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About 24-7 Prayer
I'm sitting here with writers' block trying to express cogently and succinctly what 24-7 is internationally and the emphasis that the Lord has been placing on us here in Canada as we walk out this journey. I must admit I feel a little bit like the Abbess from the Sound of Music, "how do you catch a cloud and pin it down." 24-7 is an amazing story of God’s direction and leading in spite of our lack of clarity and foreknowledge. Perhaps the best introduction to 24-7 would be for you to get Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig and read for yourself the amazing story of God’s direction often, admittedly, in spite of us!
Simply put 24-7Prayer is an organization that exists to foster a lifestyle of Christ-centered and mission minded prayer. This has taken many forms as you can see by exploring the international site, which is a fantastic resource to learn all the details of the movement.
C.S.Lewis is reported to have commented to a friend during his wife’s terminal illness, “prayer doesn’t change God, prayer changes me.” In our journey as Christians we often resort to prayer as a bit of a superstitious chant to incant over our events and plans rather than seeing it as the life blood of communication with God. When prayer is viewed this way the goal is not that God would bless ‘our’ plans and decisions, but rather that our plans and decisions would be God’s plans and decisions and that He would lead and guide us. Prayer then is the first step not the last step!
Often people wonder if this kind of emphasis on prayer will lead to myopia or as the common idiom suggests people might be ‘too heavenly minded for any earthly good.’ In actuality our experience has been the exact opposite. As people have spent significant time in a prayer room setting aside time in communication with God, they actually become a force to be reckoned with, moving to the ends of the earth, offering their time, their money and their lives to the Lord. Community houses spring up offering not just respite through consistent rhythms of prayer and worship, but cultural engagement and influence as those around them experience for themselves the reality of Emmanuel, ‘with us God!’
Hopefully that gives you a little bit of a flavour for who we are as a movement. I’m sure that you may have many other practical questions: how many people are needed to pray for a week, practical suggestions for pulling a room together, history of prayer rooms and loads of other stuff. In the coming months we will add to the links below updating and making available all kinds of resources and information for groups.
For the Canadian leadership team,
Chris Jones
Simply put 24-7Prayer is an organization that exists to foster a lifestyle of Christ-centered and mission minded prayer. This has taken many forms as you can see by exploring the international site, which is a fantastic resource to learn all the details of the movement.
C.S.Lewis is reported to have commented to a friend during his wife’s terminal illness, “prayer doesn’t change God, prayer changes me.” In our journey as Christians we often resort to prayer as a bit of a superstitious chant to incant over our events and plans rather than seeing it as the life blood of communication with God. When prayer is viewed this way the goal is not that God would bless ‘our’ plans and decisions, but rather that our plans and decisions would be God’s plans and decisions and that He would lead and guide us. Prayer then is the first step not the last step!
Often people wonder if this kind of emphasis on prayer will lead to myopia or as the common idiom suggests people might be ‘too heavenly minded for any earthly good.’ In actuality our experience has been the exact opposite. As people have spent significant time in a prayer room setting aside time in communication with God, they actually become a force to be reckoned with, moving to the ends of the earth, offering their time, their money and their lives to the Lord. Community houses spring up offering not just respite through consistent rhythms of prayer and worship, but cultural engagement and influence as those around them experience for themselves the reality of Emmanuel, ‘with us God!’
Hopefully that gives you a little bit of a flavour for who we are as a movement. I’m sure that you may have many other practical questions: how many people are needed to pray for a week, practical suggestions for pulling a room together, history of prayer rooms and loads of other stuff. In the coming months we will add to the links below updating and making available all kinds of resources and information for groups.
For the Canadian leadership team,
Chris Jones
