Note: This part 1 of a series on prayer missionaries and Levites
The Global Prayer Movement’s Full-Time Workers
One of the most fascinating aspects of the emerging global prayer movement is thousands of full-time & part-time prayer missionaries. These men and women are serving the global prayer movement as their vocation and primary ministry calling. Personality types and spiritual gifts vary, yet there is a common value for extravagant worship and prayer that is at the foundation of all of their ministry efforts.
Prayer Missionaries are very visible expressions of God’s passion for the global prayer movement and Jesus’ desire that His Church be a house of prayer for all nations. The fact that God is putting this desire in the hearts of thousands (many young people), funding them and creating ministries/communities where they can serve a miracle. It tells us something about the heart of God for our generation.
Many of these laborers are based in missional prayer communities, and they raise their own financial support like any other missionary. Much of their time is spent in “prayer rooms” where they minister to the Lord as they sing, pray for revival and meditate on Scripture together. Some of them are also musicians and singers – “musicianaries”, if you will. While their primary calling is ministry to the Lord, prayer missionaries also minister to others. They not only pray, but lead prayer meetings, share the Gospel and help organize prayer & outreach initiatives. They pray and work like those in Nehemiah’s day who held a sword and a hammer at the same time!
Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.
Nehemiah 4:17
Whether or not you are called as a prayer missionary, it is important for all believers to understand how God is calling people in this way. Those whom God is raising up to serve vocationally in the prayer movement need the Church’s love, understanding and financial support.
The Desire for Long Hours of Prayer
I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people around the world with a growing ache in their hearts to spend long hours before God with His word in worship & prayer. There are some who feel weird because they do not know if their desires are righteous desires. After all, we should be out in the world spreading the Gospel, not sitting in a prayer room all day, right? Some feel out of place because they do not know many (or any) others who share the same longings that are growing in their hearts.
I believe there are worship leaders who long to minister to the heart of God far more than to be under the spotlight, in a Youtube video or on a platform. For those musical worshipers, the idea of a “worship pastor” does not sound appealing, but they are intrigued by the levitical prophetic singers and musicians in David’s tabernacle.
While most Christians are intimidated by the idea of long hours of prayer, some are excited about the idea. The prophetess Anna who worshiped in the Temple day & night is an inspiration (Luke 2:36-37) for these intercessors. The vision of sitting in a room with worship music, the Bible, other lovers of Jesus and the manifest presence of God for hours each day awakens something in their hearts.
I know that there are ministry leaders who are realizing that they want to lead communities centered on God’s presence instead of centered on programs. Churches that pray first. Campus ministries that are houses of prayer. Evangelism that is covered in and birthed out of intercession. Similar leaders have visions for modern-day monasteries, missions bases and revival hubs – new paradigms and expressions of Christian communities that lean into extravagant expressions of worship & prayer where the vertical ministry to God fuels the horizontal ministry to others.
Is This Really Allowed?
I know many of these feelings because these were the desires of my heart as I stepped out into this calling in 2007. I loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him, but I was having a hard time discerning my calling. I wanted people to know God and hear the Gospel, but part of me wanted to just sit in His presence for hours and hours. Was this God drawing me into these extended times with Him or was this just a selfish distraction from important ministry to others? Isn’t the extravagance excessive? Are there better uses of the Church’s time and money than people getting paid to pray?
There is actually a precedent throughout history and in Scriptures of those who engaged in this kind of ministry….
Like the full-time Levites of David’s tabernacle who offered prophetic, musical, 24/7 praise to the Lord for 33 years.
Like the early apostles who gave themselves to the word of God and prayer, pioneering new communities of God’s presence with the Gospel and the power of God.
Like the monks throughout the ages that gave themselves to simple lifestyles, long hours of prayer, fasting and service to others.
Like the moravians who lived together, hosting a 24/7 prayer watch that lasted over 100 years, while sending their best and brightest as missionaries and martyrs to unreached people groups of the earth.
Like the revivalists and intercessors throughout Church history that gave themselves to extravagant expressions of worship & prayer, long hours in the Scriptures and whatever it took to see their generation encounter Jesus.
Like the thousands of prayer missionaries that are emerging across the nations of the earth in our day.
Prayer Missionaries Are Normal
I am actually not describing something all that radical. These are things that normal Christians do – pray, study the Bible, fast, worship, make disciples, love God, love others, share the Gospel. But there has always been a unique call for some believers to do these things vocationally, while being supported by God’s people.
Because the term missionary has become primarily related to either evangelism and/or mercy ministry, the term “prayer missionary” helps clarify the prayer missionary’s commitment to extravagant worship & prayer as a vital part of their work. Since extravagant worship & prayer is not currently normative for those in vocational ministry, the term “prayer missionary” helps highlight this re-embracing of a biblical, prayer-centered ministry life.
The Church at-large must understand the value and purpose of those who are called to this unique vocation and ministry assignment. Most Christians are not called to be prayer missionaries, but we must understand the function of a prayer missionary, make sure they are fully funded and support them in their ministry calling. After all, most Christians are not called to be pastors, but we still must understand that function, make sure pastors are funded and support them in their ministry calling.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
I Corinthians 12:21
My desire is that those who are called to this vocation would feel permission from the Holy Spirit to step into it. The desire for extravagant worship and prayer – yes, even as a vocation! – is righteous, biblical, historical and necessary. If you are called to this, then the Church needs you to enter into your ministry. We need your worship. We need your prayers. We need your leadership. We need you to take your place as a watchman on the wall of day and night intercession that God is raising up around the earth. Prayer missionaries… we need you!
Addendum: One Million Prayer Missionaries
There are approximately 2 billion Christians on earth. 95% of Christians (I made that number up) are probably called to work in the marketplace. Only maybe 5% (I made that number up) are called to vocational ministry. This would amount to 100 million full-time Christian laborers. Those laborers need to do many different things, but what if only 1% of full-time ministers were prayer missionaries. That would be one million prayer missionaries. I’ve heard it takes about 300 full-time staff to sustain a missions base with 24/7 prayer that includes live worship teams. That means if 1% of current full-time Christian workers gave themselves to this call, we could potentially have 3300+ 24/7 houses of prayer around the world. Join me in praying for God to raise up one million prayer missionaries around the world!