THE LORD’S WATCH
6pm-6am
September 15-16, 2012
House of Good Hope/Hartford House of Prayer
320 Brown Street, Hartford CT
Why do I organize 12 or 24 hour prayer watches? They are so much work to organize, and people seem to fall asleep in the middle of them. I’m exhausted for days afterwards. Why do I do this to myself and to my friends?
I can’t explain the reason, all I know is there is something in me that has a passion to pray all night. Whenever I read about past glories like the Moravian Movement, or the First & Second Great Awakening, or the 1850s revival, or Azuza Street or the Welsh Revival, a stirring rises up inside me. If it could happen in the past, why not now? I had been involved in previous moves of God; was saved and filled with the Spirit in the Charismatic Renewal in the 1970s, and had tasted a little of the Toronto Blessing & Pensacola Revial in the 1990s. They were not huge moves of God, but they were enough to make me hungry and thirsty for more. One of the songs that came out of Toronto and Pensacola was, “I Need You More”. Oh how I want more! I need more of God!
And I want to hang around people who also desperately need more of God.
It’s not about theology. It’s not about revelation. It’s about HIM. It’s about His Presence. I’ve had little tastes of God, but I so desperately need more! I don’t want it just for myself either. I want it for everyone. I desperately want to see lives change. I want to see souls saved. I want to see lives transformed. I’ve seen a little. There have been wonderful healings and marvelous deliverances in the short time this house of prayer has been in existence. But there must be more! There HAS to be more!
INNER COURT
The Lord has been drawing me to the inner court. Last winter as I was reading Ezekiel 40-48, the Lord spoke a strong word to me. He revealed to me that I was “living in the outer court”, only visiting the “inner court”, when He was calling me to live in the “inner court” and only visit the “outer court”. I was doing it backwards! Of course the “outer court” is where the glory is. Preaching and prophesying goes on in the outer court. People see you and are attracted to you in the outer court. You can look really good in the outer court. You can fake it well in the outer court. But when you are in the Inner Court, all alone and face-to-face with God, King of Kings, King of the Universe, Creator of all things, you can’t fake it there. People also don’t see you in the Inner Court. It’s just you and HIM. You miss all the “shake it and bake it” conferences. You miss the latest popular preacher or worship leader who comes to town. You miss much because your life is hidden in God. There’s no glory in the Inner Court. But this is a place of intimacy. This is the place where you meet face-to-face with GOD and your life is drastically changed. You also begin to realize there is more Power in the Inner Court, and not in the conferences, or latest popular message. You realize you can be more powerfully effective in the Inner Court, and not in the outer court. Moses lived in the Inner Court and only visited the outer court. So did Joshua, and Elijah. Not only were their lives drastically changed when these Bible heroes lived in the Inner Court, the atmosphere around them was changed. History was re-written! They faced down horrible giants and the Lord was glorified through them. Countries were birthed or changed because they poured out their lives in the Inner Court.
Things happen after believers poured their lives out to God! Revivals took place when groups of people come together to enter the Inner Chamber and cry out to God. There were lightenings, thunderings, mighty rushing winds when groups of people came together to pray. Drunkards and partyers ran out of bars and nightclubs, and ran to churches to get saved; not because of some powerful evangelist who came to town, but because groups of people poured out their lives in prayer. If it happened then, why not now? Why not here?
I invite you to come into the Inner Chamber with me this Saturday evening. Come for an hour, come and spend the entire night in worship and prayer. Let’s spend the night in worship and intercession, allow God’s Presence change us!
The prayer watch starts at 6:00 pm Saturday, September 15 and will go to 6:00 am Sunday September 16. House of Good Hope is located at 320 Brown Street, Hartford – the corner of Brown and Maple Avenue.