And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?' Luke 18:7
WE don’t often go to sleep at night thinking that someone, somewhere in the world is praying and will continue to do so as we rest! Writes Stephanie Parker Chagas (Centre for Spiritual Life Development, International Headquarters). This concept, however, is at the heart of 24-7 Prayer, which consists of people taking turns to pray, day in, day out for an established length of time.
Since January 2011, Salvationists worldwide have been called to pray non-stop as part of the Global Call to 24-7 Prayer – A Day and Night Cry for Justice, based on the parable of the persistent widow found in Luke 18:1-8. We know that the times in which we live call for nothing less than Salvationists to be on their knees before the One who alone can bring about a restoration of justice on the earth – even a holiness revival.
To pursue continued unity in prayer as a worldwide Salvation Army, from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 June the Centre for Spiritual Life Development (CSLD) will be promoting a Global Call to 24-7 Prayer Focus Week to encourage:
- Salvationists around the world to continue or begin long-term 24-7 Prayer in their corps, centres and headquarters. Daily videos featuring testimonies and experiences on how to pray 24-7 along with a prayer resource will be available on the CSLD’s website and social media pages.
- Salvationists to join together in a special worldwide 24-7 Prayer initiative for one week. A sign-up sheet is available on the website so that a person from any part of the world can register a commitment to pray for an hour or more during the focus week, according to their country and time zone, either alone or praying together with others.
To help unite the Army in focused intercession there will also be a daily prayer focus with subjects including justice, the international Salvation Army, and local and personal issues.
In Luke 18:8 Jesus concludes his teaching with the question: 'However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?' May The Salvation Army be part of the faith he finds as it seeks to be first and foremost an Army on its knees.
