Note: This is part 6 of a series of articles on the Prayer Movement
Other than the article on the Tabernacle of David, most of my previous posts in the prayer movement series have been reporting all that God is doing and trying to make sense of it all. Today I want to take a moment and give some deeper biblical context for what is happening.
I had someone comment on Facebook to one of my previous posts saying that they thought the 24/7 prayer movement was valid. My response was that it is not just valid, but it is biblical. Day & night prayer is actually a key part of God’s plan to bring His kingdom to the earth. The global prayer movement is not just a good thing, but a God thing.
The Church as a House of Prayer
“Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7 (see Matthew 21:13)
In Matthew 21:13 Jesus quotes Isaiah 56 when describing the Church that He is about to build. He says that His house is a house of prayer. Of all the things Jesus could use to describe the activity or primary focus of the Church He is building, He chooses to use prayer.
Everyone is familiar with IHOP (International House of Pancakes). It would be bizarre if IHOP did not sell pancakes. In fact, you would expect pancakes to be their specialty. Certainly they sell other kinds of food, but if they stopped selling pancakes it would no longer be IHOP. Pancakes is the thing for which they are known. That is what it means that they are a house of pancakes.
What is the Church known for? Isaiah 56:7 makes it clear that there is coming a day when the Church will be known for prayer – where prayer will be our specialty. The Church’s “menu”, so to speak, will always include more than prayer, but if we cease to pray, we cease to be apart of Jesus’ house. To be a house of prayer means that interacting with God will becomes the Church’s primary focus. Before it’s all said and done, prayer will be the thing for which we are known.
Jesus takes Isaiah 56:7 and applies it to the New Testament Church. Rest assured, God is building one house in Christ Jesus. It is a house of prayer. Could the growing global prayer movement be part of Jesus’ work to build us into a house of prayer?
Worship & Prayer Will Fill The Earth
“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11
Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them! Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands. The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; he shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. Isaiah 42:10-13
These prophetic promises are stunning. The Bible clearly paints a picture of worship & prayer filling the earth. Malachi 1:11 describes incense (which is prayer – see Revelation 5:8) and a pure offering (which is worship) in “every place.” Where is exactly is every place? Obviously we do not know. But I think it is safe to say that there is coming a day when there will be so much worship & prayer to Jesus on the earth that you could say that there’s prayer everywhere and you would not be exaggerating.
The passage in Isaiah 42 is specifically about musical worship. It describes a new song that will arise on the earth as a response to Jesus (read the whole chapter for context). Isaiah painstakingly lists the various geographies of the earth – mountains, plains, coastlands, islands – to ensure the reader understands that a song will rise to the Messiah from the ends of the earth. God’s response to the new song (in verse 13) is ultimately the coming kingdom of God. This passage is clear that a worldwide crescendo of songs to the Lord will lead the way. Perhaps the modern-day global prayer movement is a step towards this glorious, biblical vision of an earth saturated with worship & prayer.
Day & Night Prayer Precedes the Second Coming of Jesus
I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7
And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8
Not only does the Bible describe the Church having prayer as our central activity. Not only does the Bible describe worship & prayer filling the ends of the earth. But it describes a specific kind of prayer that will emerge leading up to the second coming of Christ – day & night prayer.
As I’ve mentioned before, some of the most fascinating expression of the growing prayer movement are the groups who are ministering to the Lord day & night or even in a 24/7 schedule. This too has biblical precedence in the passages above.
Interestingly, these two passages of Scripture in Luke 18 and Isaiah 62 connect day & night prayer to the return of Jesus. The phrases “till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” and “when the Son of Man comes” can both be understood as describing the second coming of Christ.
Could the explosion of day & night prayer & worship across the globe be a sign of the times? In light of these verses, day & night prayer is actually not surprising at all. It is perfectly normal. It is part of the prophesied activity of God’s people, originally spoken by Isaiah and confirmed by Jesus himself in Luke 18.
Conclusion: The Prayer Movement is Biblical
The global prayer movement and the emergence of unprecedented day & night prayer is not an interesting church trend. It is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. It is not just allowed; it is required. It is not just interesting, but it is on the heart of God for our generation. It is part of His plan to bring His kingdom to earth now and to lead ultimately to the fullness of the kingdom coming in the return of Jesus. Let’s pray!