Prayer for the Glory of God

Introduction

Several years ago, about 200 people gathered in my church’s worship center to watch the livestream of the Nationally Broadcast Concert of Prayer, produced by Dr. Bob Bakke and originating from Moody Church in Chicago. This was our first time hosting a national prayer event in our local church. I was the promoter and organizer of the gathering, but I had an additional job that night. I was in the sound booth with just one task—control the volume level.

The broadcast began with some music, and then we heard the voices of the cohosts—in Spanish!

Every head in the worship center turned and looked at me with puzzled and somewhat accusatory stares. All I could do was shrug and say, “Do you want your Spanish louder or softer?” (To this day, I do everything possible to stay out of the sound booth!)

Eventually, gifted people figured out the technical difficulties on the broadcast and we enjoyed our first concert of prayer led by national prayer leaders.

As the Waters Cover the Sea

This was my introduction to the gathering of believers in a larger and more unified prayer movement across our nation. In the years to follow, my prayer experiences expanded to include participation with the Global Day of Prayer—a collaborative movement of prayer in 200-plus nations of the earth. Just imagine praying toward the glory of God through every time zone on the earth, beginning in Fiji and circling the globe! That was the beauty of the Global Day of Prayer.

Since those early beginnings, Bob Bakke and I remain ministry friends. We continue to pursue unified prayer because he has also been my pastor for the past 14 years. His life verse—on all his correspondence and spoken often from the pulpit—is Habakkuk 2:14:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

     I’ve heard and read this passage so many times that I can easily quote it. And it has become one of my most hopeful prayers: that we will see the glory of God displayed throughout the earth in a way that no one can deny His power and majesty.

For the Glory of God

In this issue, David Bryant recounts the profound and holy moment when more than a million men got on their faces in the dirt on the National Mall to repent and be silent before the Lord. In that hushed and prolonged silence, the presence of Christ transformed countless men. Bryant demonstrates how seeking the glory of Christ will change the way you pray.

Jonathan Graf looks at how adding a simple “so that” to your prayers will extend your heart toward a Kingdom perspective. Ultimately, all our prayers benefit from seeking to showcase the glory of God.

Cristina Baker closes out our theme section by highlighting prayers that capture the fascination and intimacy of intentionally “beholding” Jesus. She writes about how “something supernatural and powerful happens when we pray and fix our eyes on Jesus.”

I’ve participated in years of marvelous national and global prayer movements. They are profound in seeking a greater revelation of Christ. They may not yet be the fulfillment of Habakkuk 2:14, but they certainly serve as a glimpse of the promise that’s to come.

May we soon see a worldwide flood of the glory of God in answer to our prayers—because Jesus is worthy!

CAROL MADISON is editor of Prayer Connect and author of Prayer That’s Caught and Taught (prayershop.org).