“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
(Psalm 127:1)
Continuing my What I’m Praying series, recently I’ve had it on my heart to pray for God to build specific houses of prayer.
A few weeks ago, a friend from Kansas City who now serves at a house of prayer in another state reached out to me to ask a few questions about how to logistically strengthen their house of prayer and how to impart vision for it. As we’ve been talking, I’ve begun carrying a prayer for that ministry to be strengthened and be renewed in fresh vision, with supernatural grace to move forward stronger than ever.
Yesterday, I heard from my director, Brad Stroup at The Prayer Room, who was leading a house of prayer leadership gathering in Orlando, that he met the directors of that house of prayer – the very one my friend and I have been praying for – and that they were so encouraged by the gathering and felt strengthened with fresh fire and vision! It looks like Brad might even travel there on a consulting trip to offer his expertise in the administrative logistics of building the house.
When I heard all this in our team meeting, and then heard the name of the house of prayer and realized it was the one my friend was at, I freaked out and started crying.
GOD IS BUILDING THE HOUSE. In one weekend, He broke in, sent fresh wind, and loudly affirmed His commitment to see that house of prayer thrive and be a beacon of His glory in that region.
Ever since I launched Fragrance Arise a few weeks ago, I’ve been privileged to connect with houses of prayer and Burn 24/7 groups all over the world (mostly on Instagram — follow me if you’re not!). I’ve loved praying for these houses of prayer, keeping in mind Psalm 127:1 – “Unless the Lord builds the house…”
It has to be Him. This whole movement is supernatural from beginning to end. The fuel in our tanks is completely Holy Spirit. We need Him to break in and give us grace to keep going, divine ideas to grow, and supernatural provision to sustain us. And every moment, we need more of His presence to move among us.
If you’re part of a house of prayer or a praying community, please leave a prayer request for it in the comments, and take a moment to pray for the other ministries represented. Leave comments encouraging and praying for others. Let’s lift each other up and ask the Lord to build His house all over the earth.
God, build Your house of prayer all over the earth! Impart vision, provide resources, and give grace to keep going. Let Jesus have His inheritance in us.
Happy 2018, friends! It’s been quite the busy holiday season… and when I got home from California and Kansas City, I was immediately hit with preparations for The Prayer Room’s School of Supernatural Ministry! Now that it has officially launched on January 20, I can catch my breath and catch up on some blog posts.
The first thing I want to share with you is my highlight video from 2017! When I went home for Christmas, I hosted an open house for some of my friends and partners, and I shared with them this video. I’m delighted to be able to finally share it with you!
First, quick update: I’m currently in Wisconsin visiting my dear friends Abigail and Rondale, whom I know from IHOPU and whose wedding I was privileged to be in last July. It’s been a lovely few days hanging out, watching LOTS of Netflix, and tagging along with their normal life stuff. I’ll be in Texas on Wednesday, January 18, and then my new life as a full-time intercessory missionary with The Prayer Room Missions Base will officially begin!
However, this post is mostly not about me. This post is about something EPICLY HUGE that God is doing in the DFW region. The Prayer Room is participating wholeheartedly, but it’s so much bigger than us. Time to Revive is a ministry that tours the country mobilising dozens or hundreds of churches in a city to unite and strategically spread the gospel through their whole region. The focus is on awakening the church to pursue revival in their cities.
This spring, from April 16 through June 4, 2017, Time to Revive is launching a 50 day campaign in Dallas-Ft. Worth called Revive Texas.
Revive Texas will unite the church (hundreds of churches across many denominations) in an unprecedented way to come together in prayer and go out together to share the gospel. I’m so excited for what this will do for church unity in the region and also for the incredible testimonies we’re about to hear!
Check out this video to find out more about the vision and strategy behind this movement:
The DFW region has been divided into ten smaller regions, each of which will have its own host churches and outreach teams. To my understanding, having ten regions is something Time to Revive has never done before in any other city. We’re basically getting ten revival campaigns for the price of one! I will be in the green area centred around the city of Arlington. Every day for 50 days, local believers will come together at host churches for fellowship, prayer, and training, and then will be sent out in small teams to pray for people and share the gospel using a very simple evangelistic model. People are welcome to participate in as much or as little of the schedule as they are able.
7-8am: corporate prayer
8-9am: community breakfast
9-10am: training
10am – 12pm: outreach (go out in teams to pray for local churches)
12-1pm: testimony time (share what God did during the outreach)
1-2pm: community lunch
2-3pm: training
3-5pm: outreach (go out to pray for people and share the Gospel)
5:30pm: community dinner
7-9pm: evening service (teaching, testimonies, worship)
Each of the ten regions will have a prayer hub covering the outreach in prayer with worship for several hours each day. These ten prayer hubs will be existing local houses of prayer that are smaller than The Prayer Room but already have the vision and structure in place to lead the charge in intercession.
On top of these ten smaller prayer hubs, The Prayer Room will serve as a central prayer hub with 24/7 prayer and worship for all 50 days. This is huge for us. We already are doing 18 hours a day, and even outside of Revive Texas we’re just a few steps away from being able to launch a night watch that will make us continually 24/7. Since we already have the vision and structure in place, the extra people and motivational oomph of Revive Texas will enable us to carry the torch 24/7 for these 50 days. Hopefully, some of the people who join us and the other local houses of prayer for this campaign will stick around after June 4, and the entire prayer movement in DFW will be strengthened long-term.
Check out the video below, and also THIS LINK about The Prayer Room’s involvement in Revive Texas:
If you live in the DFW region, you can find out how to get involved at
ReviveTX.org.
I am so excited about all God is going to do during Revive Texas. I will keep you all updated as preparations unfold, and I will certainly share testimonies as the campaign gets underway.
In the meantime, here’s how you can pray:
Unity, vision, and hunger for revival in DFW churches
Wisdom and strength for the leaders
Necessary funding and logistics to land
Hearts to be prepared, both in believers and the unbelievers we will encounter
“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into his harvest.'”
(Luke 10:2)
Guess what – I spent last week in Texas! I flew out to be part of The Prayer Room’s annual staff retreat, and it was a very welcome time of refreshing and re-envisioning.
On Friday we drove out to a huge retreat house on a farm. We spent the weekend playing games (Farkle, Pit, and Silent Football are always huge hits!), eating food, and generally enjoying each other’s company as a family. We also did some teambuilding games (which may or may not have drawn out the spirit of competition moreso than cooperation!), toasted marshmallows around a bonfire while retelling funny stories from the early days of the ministry that have become community classics, and met in the living room every morning and evening for prayer, discussion, vision casting, and individual encouragement.
Teambuilding. We were connected in a long line with our ankles tied together.Twinning with my dear friend and fellow IHOPU grad Rhoda!The dice game Farkle was a favourite pastime. I’m in the plaid on the right behind Brad. In my first game I didn’t get ANY points, and in my second game I got over 8000.While we were gone, IHOPU sent one of its best student worship teams to run our prayer room and our Saturday night service. God bless these guys for keeping the fire on the altar and serving with such joy and faithfulness!
I am so, so blessed to be a part of this family. I love that God has allowed me to visit five times since I finished my externship there last year. Next time I’m back in January, it will be to STAY!! God has entrusted The Prayer Room with a powerful mandate to build night and day prayer and worship until His return, and I’m so excited and honoured that He has invited me to join them.
This is a crew of people who passionately and sacrificially follow the call of God and pour out everything for His glory. They honour Him and each other so well, even in the midst of deep struggles that would tear many other ministries apart. The humility and zeal for truth I’ve seen in this community provoke me frequently to step up my game and lean on Jesus more and let Him transform me into His likeness. I’m eternally grateful that in calling me to leave all I have known in California, my Father has given me these people as family.
(Keep scrolling and then keep scrolling some more, because I’ve got a lot of pictures for you today!)
I’ve finally graduated from college for the second time… but this time feels far more significant than when I got my bachelor’s from APU in 2010. At IHOPU, I have received invaluable teaching and discipleship in an environment saturated with prayer, worship, and the Word. I’ve caught a vision for what God is doing in raising up a global prayer and worship movement in our generation. I’ve gained a family passionately devoted to the fame of Jesus being spread throughout the earth. I’ve been equipped to teach, lead, prophesy, pray, sing, and serve. Most importantly, I’ve encountered a God who is stunningly incredible in every way, who is 100% committed to me and really likes me, and who actually does stuff when I talk to Him.
Last weekend, I walked across a stage with 82 other four-year graduates. My parents flew out from California to see me, and a few local friends came to the ceremony as well.
Graduating from IHOPU feels bittersweet. I did what I set out to do and I know that my season here is done, and I really feel like I got good fellowship and closure in the final days, but I will miss this place and these people greatly.
Receiving my diploma from Allen Hood, president of IHOPUMy parents flew all the way from California to see me!Abigail, my roommate and dear friend
In my small group during my last week, my leaders asked us each to summarise what God was teaching us during that past season. As I think back over the four years I’ve been in IHOPU, I can identify separate banners over each year.
Freshman year: VISION
During my freshman year, I started as an intern in the One Thing Internship. Not only did I grow in prayer and intimacy with Jesus, but the entire rhythm and focus of my life shifted. I blogged about this vision that was growing within me several times (HERE and HERE, for starters), and concluded that season with a conviction that God really is raising up a global movement of 24/7 prayer and worship in our generation, because the darkness is getting darker but the return of Jesus is right around the corner, and He WILL have a bride made ready.
Internship graduation, freshman year
Sophomore year: GRACE.
Now that I had a brand new idea of what my life was supposed to look like, I struggled to live up to it. I really wanted to pursue Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength with undistracted focus, but I was constantly in cycles of condemnation feeling like I was failing. I still don’t know if I’ve found a good balance, but I have a lot more peace now than I did then. I had to keep relearning grace every week.
Small group, sophomore year
Junior year: HEALING
After experiencing a heartbreak the week before school started, I had to walk through a LOT of healing that year. (Find my blogs reflecting on that season HERE and HERE.) It was a time of shattered emotions and many, many tears, but I encountered the tender heart of the Father who lets me just cry in His lap when I can’t even muster the energy to pray. I learned to love Him more as I fought to trust Him every day. It hurt like hell, but there was such a tender nearness during that time–and there did finally come a progressive breakthrough into freedom and joy. I am wiser, stronger, and more open-hearted because of the events of that year, I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.
JPR worship team, junior year
Senior year: LEADERSHIP
In between my Dallas externship and College Station ministry trip (read about those HERE and HERE), I feel like this year has been about taking ownership of what I’ve learned and stepping up to do something with it. God has grown a lot of confidence in me this year, and I’ve come to realise that even though I have so much more to discover and grow in, I actually have internalised a lot and I have something to offer in ministry. I really can preach and pray and prophesy and lead worship. I really can rally, envision, and organise a team. God called me into this thing, and He’s already given me enough tools to take a few steps and get going.
Dallas externship, senior year
In my final few weeks, I’ve thought a lot about the vision God planted in me during my first year. I really do believe it. I believe that God’s deepest desire is a restoration of perfect intimacy with us, and 24/7 prayer and worship that reflects the reality of heaven is a key part of how we’re going to get there. I believe that in this final era of history, God is raising up a new song of night and day worship and intercession for justice from the Church as His lovesick bride in every corner of the earth, and He will use this global worship movement to usher in the return of Jesus and the restoration of creation.
It’s a big vision, but I’m fully bought in.
So what’s next? I’ll be home in California for the rest of the year, preparing to launch into full-time ministry at The Prayer Room in January 2017 (read more about that HERE). I plan to be there indefinitely, which doesn’t necessarily mean forever, but no matter what comes next, I know God is writing my story and more importantly, He’s writing me into His story.
Every time I look back and remember how God has led me, I melt in awe and gratitude. He’s been so, so good to me.
Catch me up in Your story All my life for Your glory –“All Is For Your Glory” by Lisa Gotshall
