Night And Day

Night and Day

Let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. Hebrews 13:15

WHILE STILL IN SCHOOL, Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf and his friends established what they called the Order of the Mustard Seed—a spiritual “knighthood” under a covenant of radical service to Jesus. Over the years, that covenant influenced everything Zinzendorf did, the Moravian refugees gathered on his lands, and the prayer movement grew out of it. The Moravians became perhaps the first Protestants to send missionaries to distant lands, and they started a round-the-clock prayer watch in 1727 that continued for the next hundred years. Only eternity will tell how much this group of believers influenced the course of history.

Other round-the-clock prayer movements have been started in recent times, and we can appreciate the heart behind them. Just as King David, the man after God’s own heart, took the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, established the Tabernacle there, and set up priests and worshipers to minister continually before the Lord (1 Chronicles 16); just as Paul urged believers to pray without ceasing, at all times and in every situation (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17); and just as the writer of Hebrews called for a continual sacrifice of praise; many modern believers have seen the importance of prayer and worship in shaping lives, the community of believers, and the societies we are called to influence. History has demonstrated God’s powerful responses to those who seek him constantly.

No single person is called to pray around the clock. Our bodies were designed for sleep, and we are called to work, relate to family and friends, eat, and enjoy other activities. But the upward and inward interaction between our spirit and God’s can become as natural as breathing, which we do around the clock. Our prayers of faith can become like a heartbeat, always present, sometimes noticeable, and completely normal for those alive in him. Whenever your heart feels the inclination to bring God into the margins of your day—through prayer, worship music, celebration, and gratitude—it’s appropriate to honor that impulse. He is with us—and our prayers of faith can connect with him—every moment of every night and day.

Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.