In the early hours of the morning, January 2024, a young girl sits in a prayer room in Great Britain and begins to write a poem about her experience. She writes: ‘This is where revival starts.’
In that moment she grasped the power of continuous prayer. The power that comes from the body of Christ making a pilgrimage to a place to pray, laying down their lives, capturing the heart of God and leaving with a welcome to others – to encounter the transformative power of God – and to seek justice in their communities. An ancient practice Continuous prayer isn’t a new trend but an ancient practice.
In the Old Testament, we read that worship in the Temple was a powerful, living symbol of the relationship between God and his people. Exodus and Leviticus tell of the priestly responsibility to keep the lamps burning. There had to be perpetual fire on the altar. The priests therefore kept watch in the Temple 24 hours a day. The Temple became known as a ‘house of prayer.’
Then, in the upper room, where the disciples were ‘constantly in prayer,’ the ‘power from on high’ descended and the mission of the church began. The church was birthed from a place of continuous prayer!
Praying into the great commission
Beyond the Bible, we read of monks such as Alexander the Sleepless in 380 AD, who established a monastery and started a 24-7/365 prayer cycle that would last 20 years. He organised visiting Romans, Greeks, Syrians and Egyptians to sing psalms, hymns and doxologies in liturgical shifts, without ceasing. After 20 years of continuous prayer and worship, they formed a mission team and travelled down the Euphrates, continuing to sing psalms day and night. Alexander became known as a ‘teacher and tutor for all’ through his preaching and care for the poor. Prayer fuelled the mission.
