We are part of a growing global prayer movement. Over the past two decades, the Holy Spirit has been emphasizing a global prayer movement across the earth. These unique expressions are focused on exalting Jesus 24/7 through night and day prayer and worship. This unique expression can be traced back to King David. Around 1000 BC, as an overflow of his heart, he commanded that the ark of the covenant be brought up on the shoulders of the Levites amidst the sound of songs and musical instruments to the new capital, Jerusalem. There he had it placed in a tent and appointed 288 prophetic singers and 4,000 musicians to minister before the Lord, “to make petition, to give thanks and to praise the Lord” day and night (1 Chr. 15:1–17:27). This was unlike anything that had been done in Israel’s history. Since then praying communities and houses of prayer have been established around the world ranging from the monks (400-900 AD) to Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians (1727-1837) to Pastor David Yonggi Cho in Seoul, South Korea (1973).
In 1999, The International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, started a worship-based prayer meeting, which has since continued for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That same year Pete Greig began a student-led prayer vigil in Chichester, England, which led to the founding of 24/7 Prayer, an international, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission, and justice. Since 1999, tens of thousands of other houses of prayer and praying ministries have been established in nearly every nation. Currently, there are 25,000+ houses of prayer around the world. This is an incredible and dramatic sign of what God is doing in our generation!