A Sign of Hope from YWAM Europe
THINK FOR A MOMENT OF HOW MANY TYPES OF PRAYER INITIATIVES THERE HAVE BEEN IN RECENT YEARS. RIGHT NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RAMADAN PRAYER SEASON FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD. HAS THERE EVER BEEN A TIME IN HISTORY WHERE SO MANY FOLLOWERS OF JESUS HAVE PRAYED FOR THE WORLD’S MUSLIMS?
And has there ever been a time in history where God has been
at work among Muslims in such a sovereign way, revealing
himself to seekers through dreams and visions?
I sometimes wonder what some of the old 17th century Puritan
leaders would think if they could see what was happening in the
world today. As they read their Bibles, they saw many promises
as yet unfulfilled, concerning what God wanted to do in the
world. They understood that these promises would only be
come true when God’s people prayed. They held on to
scriptures that talked of the glory of the Lord covering the earth as
the waters covered the sea (Hab. 2:14); or that all the nations
would come and worship before God (Ps. 86:.9).
They believed that revivals and awakenings would see the
Kingdom of God extended in successive waves, in answer to the
prayers of God’s people. And so they stressed the priority of
prayer.
Jonathan Edwards, a late Puritan preacher in the 18th century,
invented the concept of concerts of prayer. That had little to do
with music and performances, but was based on the original
meaning of the word ‘concert’ - as in ‘a concerted
effort’, something done together with others.
CONCERTS
A prayer concert was based on the promise: ‘if two of
you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask,
it will be done for them by My Father in heaven’ (Mt.
18:19,20). Taking that at face value, Edwards realised
that concerted prayer was a real powerhouse! He
began to organise people from different churches
across a city to come together to pray - and revivals
broke out on the west coast of America. Today we
call that period the Great Awakening.
Around the same time, In Herrnhut, Germany, the
Moravians experienced their own Awakening and
began praying through the day, through the week, through the
month and through the year, for almost a full century! This was
the powerhouse that released the Modern Missionary Movement.
Compared to today, these prayer movements involved relatively few
people from very few countries. I don’t think there has ever been
such a broad and varied global prayer movement as there is today!
And has there ever been a time in history where God has been
at work among Muslims in such a sovereign way, revealing
himself to seekers through dreams and visions?
I sometimes wonder what some of the old 17th century Puritan
leaders would think if they could see what was happening in the
world today. As they read their Bibles, they saw many promises
as yet unfulfilled, concerning what God wanted to do in the
world. They understood that these promises would only be
come true when God’s people prayed. They held on to
scriptures that talked of the glory of the Lord covering the earth as
the waters covered the sea (Hab. 2:14); or that all the nations
would come and worship before God (Ps. 86:.9).
They believed that revivals and awakenings would see the
Kingdom of God extended in successive waves, in answer to the
prayers of God’s people. And so they stressed the priority of
prayer.
Jonathan Edwards, a late Puritan preacher in the 18th century,
invented the concept of concerts of prayer. That had little to do
with music and performances, but was based on the original
meaning of the word ‘concert’ - as in ‘a concerted
effort’, something done together with others.
CONCERTS
A prayer concert was based on the promise: ‘if two of
you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask,
it will be done for them by My Father in heaven’ (Mt.
18:19,20). Taking that at face value, Edwards realised
that concerted prayer was a real powerhouse! He
began to organise people from different churches
across a city to come together to pray - and revivals
broke out on the west coast of America. Today we
call that period the Great Awakening.
Around the same time, In Herrnhut, Germany, the
Moravians experienced their own Awakening and
began praying through the day, through the week, through the
month and through the year, for almost a full century! This was
the powerhouse that released the Modern Missionary Movement.
Compared to today, these prayer movements involved relatively few
people from very few countries. I don’t think there has ever been
such a broad and varied global prayer movement as there is today!
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