By Peter Burgo
I recently received a letter from a dear old saint lamenting the demise of the Wednesday night prayer meeting. It was an all-too-familiar lament, which I sometimes too eagerly write off as a nostalgic plea (and shame on me for that).
But this was not simply an octogenarian’s longing for the good old days. It was a loyal believer’s deep, agonizing concern for the minimization of one of the most powerful tools of the Church: the gathering of God’s people to shake the foundations of heaven in order that God’s purposes be fulfilled on earth.
When John Stumbo accepted the mantle to lead The Alliance, he vowed to seek God earnestly and vigorously for the task set before him, confessing, “Once again I find myself in a situation that so far exceeds my capacity that I am thrust into a place of dependence upon Him.” In doing so, he assumed the spiritual posture set forth by our founder: absolute reliance on the promised presence, power and provision of the Holy Spirit for the proclamation of Christ to an unbelieving world.
On Wednesday, February 26, President Stumbo and the Alliance Board of Directors hosted a Praise and Prayer event in Colorado Springs, welcoming the Holy Spirit throughout the Alliance family; celebrating Jesus—His life, His sacrifice, His call upon our lives and the advancement of His gospel throughout the world; and calling on the Father to
- Raise up and strengthen godly, anointed, humble leaders
- Empower us to live out our call as a Christ-centered, Acts 1:8 family
- Anoint and protect our workers in volatile locations
And so the Wednesday night prayer meeting was re-ignited on a global scale as churches and individuals from 46 states and 24 countries participated in the event via live stream. Some of their comments and prayers:
“What a sweet night with our Alliance family and our Lord, what a great finish to a full day. What a marvelous God we serve!”
“Somos un cuerpo en Cristo, aleluya!!”
“O Abba Daddy, Your Presence is so sweet. Speak, Lord, I’m listening.”
“Thanks for the privilege to join together with you around the throne with the team here in Hong Kong.”
So are we serious about prayer? Maybe not like we should be . . . but we’re getting there. Stay tuned for more news about the next global praise and prayer event and how you or your church can join in.
What You Can Do
Pray
The prayers of the Alliance family allow Alliance workers to live and serve all over the world. Pray with the rest of the Alliance family using our weekly Alliance Prayer requests.
Read
Read this and other articles in the April 2014 online edition of alife magazine.
Watch
Watch the archived event on our Praise & Prayer archive page.