What is this movement of 24/7 prayer really about?
Is it just the latest church buzzword?
Is the newest church structure?
Jesus says in the gospels that His house shall be called a house of prayer but what does that really mean for you and me? I believe Jesus was more talking about the core foundation of our lives then He was talking about a church structure. We have to guard against taking the things that the Holy Spirit is doing in these days and not just put them into programs and structures when really He is wanted a heart shift in His people. We can so quickly merchandise and commercialize the "new" things He is doing and step right back into the things that were happening in the temple when Jesus utter those words, " My house shall be called a house of prayer." It can't just be about an outward expression but an inward heart cry.
The prayer movement of our day is about God calling His people back to the place of pure, undivided devotion to Him. It is not about establishing a building where prayer goes up night and day but about establishing a people whose hearts are crying out to Him and dependent upon Him every night and every day. Now, I am not against houses of prayer. At this moment I am helping to get one started in Brussels, Belgium and we are in the process of looking for a building. I believe we need them to help establish this culture. What I am saying is that we can't make it about the building but about the culture that God is wanting to bring. Through His people being established in that place is what will bring about His Kingdom being established on the earth.
One of the problems is sometime we strive in our own strength to establish His Kingdom that brings salvation, healing, and deliverance and when that doesn't work through our striving then we turn to prayer for a little bit before we give up or get burned out. Instead we should establish ourselves in a lifestyle of prayer and fasting not for the sake of revival but because we our in love with Jesus. The reality is you can pray and fast with wrong motives and your heart be far from God. When we pursue Him for the sake of loving Him then His heart is moved and He moves on our behalf. He may not move when we think He should or how we think He should but He will move on behalf of His elect. Prayer should be the first thing we run to because it is in that place that we are running to Him but so often we try everything else and then say, "well I guess I'll go pray about it." It is amazing how backwards we have been living.
So fall on your knees today with no other motive or desire but to see His face and dwell on His beauty and I promise you, He will reveal Himself and begin to move on your behalf in any and every situation. He will speak to you and reveal to you the path that He has laid out for you each day. Set your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith and lay aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares.
