together for these matters. It also binds churches and denominations together. A 24-hour prayer watch mobilizes church members to pray effectively.
16. Because they pray together, a prayer watch encourages believers to persevere in prayer. It helps every intercessor and prayer group to understand that they have a responsibility and it strengthens them to know that they are not praying alone.
17. History has shown that prayer has had a huge impact on communities and on the world.
Taken from Global Day of Prayer document "Day-and-Night-Prayer"
Curious? You might have some questions, so I took some time to write a little regarding this topic:
Why so much prayer?
In a humanistic, "pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps" society, it's not strange to ask this question. I believe what it points to is what people view prayer to be. Many view prayer to be a means-to-an-end when in actuality it is the end. Some look at extended prayer as "lazy" when it is what Christian spirituality is all about. When you ask someone what being a Christian is about, they throw all kinds of answers out: it's about "getting other people saved", the Great Commission, Kingdom Ministry, etc. All these things are a part of healthy Christian life, but these things cannot be the end though. So what is the end? Intimacy with Jesus Christ. When all is stripped away, Christianity (Messianic Judaism when it comes down to it) is all about a heart alive in a revelatory relationship with the Creator of the Universe. From this wellspring of life alive in us, the Great Commission happens in power; because if you are going to disciple people, what are you going to disciple them in? Getting people saved? You'll reap people who will tell others about Jesus, but who don't know what a relationship with God looks like. Ambition in living by a set of rules or values? You'll reap people of ambition for moral living, but in danger of trying to live the Christian life without the relationship. Giving them what you think that they need, or what they were created for: a vibrant existence of a close relationship with God.
Very often the deeper question that lies at the bottom of this one is: Does prayer work? Well, I definitely know that prayer "works". Again, however, what do you view prayer to be? A vending machine for your needs, and for the needs of your friends and family? Or is prayer a communication with our Creator and Lord? Yes, we petition our requests to God, but God knows what we need already. We ask, because prayer is about relationship, through prayer we partner with God's heart and what He's doing in our lives, our friends' lives, our family's lives, our nation and our world. There are a few different types of prayer: personal petition, intercession (praying on the behalf of others) and contemplative prayer (focused and meditating on God). Scripture promises that God listens to us and He answers. He answers according to His will, which is good because often we don't even know what we're asking. In this Heavenly exchange God delights in us as we ask for the things that are on His heart, and as we chase after wanting to know Him more. To see what this has resulted in, on a global scale, visit the 24-7 prayer history section of this page.
Isn't this just another fad?
24-7 prayer has gone on for thousands of years. Check out our 24-7 Prayer history section of this page.
Why 24 hours a day?
It's close to God's heart. The concept of day-and-night prayer is rooted in several Scriptures and Biblical principles.
1. God watches over us 24 hours a day (Ps.121) and in His Word He calls us up to watch and pray with Him. Revelations 4-5 states that the angels and the 24 elders worship God literally day and night. The Bible teaches us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven and in heaven there is only praise, worship and intercession, 24 hours a day. This is why we believe that praise worship and intercession should also take place on earth for 24 hours a day. The only way in which this can be realized, is by establishing 24-hour prayer watches.
2. In the Old Testament, the fire on the altar was kept burning: "And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning on it: it shall not be allowed to go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order upon it and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall be burning continually upon the altar; it shall not go out" (Lev.6: 12-13). The priest’s two most important tasks were: a) intercession (through prayers and offerings); and b) praise and worship. The fire on the altar was a symbol of the continued praise, worship, intercession and reconciliation by the priests.
3. A 24-7 prayer watch helps a church to fulfill God’s command to be a house of prayer for the nations (Isaiah.56: 7). By implementing 24-7 prayer watches churches are able to take responsibility and stand as watchmen on the walls for the church worldwide, for their own communities, their country and for other nations.
4. 24-hours of praise, worship and intercession bring about a new and deeper dimension with regard to an intercessor’s relationship with God.
5. A 24-hour prayer watch prepares the way for the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming and is one way of filling the whole world with His glory. (Hab.2:14)
6. A 24-hour prayer watch focuses on bringing in the harvest.
7. God Himself appoints us as watchmen on the walls to pray for the fulfilment of His promises: “I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; You who are His servants and by your prayers put the Lord in remembrance of His promises, keep not silence, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7). Note a) that it is God Himself who appoints the watchmen; b) they must stand before Him 24 hours a day; and c) the watchmen must not keep silent or allow Him to rest until all His promises have been fulfilled. God’s Word holds thousands of promises for His children and Scripture instructs us to continually pray for the fulfillment of these promises.
8. In Luke 18:7 God promises that He will do right to us (set right what is wrong – crime, violence, poverty, drug abuse, corruption, immorality, injustice, broken marriages and the AIDS epidemic) if we call to Him day and night. "Shall God not do justice to His chosen people who call to Him day and night? How long shall He let them wait?"
9. Paul’s letters speak often of day-and-night intercession for the church and for the advancement of the gospel.
10. To serve God the Father day and night through praise and worship, to grow in intimacy with God and to live in His countenance. Rev.4: 8-11: “And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come. And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever. The twenty-four elders fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne crying out, Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were created.”
11. Confess our sins, humble ourselves and pray for healing of our land. 2 Chron. 7:14: “...If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
12. Pray for this generation (our youth) to return to God and to lift up god-fearing men and women who will carry out the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Lamentations 2:18-19: “The hearts called to the Lord. Then I, Jeremiah, cried, O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; give yourself no rest; let not your eyes stop shedding tears. Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands toward Him for the lives of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”
13. Pray for the redemption of our neighbors and the lost world wide, also for their personal needs. "But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out My Spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth, blood and fire and smoking vapor; The sun shallbe turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the obvious day of the Lord comes– that great and notable and conspicuous and renowned day. And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:16-21). “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
14. Pray for our personal needs. Matt.6: 11: “Give us this day our daily bread... Phil.4: 6-7: "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
15. A 24-hour prayer watch promotes unity among believers because they focus on the same matters and pray together for these matters. It also binds churches and denominations together. A 24-hour prayer watch mobilizes church members to pray effectively.
16. Because they pray together, a prayer watch encourages believers to persevere in prayer. It helps every intercessor and prayer group to understand that they have a responsibility and it strengthens them to know that they are not praying alone.
17. History has shown that prayer has had a huge impact on communities and on the world.
Taken from Global Day of Prayer document "Day-and-Night-Prayer"
24-7 Prayer History
Here is some history of 24-7 Prayer. I compiled much from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia. I will be adding much more as my studies continue.
The Tabernacle of David
King David was a man of “One Thing” (Ps 27:4). Around 1000 BC, he commanded that the Ark of the Covenant be brought up on the shoulders of the Levites, to the sound of songs and musical instruments to his new capital – Jerusalem. There he had it placed in a tent and appointed 288 prophetic singers and 4000 musicians to minister before the Lord, “to make petition, to give thanks and to praise the Lord” day and night. This was unlike anything that had been done in Israel’s history, but it was God’s plan for Israel.
The Davidic Order of Worship
Although the Tabernacle was replaced by a Temple, the Davidic order of worship was embraced and re-instituted by seven subsequent leaders in the history of Israel and Judah. Each time this order of worship was re-instituted, spiritual breakthrough, deliverance and military victory followed.
* Solomon instructed that worship in the Temple should be in accordance with the Davidic Order (2 Chronicles 8: 14-15)
* Jehoshaphat defeats Moab and Ammon by setting singers up in accordance with Davidic Order – Singers at front of Army singing the Great Hallel. Jehoshaphat reinstitutes Davidic Worship in Temple (2 Chronicles 20:20-22 & 28)
* Joash – 2 Chronicles 23-24
* Hezekiah cleansed, re-consecrated and re-instituted Davidic Order of worship in the temple (2 Chronicles 29, 30:21)
* Josiah re-instituted Davidic worship (2 Chronicles 35)
* Ezra and Nehemiah – Return from Babylon – re-instituted Davidic Worship (Ezra 3:10, Nehemiah 12: 28-47)
Historians have also speculated that around the time of Jesus, in their search to find communion with God, the Essenes of the Judean wilderness re-instituted the Davidic order of worship as part of their life of prayer.
The Early Monastic Tradition of 24-7 Prayer
For over one thousand years monasticism (the practice of taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to one’s spiritual superior) held a key role in the development of theology and practice in the church. From the fourth and fifth century, monks and nuns were an accepted part of society. Monasticism was the cradle in which ‘perpetual prayer’ or Laus Perennis was birthed (in the church age). Some of the key figures from this tradition are:
Alexander Akimites and the Sleepless Ones
Born in Asia Minor and educated in Constantinople, Alexander became an officer in the Roman army. Challenged by Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler from Matthew 19:21, Akimites sold his possessions and retreated from court life to the desert. Tradition states that after seven years of solitude, he set fire to a pagan temple. Upon arrest and imprisonment Alexander converted the prison governor and his household, and promptly returned to his abode in the desert. Shortly thereafter he had the misfortune to fall in with a group of robbers. His evangelistic zeal however could not be contained and he converted these outcasts into devoted followers of Jesus. This group became the core of his band of monks.
In around 400 AD, he returned to Constantinople with 300-400 monks, where he established laus perennis (perpetual praise) to fulfill Paul’s exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17. Driven from Constantinople, the monks established the monastery at Gormon, at the mouth of the Black Sea. This became the founding monastery of the order of the Acoemetae (literally “the sleepless ones”). Alexander died here in 430 however the influence of the Acoemetae continued. The houses were divided into six choirs and rotated the choirs throughout the day, each new choir relieving the one before, continuing uninterrupted twenty-four hours a day.
John, the second abbot of the Acoemetae, founded another monastery on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, referred to in many ancient documents as the “great monastery” and motherhouse of the Acoemetae. The library here was recognized for its greatness throughout the Byzantine Empire and indeed was consulted by several popes. The third abbot established a monastery in the capital under the royal consul Studius, who dedicated the new monastery to John the Baptist. Studion became a renowned center of learning and piety and the most important monastery in Constantinople. Studion continued until 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinople.
The lasting impact of the Acoematae has been their worship and their contribution to church liturgy. The monasteries, which numbered into the hundreds and sometimes thousands, were organized into national groups of Latins, Greeks, Syrians and Egyptians and then into choirs. In addition to Laus Perennis, which passed into the western church with St Maurice of Agaune, they developed the divine office of the literal carrying out of Ps 119: 164, “Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.” This became an integral part of the Benedictine rule of the seven hours of prayer – prime, tierce, sext, none, vespers, compline, matins and lauds.
Agaunum
In around 522 Abbot Ambrosius brought attention to a small monastery founded in Switzerland. Legend had it that around 286 AD, a Theban Legion under the command of a certain Maurice de Valois was sent to suppress a rebellion by Gauls in the North of the empire. On their way to Gaul, the Coptic Christians were encamped at Agaunum, in present day Switzerland, where they were ordered to sacrifice to Roman Gods and to the Emperor in petition for victory. Maurice and his Theban Legion refused. The Roman Emperor Maximian ordered a “decimation” of the legion of 7000; one in every ten men were killed. When Maurice and his men continued their refusal, a second decimation was ordered. Finally the entire seven thousand Egyptian Christians were martyred.
Although the veracity of the story has been called into question, the legend of the martyrs at Agaunum spread far and wide. Between 515 and 521, Sigismund, King of Burgundy, lavishly endowed the monastery established at the site of the martyrdom to ensure its success. In 522, the abbot at St Maurice’s instituted the Laus Perennis or “perpetual psalmody” after the tradition of the Acoemetae. Choirs of monks would sing in rotation, with one choir relieving the previous choir, thus to continue day and night. This practice went on until around 900AD, impacting monasteries all over France and Switzerland.
Comgall and Bangor
The most celebrated of all medieval maps, the “Mappa Mundi” contains reference to a place on the edge of the known world – Bangor. Why should this small out of the way place, now a dormitory coastal town fifteen miles from the Northern Irish capital of Belfast, have become so important in medieval times?
St Patrick and Vallis Angelorum
Monasticism in Britain and Ireland developed along similar lines to those of the Desert Fathers of the East. St Patrick’s mother was a close relative of Martin of Tours, a contemporary of St Antony, the father of Monasticism. It is no surprise that the same type of asceticism which accompanied the monastic lifestyle in Egypt was also found in Ireland.
In 433AD, just as the Roman Empire was starting to crumble, St Patrick returned to Ireland (after having previously been enslaved on the island) with a view to preach the Christian message to the Irish. He was followed by a number of other ascetics – Finnian, Bridgid and Ciaran, all of whom established monastic centers throughout the island. Christianity in much of the empire had been founded upon Bishops overlooking cities and urban centers, Ireland had never been conquered and had no urban centers. The fall of the empire therefore had little impact on it and it was relatively easy for monasteries to become the centers of influence in Irish society.
According to the 12th century Anglo Norman Monk Jocelin, on one of Patrick’s many journeys, he came to rest in a valley on the shores of the Belfast Lough. Here he and his comrades beheld a vision of heaven. Jocelin states “they held the valley filled with heavenly light, and with a multitude of heaven, they heard, as chanted forth from the voice of angels, the psalmody of the celestial choir”. The place became known as the “Vallis Angelorum” or the “Vale of Angels”. Around 100 years later the famed Bangor Monastery would begin its life here. From this spot heaven’s song would reach into Europe.
Introducing Comgall
Bangor’s founder, Comgall was born in Antrim in 517. Originally a soldier, he soon took monastic vows and was educated for his new life. He is next seen in the Irish annals as a hermit on Lough Erne, however his rule was so severe that seven of the monks died. He was persuaded to leave and establish a house at Bangor (or “Beannchar” – from Irish “Horned Curve” probably in reference to the bay) in the famed “Vale of the Angels”. The earliest Irish annals give 558 as the date of Bangor’s commencement.
Bangor Mor and Perpetual Psalmody
At Bangor, Comgall instituted a rigid monastic rule of incessant prayer and fasting. Far from turning people away, this ascetic rule attracted thousands. When Comgall died in 602, the annals report that 3000 monks looked to him for guidance. Bangor Mor, “the great Bangor” (to distinguish it from its British contemporaries), became the greatest monastic school in Ulster. It was also one of the three leading lights of Celtic Christianity; the others being Iona, the great missionary center founded by Colomba, and Bangor on the Dee, founded by Dinooth, (the ancient Welsh Triads also confirm the “Perpetual Harmonies” at this great house ).
Throughout the sixth century, Bangor became famous for its choral psalmody; “it was this music which was carried to the Continent by the Bangor Missionaries in the following century” (Hamilton, Rector of Bangor Abbey). Divine services of the seven hours of prayer were carried out throughout Bangor’s existence, however the monks went further and carried out the practice of Laus Perennis. In the twelfth century, Bernard of Clairvaux spoke of Comgall and Bangor, stating “the solemnization of divine offices was kept up by companies, who relieved each other in succession, so that not for one moment day and night was there an intermission of their devotions”. This continuous singing was antiphonal in nature, perhaps reminiscent of Patrick’s vision, but also practiced by St Martin’s houses in Gaul. Many of these Psalms and hymns were later written down in the Antiphonary of Bangor which came to reside in Colombanus’ monastery at Bobbio, Italy.
The Bangor Missionaries
The ascetic life of prayer and fasting were the attractions of Bangor. However, as time progressed, Bangor also became a famed seat of learning and education. There was a saying in Europe at the time that if a man knew Greek he was bound to be an Irishman, largely due to the influence of Bangor. The monastery further became a missions sending community. Even to this day missionary societies are based in the town. Bangor Monks appear throughout medieval literature as a force for good.
In 580, Mirin, a Bangor monk, took Christianity to Paisley, where he died “full of miracles and holiness”. In 590, the fiery Colombanus, one of Comgall’s leaders set out from Bangor with twelve other brothers (including Gall, who planted monasteries throughout Switzerland). In Burgundy he established a severe monastic rule at Luxeil, which mirrored that of Bangor. From here he went to Bobbio in Italy and established the house there which became one of the largest and finest monasteries in Europe. Colombanus died in 615, but by 700 AD, 100 additional monasteries had been planted throughout France, Germany and Switzerland. Other famed missionary monks who went out from Bangor include Molua, Findchua and Luanus.
The End of Greatness
The greatness of Bangor came to a close in 824, with raids from the marauding Vikings. In one raid alone, 900 monks were slaughtered. Although the twelfth century saw a resurrection of the fire of Comgall initiated by Malachy (a close friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote Malachy’s Life). It unfortunately never had the same impact as the early Celtic firebrands who stayed the tide of darkness and societal collapse bringing God to a broken generation.
Cluny
In the ninth and tenth century, Viking raiders and settlers were violently forging a new way of life in Europe. Feudalism was taking root and the monastic way of life was shaken – not only by the physical attacks (such as Bangor experienced), but subsequent to the raids many houses were subject to the whims of local chieftains. In reaction to this movement reform was needed. It came about in several ways. One of the most crucial reforming movements in the western church was the Cluniac order.
In 910, William the Pious, the Duke of Aquataine, founded the monastery at Cluny under the auspices of Abbot Berno, who instituted a new stricter form of the Benedictine rule. William endowed the Abbey with resources from his entire domain, but more importantly gave the Abbey freedom in two regards. Due to the financial endowment, the Abbey was committed to increased prayer; perpetual praise or laus perennis. Its autonomy from secular leadership was also important as the abbey was directly accountable to the church in Rome.
The second abbot, Odo took over in 926. According to CH Lawrence he was "a living embodiment of the Benedictine ideal". His reforming zeal meant that during his leadership the influence of the Cluny expanded widely. Known for its independence, hospitality and alms giving, Cluny significantly departed from the Benedictine rule as it removed manual labor from a monk’s day and replaced it with increased prayer. The number of monastic houses which looked to Cluny as their motherhouse increased greatly during this period, and the influence of the house spread all over Europe.
Cluny reached the zenith of its power and influence in the twelfth century, it commanded 314 monasteries all over Europe, second only to Rome in terms of importance in the Christian world. It became a seat of learning, training no less than four Popes. The fast growing community at Cluny also meant there was a great need for buildings. The Abbey at Cluny commenced under Hugh, the sixth abbot, in 1089, was finished in 1131-32. It was considered one of the wonders of the Middle Ages. More than 555 feet in length, it was the largest building in Europe until St. Peter's Basilica was built at Rome in the sixteenth century. Consisting of five naves, a narthex, or ante-church, and several towers, together with the conventual buildings it covered an area of twenty-five acres. However it is interesting to note that the decline in spirituality even before these great building projects, led to the ultimate demise of Cluny’s influence.
Zinzendorf and the Moravians
Zinzendorf’s Early Years
The Reformation of the sixteenth century saw much needed reform enter the European church also seeing the closure of many monasteries which had become spiritually dead. The next great champion of 24/7 prayer did not appear until the start of the eighteenth century - Count Nicholas Ludwig Von Zinzendorf.
Zinzendorf was born in 1700 to an aristocratic, but pious family. His father died when he was only six weeks old. The young boy was therefore brought up by his grandmother, herself a well known leader of the Pietist movement and friendly with the established leader of the Pietists and young Zinzendorf’s Godfather – Phillipp Jakob Spener. Growing up in the midst of such passion for Jesus, Zinzendorf speaks of his early childhood as a time of great piety - “In my fourth year I began to seek God earnestly, and determined to become a true servant of Jesus Christ”
From the age of 10, Young Zinzendorf was tutored at the Pietist school of Halle under the watchful eye of Augustus Hermann Francke, another leader of the Pietists. He here formed a school club which lasted all his life: “The Honourable Order of the Mustard Seed”. After several years at Halle, Zinzendorf’s uncle considered the young count too much of a Pietist and had him sent to Wittenberg to learn jurisprudence, so that he might be prepared for court life. Soon the young Count was in various different society circles in Europe. He would keep these connections for the rest of his life, and they would be a force for good, however his job in the Dresden Court and future plans for Saxon Court life as the Secretary of State would not find fulfillment.
The Moravians and Herrnhut
In 1722, Zinzendorf bought the Berthelsdorf Estate from his grandmother and installed a Pietistic Preacher in the local Lutheran Church. The same year Zinzendorf came into contact with a Moravian preacher, Christian David, who persuaded the young count of the sufferings of the persecuted Protestants in Moravia. These Moravians known as the Unitas Fratrum were the remains of the John Huss’ followers in Bohemia. Since the 1600s, these saints had suffered under the hands of successive repressive Catholic monarchs. Zinzendorf offered them asylum on his lands. Christian David returned to Bohemia and brought many to settle on Zinzendorf’s estate, forming the community of Herrnhut – the “Watch of the Lord”. The community quickly grew to around 300. However due to divisions and tensions in the infant community, Zinzendorf gave up his court position and became the leader of the brethren, instituting a new constitution for the community.
The 100 Year Prayer Meeting and Missions
A new spirituality now characterized the community, with men and women being committed to bands or choruses to encourage one another in the life of God. August 1727 is seen as the Moravian Pentecost. Zinzendorf said that 13th August was "a day of the outpourings of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation; it was its Pentecost." Within two weeks of the outpouring 24 men and 24 women covenanted to pray “hourly intercessions”, thus praying every hour around the clock. They were committed to see that “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” (Lev 6:13). The numbers committed to this endeavor soon increased to around 70 from the community. This prayer meeting would go non-stop for the next 100 years and is seen by many as the spiritual power behind the impact that the Moravians had on the world.
From the prayer room at Herrnhut came a missionary zeal that has hardly been surpassed in church history. The spark initially came from Zinzendorf’s encounter in Denmark with Eskimos that had been converted by Lutherans. The Count returned to Herrnhut and conveyed his passion to see the Gospel go to the nations. As a result, many of the community went out into the world to preach the gospel, some even selling themselves into slavery in order to fulfill the great commission. This commitment is shown by a simple statistic; Typically, when it comes to world missions the Protestant laity to missionary ratio has been 5000:1, the Moravians however saw a much increased ratio - 60:1. By 1776, some 226 missionaries had been sent out from the community at Herrnhut. It is clear through the teaching of the so called “Father of Modern Missions”, William Carey, that the Moravians had a profound impact on him with regard to their zeal for missionary activity. It is also through the missionary-minded Moravians that John Wesley came to faith. The impact of this little community in Saxony committed to seek the face of the Lord day and night has been truly immeasurable.
[edit]
24-7 Prayer in the 20th Century
In 1973 David Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul South Korea established a Prayer Mountain with day and night prayer. The Prayer Mountain was soon attracting over a million visitors per year, as people would spend retreats in the prayer cells provided on the mountain. Cho had a commitment to continuous prayer, faith and establishing small discipleship cells in his church. Perhaps as a result, Cho’s church rapidly expanded to become the largest church congregation on the globe, with membership now over 780,000.
International House of Prayer
September 19, 1999, saw the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri start a prayer and worship meeting that has continued for 24 hours a day 7 days a week ever since. With a similar vision to Zinzendorf, that the fire on the altar should never go out, there has never been a time when worship and prayer has not ascended to heaven since that date. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri, is one of the most visible Christian organizations of the 24-7 Prayer Movement. IHOP has been in operation since 1999, with a continuous prayer meeting offering harp and bowl worship and intercessory prayer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The ministry is centered on prayer, fasting, evangelism, and teaching and equipping believers for the end times, which they believe are quickly approaching.
IHOP functions as a missions base, with staff members raising their own support, independent of IHOP. The prayer room functions in two hour shifts, each led by full teams of musicians and singers. There is a daily schedule of different types of prayer meetings throughout the day.
IHOP was launched and continues to be led by its director, Mike Bickle, who is an author and former pastor.
Harp and Bowl
Harp and Bowl - it's name taken from Revelation 4 and 5 - is a type or tool for worship. It is music that is intregrated into prayer. Harp being the music and Bowl being the prayer of the saints (Christians) that are constantly going up like incense before the throne of God. This type of worship is used in sustaning long periods of worship and has worked out best for the International House of Prayer in Kansas City which has sustained a prayer meeting since September 1999.
The main function of Harp and Bowl is antiphonal singers, who use the Bible as a song book, singing and declaring the Word of God along with guitar and piano that accompany the singers. In Harp and Bowl the major focus is not the singers nor is it the musicians, but it puts the focus on the One being worshipped in such a setting. Harp and Bowl is not a new device, but is based on values that have been used for thousands of years in hundreds of different settings through out Judaism and Christianity.
24-7 Prayer.com
Also beginning in September of 1999, a prayer room inspired by the Moravians at Revelation Church in Chichester, UK began and sparked the global non-stop prayer movement called, 24-7Prayer.com. In the last six years, over 3500 groups in more than 60 countries around the world have prayed non-stop for a week or more, making this the largest global non-stop prayer movement in history.
...Etc.
At the same time at other places around the globe, plans for 24/7 prayer communities developed, resulting in 24/7 Houses of Prayer and Prayer Mountains in all the continents of the Earth. In places where it is not feasible to staff a location with people who can keep prayer continual, prayer chains are often created in which at least one person from a congregation commits to each hour of the day or week, so that someone from that congregation is always in prayer.
The Tabernacle of David
King David was a man of “One Thing” (Ps 27:4). Around 1000 BC, he commanded that the Ark of the Covenant be brought up on the shoulders of the Levites, to the sound of songs and musical instruments to his new capital – Jerusalem. There he had it placed in a tent and appointed 288 prophetic singers and 4000 musicians to minister before the Lord, “to make petition, to give thanks and to praise the Lord” day and night. This was unlike anything that had been done in Israel’s history, but it was God’s plan for Israel.
The Davidic Order of Worship
Although the Tabernacle was replaced by a Temple, the Davidic order of worship was embraced and re-instituted by seven subsequent leaders in the history of Israel and Judah. Each time this order of worship was re-instituted, spiritual breakthrough, deliverance and military victory followed.
* Solomon instructed that worship in the Temple should be in accordance with the Davidic Order (2 Chronicles 8: 14-15)
* Jehoshaphat defeats Moab and Ammon by setting singers up in accordance with Davidic Order – Singers at front of Army singing the Great Hallel. Jehoshaphat reinstitutes Davidic Worship in Temple (2 Chronicles 20:20-22 & 28)
* Joash – 2 Chronicles 23-24
* Hezekiah cleansed, re-consecrated and re-instituted Davidic Order of worship in the temple (2 Chronicles 29, 30:21)
* Josiah re-instituted Davidic worship (2 Chronicles 35)
* Ezra and Nehemiah – Return from Babylon – re-instituted Davidic Worship (Ezra 3:10, Nehemiah 12: 28-47)
Historians have also speculated that around the time of Jesus, in their search to find communion with God, the Essenes of the Judean wilderness re-instituted the Davidic order of worship as part of their life of prayer.
The Early Monastic Tradition of 24-7 Prayer
For over one thousand years monasticism (the practice of taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to one’s spiritual superior) held a key role in the development of theology and practice in the church. From the fourth and fifth century, monks and nuns were an accepted part of society. Monasticism was the cradle in which ‘perpetual prayer’ or Laus Perennis was birthed (in the church age). Some of the key figures from this tradition are:
Alexander Akimites and the Sleepless Ones
Born in Asia Minor and educated in Constantinople, Alexander became an officer in the Roman army. Challenged by Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler from Matthew 19:21, Akimites sold his possessions and retreated from court life to the desert. Tradition states that after seven years of solitude, he set fire to a pagan temple. Upon arrest and imprisonment Alexander converted the prison governor and his household, and promptly returned to his abode in the desert. Shortly thereafter he had the misfortune to fall in with a group of robbers. His evangelistic zeal however could not be contained and he converted these outcasts into devoted followers of Jesus. This group became the core of his band of monks.
In around 400 AD, he returned to Constantinople with 300-400 monks, where he established laus perennis (perpetual praise) to fulfill Paul’s exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17. Driven from Constantinople, the monks established the monastery at Gormon, at the mouth of the Black Sea. This became the founding monastery of the order of the Acoemetae (literally “the sleepless ones”). Alexander died here in 430 however the influence of the Acoemetae continued. The houses were divided into six choirs and rotated the choirs throughout the day, each new choir relieving the one before, continuing uninterrupted twenty-four hours a day.
John, the second abbot of the Acoemetae, founded another monastery on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, referred to in many ancient documents as the “great monastery” and motherhouse of the Acoemetae. The library here was recognized for its greatness throughout the Byzantine Empire and indeed was consulted by several popes. The third abbot established a monastery in the capital under the royal consul Studius, who dedicated the new monastery to John the Baptist. Studion became a renowned center of learning and piety and the most important monastery in Constantinople. Studion continued until 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinople.
The lasting impact of the Acoematae has been their worship and their contribution to church liturgy. The monasteries, which numbered into the hundreds and sometimes thousands, were organized into national groups of Latins, Greeks, Syrians and Egyptians and then into choirs. In addition to Laus Perennis, which passed into the western church with St Maurice of Agaune, they developed the divine office of the literal carrying out of Ps 119: 164, “Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.” This became an integral part of the Benedictine rule of the seven hours of prayer – prime, tierce, sext, none, vespers, compline, matins and lauds.
Agaunum
In around 522 Abbot Ambrosius brought attention to a small monastery founded in Switzerland. Legend had it that around 286 AD, a Theban Legion under the command of a certain Maurice de Valois was sent to suppress a rebellion by Gauls in the North of the empire. On their way to Gaul, the Coptic Christians were encamped at Agaunum, in present day Switzerland, where they were ordered to sacrifice to Roman Gods and to the Emperor in petition for victory. Maurice and his Theban Legion refused. The Roman Emperor Maximian ordered a “decimation” of the legion of 7000; one in every ten men were killed. When Maurice and his men continued their refusal, a second decimation was ordered. Finally the entire seven thousand Egyptian Christians were martyred.
Although the veracity of the story has been called into question, the legend of the martyrs at Agaunum spread far and wide. Between 515 and 521, Sigismund, King of Burgundy, lavishly endowed the monastery established at the site of the martyrdom to ensure its success. In 522, the abbot at St Maurice’s instituted the Laus Perennis or “perpetual psalmody” after the tradition of the Acoemetae. Choirs of monks would sing in rotation, with one choir relieving the previous choir, thus to continue day and night. This practice went on until around 900AD, impacting monasteries all over France and Switzerland.
Comgall and Bangor
The most celebrated of all medieval maps, the “Mappa Mundi” contains reference to a place on the edge of the known world – Bangor. Why should this small out of the way place, now a dormitory coastal town fifteen miles from the Northern Irish capital of Belfast, have become so important in medieval times?
St Patrick and Vallis Angelorum
Monasticism in Britain and Ireland developed along similar lines to those of the Desert Fathers of the East. St Patrick’s mother was a close relative of Martin of Tours, a contemporary of St Antony, the father of Monasticism. It is no surprise that the same type of asceticism which accompanied the monastic lifestyle in Egypt was also found in Ireland.
In 433AD, just as the Roman Empire was starting to crumble, St Patrick returned to Ireland (after having previously been enslaved on the island) with a view to preach the Christian message to the Irish. He was followed by a number of other ascetics – Finnian, Bridgid and Ciaran, all of whom established monastic centers throughout the island. Christianity in much of the empire had been founded upon Bishops overlooking cities and urban centers, Ireland had never been conquered and had no urban centers. The fall of the empire therefore had little impact on it and it was relatively easy for monasteries to become the centers of influence in Irish society.
According to the 12th century Anglo Norman Monk Jocelin, on one of Patrick’s many journeys, he came to rest in a valley on the shores of the Belfast Lough. Here he and his comrades beheld a vision of heaven. Jocelin states “they held the valley filled with heavenly light, and with a multitude of heaven, they heard, as chanted forth from the voice of angels, the psalmody of the celestial choir”. The place became known as the “Vallis Angelorum” or the “Vale of Angels”. Around 100 years later the famed Bangor Monastery would begin its life here. From this spot heaven’s song would reach into Europe.
Introducing Comgall
Bangor’s founder, Comgall was born in Antrim in 517. Originally a soldier, he soon took monastic vows and was educated for his new life. He is next seen in the Irish annals as a hermit on Lough Erne, however his rule was so severe that seven of the monks died. He was persuaded to leave and establish a house at Bangor (or “Beannchar” – from Irish “Horned Curve” probably in reference to the bay) in the famed “Vale of the Angels”. The earliest Irish annals give 558 as the date of Bangor’s commencement.
Bangor Mor and Perpetual Psalmody
At Bangor, Comgall instituted a rigid monastic rule of incessant prayer and fasting. Far from turning people away, this ascetic rule attracted thousands. When Comgall died in 602, the annals report that 3000 monks looked to him for guidance. Bangor Mor, “the great Bangor” (to distinguish it from its British contemporaries), became the greatest monastic school in Ulster. It was also one of the three leading lights of Celtic Christianity; the others being Iona, the great missionary center founded by Colomba, and Bangor on the Dee, founded by Dinooth, (the ancient Welsh Triads also confirm the “Perpetual Harmonies” at this great house ).
Throughout the sixth century, Bangor became famous for its choral psalmody; “it was this music which was carried to the Continent by the Bangor Missionaries in the following century” (Hamilton, Rector of Bangor Abbey). Divine services of the seven hours of prayer were carried out throughout Bangor’s existence, however the monks went further and carried out the practice of Laus Perennis. In the twelfth century, Bernard of Clairvaux spoke of Comgall and Bangor, stating “the solemnization of divine offices was kept up by companies, who relieved each other in succession, so that not for one moment day and night was there an intermission of their devotions”. This continuous singing was antiphonal in nature, perhaps reminiscent of Patrick’s vision, but also practiced by St Martin’s houses in Gaul. Many of these Psalms and hymns were later written down in the Antiphonary of Bangor which came to reside in Colombanus’ monastery at Bobbio, Italy.
The Bangor Missionaries
The ascetic life of prayer and fasting were the attractions of Bangor. However, as time progressed, Bangor also became a famed seat of learning and education. There was a saying in Europe at the time that if a man knew Greek he was bound to be an Irishman, largely due to the influence of Bangor. The monastery further became a missions sending community. Even to this day missionary societies are based in the town. Bangor Monks appear throughout medieval literature as a force for good.
In 580, Mirin, a Bangor monk, took Christianity to Paisley, where he died “full of miracles and holiness”. In 590, the fiery Colombanus, one of Comgall’s leaders set out from Bangor with twelve other brothers (including Gall, who planted monasteries throughout Switzerland). In Burgundy he established a severe monastic rule at Luxeil, which mirrored that of Bangor. From here he went to Bobbio in Italy and established the house there which became one of the largest and finest monasteries in Europe. Colombanus died in 615, but by 700 AD, 100 additional monasteries had been planted throughout France, Germany and Switzerland. Other famed missionary monks who went out from Bangor include Molua, Findchua and Luanus.
The End of Greatness
The greatness of Bangor came to a close in 824, with raids from the marauding Vikings. In one raid alone, 900 monks were slaughtered. Although the twelfth century saw a resurrection of the fire of Comgall initiated by Malachy (a close friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote Malachy’s Life). It unfortunately never had the same impact as the early Celtic firebrands who stayed the tide of darkness and societal collapse bringing God to a broken generation.
Cluny
In the ninth and tenth century, Viking raiders and settlers were violently forging a new way of life in Europe. Feudalism was taking root and the monastic way of life was shaken – not only by the physical attacks (such as Bangor experienced), but subsequent to the raids many houses were subject to the whims of local chieftains. In reaction to this movement reform was needed. It came about in several ways. One of the most crucial reforming movements in the western church was the Cluniac order.
In 910, William the Pious, the Duke of Aquataine, founded the monastery at Cluny under the auspices of Abbot Berno, who instituted a new stricter form of the Benedictine rule. William endowed the Abbey with resources from his entire domain, but more importantly gave the Abbey freedom in two regards. Due to the financial endowment, the Abbey was committed to increased prayer; perpetual praise or laus perennis. Its autonomy from secular leadership was also important as the abbey was directly accountable to the church in Rome.
The second abbot, Odo took over in 926. According to CH Lawrence he was "a living embodiment of the Benedictine ideal". His reforming zeal meant that during his leadership the influence of the Cluny expanded widely. Known for its independence, hospitality and alms giving, Cluny significantly departed from the Benedictine rule as it removed manual labor from a monk’s day and replaced it with increased prayer. The number of monastic houses which looked to Cluny as their motherhouse increased greatly during this period, and the influence of the house spread all over Europe.
Cluny reached the zenith of its power and influence in the twelfth century, it commanded 314 monasteries all over Europe, second only to Rome in terms of importance in the Christian world. It became a seat of learning, training no less than four Popes. The fast growing community at Cluny also meant there was a great need for buildings. The Abbey at Cluny commenced under Hugh, the sixth abbot, in 1089, was finished in 1131-32. It was considered one of the wonders of the Middle Ages. More than 555 feet in length, it was the largest building in Europe until St. Peter's Basilica was built at Rome in the sixteenth century. Consisting of five naves, a narthex, or ante-church, and several towers, together with the conventual buildings it covered an area of twenty-five acres. However it is interesting to note that the decline in spirituality even before these great building projects, led to the ultimate demise of Cluny’s influence.
Zinzendorf and the Moravians
Zinzendorf’s Early Years
The Reformation of the sixteenth century saw much needed reform enter the European church also seeing the closure of many monasteries which had become spiritually dead. The next great champion of 24/7 prayer did not appear until the start of the eighteenth century - Count Nicholas Ludwig Von Zinzendorf.
Zinzendorf was born in 1700 to an aristocratic, but pious family. His father died when he was only six weeks old. The young boy was therefore brought up by his grandmother, herself a well known leader of the Pietist movement and friendly with the established leader of the Pietists and young Zinzendorf’s Godfather – Phillipp Jakob Spener. Growing up in the midst of such passion for Jesus, Zinzendorf speaks of his early childhood as a time of great piety - “In my fourth year I began to seek God earnestly, and determined to become a true servant of Jesus Christ”
From the age of 10, Young Zinzendorf was tutored at the Pietist school of Halle under the watchful eye of Augustus Hermann Francke, another leader of the Pietists. He here formed a school club which lasted all his life: “The Honourable Order of the Mustard Seed”. After several years at Halle, Zinzendorf’s uncle considered the young count too much of a Pietist and had him sent to Wittenberg to learn jurisprudence, so that he might be prepared for court life. Soon the young Count was in various different society circles in Europe. He would keep these connections for the rest of his life, and they would be a force for good, however his job in the Dresden Court and future plans for Saxon Court life as the Secretary of State would not find fulfillment.
The Moravians and Herrnhut
In 1722, Zinzendorf bought the Berthelsdorf Estate from his grandmother and installed a Pietistic Preacher in the local Lutheran Church. The same year Zinzendorf came into contact with a Moravian preacher, Christian David, who persuaded the young count of the sufferings of the persecuted Protestants in Moravia. These Moravians known as the Unitas Fratrum were the remains of the John Huss’ followers in Bohemia. Since the 1600s, these saints had suffered under the hands of successive repressive Catholic monarchs. Zinzendorf offered them asylum on his lands. Christian David returned to Bohemia and brought many to settle on Zinzendorf’s estate, forming the community of Herrnhut – the “Watch of the Lord”. The community quickly grew to around 300. However due to divisions and tensions in the infant community, Zinzendorf gave up his court position and became the leader of the brethren, instituting a new constitution for the community.
The 100 Year Prayer Meeting and Missions
A new spirituality now characterized the community, with men and women being committed to bands or choruses to encourage one another in the life of God. August 1727 is seen as the Moravian Pentecost. Zinzendorf said that 13th August was "a day of the outpourings of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation; it was its Pentecost." Within two weeks of the outpouring 24 men and 24 women covenanted to pray “hourly intercessions”, thus praying every hour around the clock. They were committed to see that “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” (Lev 6:13). The numbers committed to this endeavor soon increased to around 70 from the community. This prayer meeting would go non-stop for the next 100 years and is seen by many as the spiritual power behind the impact that the Moravians had on the world.
From the prayer room at Herrnhut came a missionary zeal that has hardly been surpassed in church history. The spark initially came from Zinzendorf’s encounter in Denmark with Eskimos that had been converted by Lutherans. The Count returned to Herrnhut and conveyed his passion to see the Gospel go to the nations. As a result, many of the community went out into the world to preach the gospel, some even selling themselves into slavery in order to fulfill the great commission. This commitment is shown by a simple statistic; Typically, when it comes to world missions the Protestant laity to missionary ratio has been 5000:1, the Moravians however saw a much increased ratio - 60:1. By 1776, some 226 missionaries had been sent out from the community at Herrnhut. It is clear through the teaching of the so called “Father of Modern Missions”, William Carey, that the Moravians had a profound impact on him with regard to their zeal for missionary activity. It is also through the missionary-minded Moravians that John Wesley came to faith. The impact of this little community in Saxony committed to seek the face of the Lord day and night has been truly immeasurable.
[edit]
24-7 Prayer in the 20th Century
In 1973 David Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul South Korea established a Prayer Mountain with day and night prayer. The Prayer Mountain was soon attracting over a million visitors per year, as people would spend retreats in the prayer cells provided on the mountain. Cho had a commitment to continuous prayer, faith and establishing small discipleship cells in his church. Perhaps as a result, Cho’s church rapidly expanded to become the largest church congregation on the globe, with membership now over 780,000.
International House of Prayer
September 19, 1999, saw the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri start a prayer and worship meeting that has continued for 24 hours a day 7 days a week ever since. With a similar vision to Zinzendorf, that the fire on the altar should never go out, there has never been a time when worship and prayer has not ascended to heaven since that date. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri, is one of the most visible Christian organizations of the 24-7 Prayer Movement. IHOP has been in operation since 1999, with a continuous prayer meeting offering harp and bowl worship and intercessory prayer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The ministry is centered on prayer, fasting, evangelism, and teaching and equipping believers for the end times, which they believe are quickly approaching.
IHOP functions as a missions base, with staff members raising their own support, independent of IHOP. The prayer room functions in two hour shifts, each led by full teams of musicians and singers. There is a daily schedule of different types of prayer meetings throughout the day.
IHOP was launched and continues to be led by its director, Mike Bickle, who is an author and former pastor.
Harp and Bowl
Harp and Bowl - it's name taken from Revelation 4 and 5 - is a type or tool for worship. It is music that is intregrated into prayer. Harp being the music and Bowl being the prayer of the saints (Christians) that are constantly going up like incense before the throne of God. This type of worship is used in sustaning long periods of worship and has worked out best for the International House of Prayer in Kansas City which has sustained a prayer meeting since September 1999.
The main function of Harp and Bowl is antiphonal singers, who use the Bible as a song book, singing and declaring the Word of God along with guitar and piano that accompany the singers. In Harp and Bowl the major focus is not the singers nor is it the musicians, but it puts the focus on the One being worshipped in such a setting. Harp and Bowl is not a new device, but is based on values that have been used for thousands of years in hundreds of different settings through out Judaism and Christianity.
24-7 Prayer.com
Also beginning in September of 1999, a prayer room inspired by the Moravians at Revelation Church in Chichester, UK began and sparked the global non-stop prayer movement called, 24-7Prayer.com. In the last six years, over 3500 groups in more than 60 countries around the world have prayed non-stop for a week or more, making this the largest global non-stop prayer movement in history.
...Etc.
At the same time at other places around the globe, plans for 24/7 prayer communities developed, resulting in 24/7 Houses of Prayer and Prayer Mountains in all the continents of the Earth. In places where it is not feasible to staff a location with people who can keep prayer continual, prayer chains are often created in which at least one person from a congregation commits to each hour of the day or week, so that someone from that congregation is always in prayer.
