Someone asked David Blackwell and I this afternoon what we see God doing in the global church as it relates to prayer.  We’re certain that we don’t have the best perspective in order to answer this, but one thing we can be sure of as we talk to people from many nations of the earth is that people everywhere are increasingly hungry to pray.  They’re hungry for the reality of the presence of God.  They’re even talking about and longing for day and night prayer, no matter what that looks like in their particular contexts.
When I was invited to facilitate a 24-7 prayer room at the Gateway Camp in Hong Kong in July, I immediately said yes - I knew that this was a privilege that I didn’t want to miss.  Eleven hundred people from over 50 nations were to gather for a 5-day camp in the middle of Hong Kong, all poised to shoot off after the camp in mission teams (nearly 60 of them) to spots in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.  I pictured these teams like arrows pointing into China, each of them equipped with an experience of God and each carrying the priority of prayer and intercession as they turned outward toward the Chinese.  I quite easily lured my friend Marisa Chud to come along with me, and we arrived in Hong Kong a few days before the camp started, to put together a prayer room that would allow many an easy encounter with their God.

After we scrambled to purchase prayer room supplies at the Hong Kong IKEA (among other places) – lugging it all to the camp on the busy subways – and after some Hong Kong university students translated the Scriptures and prayer station directions into Chinese, we were ready. Johanna Ma (a 20-year old friend of mine from Hong Kong), Marisa, and I set up the space with the help of a few women from Spain.  We joined hands and together in Cantonese, Spanish, and English, we invited Jesus to meet with His friends in that room.

For five days and five nights, individuals and teams of people, both young and old, entered through the doors of this prayer room.  Johanna writes of her experience of both coordinating the prayer room and praying in it, “For me, God was speaking a lot about stepping out in faith and doing something when none of my peers are doing it with me…and I witnessed how important and precious personal time with God is - especially in the midst of a big conference/camp where hype and excitement is very likely to overrule the 'waiting for God in silence and meditation' stuff.”  

A team of men from Togo, who quite miraculously had been allowed a last-minute flight to Hong Kong by their government, got lost at 1:00 am one night on their way to the prayer room.  They walked for an hour and a half, trying to find this place where they were determined to offer up prayers of faith to a God they know to be faithful.  

Joe Fueille, a 2007 U.S. university graduate, writes that before he came to Hong Kong, he “felt this desperation to be involved in a prayer room.  I wasn't quite sure why, but something in my soul was starving for it.”  Here is part of his testimony from a daily 5-6am prayer slot: “That first morning when I dragged myself to the prayer room, I had no idea what God would do.  I started praying and it was incredible.  It felt as though God was smiling in approval, and the Spirit was moving in me and giving me words and showing me scriptures to pray.  I have never known that prayer could be so much fun.”  Joe soon moves to Nürnberg, Germany, and during this prayer room experience God encouraged him to start a 24-7 prayer room at the church he’ll be serving!

During the 5 days of the camp, a 20-year old Hong Kong guy daily skipped lunch, bringing his bottle of water to this 24-7 prayer room and bowing in humble prayer to Jesus.  He prayed for me in Cantonese one evening, and though I understood nothing of it, it was evident that he prayed with authority gained through clocking some serious time with Jesus.

Entire outreach teams prayed for the Chinese people before a map of China, and it soon became apparent that the room we’d chosen was much too small to contain the number who wanted to pray and to be with God.  My prayers both for this space to facilitate the meeting of God with His people and for prayer to increase on behalf of China were so beautifully answered in a common classroom tucked away in this big city.

Throughout the camp, we talked about this as a divinely set “kairos” season for the nation of China.  Kairos means “when history meets destiny”, and there’s a widespread sense that the history of China is meeting its destiny right now.  The 2008 Olympics are being held in Beijing, and the Chinese have invited the nations of the earth to be their guests for these Games which they have themed, “One world, one dream”.  I can’t help but believe that one of the reasons God is bringing China into international consciousness now in a way unlike, perhaps, ever, is so that we will pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done with this nation that contains 1/5 of the people on earth.

Let me know if you want to join me in praying for China.  Also, be sure to check out the Gateway Camp review video on youtube.com.