Why a regional Prayer Room?

Why a regional prayer-room?  This question can be answered in part by understanding what a prayer-room is.  Please see our article, What Is A Prayer-Room?  But the question here is not why a prayer-room? but why a regional prayer-room?

Many churches and Christian ministries have a prayer team or weekly prayer meeting which serve to intercede for the needs of the congregation and the direction of the ministry as a whole.  Sometimes larger events are created to focus corporate prayer on a specific target within a city or region.  Often, these little prayer teams, meeting, and corporate events differ widely in terms of their style, format, and goal.  But these differences can be a wonderful reality as we serve a God who delights to express Himself through diversity.  A regional prayer-room does not seek to replace these or to necessarily educate the church on “the right way” to pray. 

A regional prayer-room would intend to undergird a particular set of values by working together with the purposes of God for the local church.  Many intercessors have become frustrated with the pastor or ministry leaders in their local church because of what they perceive to be a lack of focus on prayer.  Likewise, many pastors and ministry leaders can become frustrated by a perceived lack of depth and commitment by many in the congregation when it comes to a commitment to pray.  A regional prayer room would help to facilitate prayer by intentionally creating an environment in which many can come and pray together.     

FIVE KEY VALUES FOR REGIONAL PRAYER ROOM

 JOYFUL PRAYER

God defines His house as a house of prayer for all nations (Is.56:7).  God promises to make the peoples of the earth joyful in His house of prayer.  In eternity, gladness decorates the people of God and describes God Himself (Ps.38:6, 45:7, Rev.22:1-2).  As we engage God in the place of prayer the reality of His gladness begins to touch us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Jesus exhorted His disciples to pray to the Father who sees in secret (Matt.6:6).  Devotional prayer allows for the secret place of communion with God to be developed and enriched in the heart of each believer.  The Spirit is our escort into the fellowship of the trinity (1 Cor.2:9-10).  Jesus longs for His people to live in the reality of eternal, divine love (Jn.17:21-23)

CORPORATE PRAYER

The Bible defines the people of God as a praying family, a household of priests (Eph.2:19, 1 Pt.2:5).  The apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian congregations to sing together in order that God would release the filling of His Spirit to a city-wide people (Eph.5:17-19).  Timothy is commanded to participate in healthy spiritual community with “those that call on the name of the Lord” (2 Tim.2:22).  Paul prayed that, together, believers in a city would have fellowship with one another in order to begin to grasp the fullness of the love of God (Eph.3:17-19).

CHRISTOCENTRIC AND BIBLICAL PRAYER

In Heaven worship revolves around the Father and His exalted Son, Jesus.  The God-man Jesus is the glorious centerpiece to the eternal purposes of God (Eph.1:10).  He is the eternal Word of God, both the mirror image and the full expression of the beauty of the uncreated God.  Heaven declares that He is worthy of all praise and all honor! (Rev.4:11, 4:12-13).  Therefore, in the language of our prayer and our worship He is central.

SUSTAINED PRAYER WITH WORSHIP

Heaven is the center of ceaseless worship and intercession (Rev.5:8-9).  The eternal model for prayer is not event driven nor crisis driven -it is fueled endlessly by the glorious revelation of the beauty of a trinitarian God (Rev.4).  An eternal priesthood offers the sacrifice of praise before the throne of God forever.  Eternal worship is God-centered and musical and the prayers of the saints, like incense, are offered together with it.    

FIVE KEY PURPOSES OF A REGIONAL PRAYER ROOM

 TO SERVE AS A HUB AND A CATALYST FOR PRAYER WITHIN A REGION

A regional prayer-room provides a landing place for intercessors to engage with the Lord together as a means of strength and encouragement.  Many will participate in a regional prayer room, drawing strength and insight daily or weekly.  This strength will fuel them as they lead in their own ministries and their local churches.

TO EQUIP A PREISTHOOD TO MINISTER BEFORE TH ELORD

We are a kingdom of priests -called according to His will, sanctified by His Spirit, and washed in His blood (1 Pt.2:9-10).  The privilege of the priest is access to God’s presence to behold Him and minister before Him (Ezek.44:16, 45:4).  This is not just our assignment it is a central pillar in our identity.  We have been given the ministry of beholding Christ’s beauty that we might be transformed into His glorious image (2 Cor.3:18-4:1).

TO PRAY FOR THE REGIONAL CHURCH

We gather to pray for the regional church, not to draw from the regional church.  Our goal is to intercede for the purposes of God to be established in and through His people in a city and region.  Nearly all the prayers prayed by the apostles in the New Testament are prayed for the benefit of the church spread across an entire city. 

TO CONTEND FOR THE DESTINY OF THE BUFFALO-NIAGARA REGIO

The scripture is consistent in that the people of God are tasked with the privilege and the duty of contending in prayer for the welfare of the city and region in which they live (Jer.29:7, Ezek.22:30, Joel 2:12-18, 1 Tim.2:1-4).  The prayers of the saints are effective in resisting darkness and in releasing the provision and glory of God (Eph.6:18).  One can put to flight a thousand and two can put to flight ten thousand.  God desires that His glory would fill every city of the earth.  The prayers of the saints open and keep open the doors to that divine desire (1 Ki.17:1, 18:1, 37,38,39, 41-45).  

TO TRAIN, EQUIP, AND MOBILIZE PRAYER FROM AND WITHIN A REGION

God raises up spiritual leaders to watch over, train, equip, and establish His people in the work to which He has called them.  It is no different with the ministry of intercession.  Both priests and Levites underwent training in order to minister to the Lord and to serve in His house.  King David gave the later years of his life and his finances to train singers and musicians to serve before the Ark of the Covenant in perpetual ministry to God (1 Chron.1:15-17:27).