We are all familiar with missionaries who focus on preaching or ministering to the poor, but the Lord is also calling forth a new type of missionary that is essential to completing the Great Commission, people of God whose mission is intercession.
In the gospel of Luke, Anna the prophetess prayed and fasted night and day in the temple for over sixty years just prior to the First Coming of Jesus. Anna proclaimed the Lord’s coming redemption (Luke 2:36-38). The Holy Spirit is raising up men, women, and children like Anna once again to pray, fast and preach prior to Jesus’ Second Coming.
Intercession and worship are the means that God has chosen to establish His kingdom on the earth. Prayer changes the spiritual atmosphere over cities and nations (Psalm 149). As we behold the Lord in worship, we understand His heart and can agree with His will.
Jesus’ desire was that the kingdom and the will of God would be completely manifest on the earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). He longs to build His kingdom in intimate relationship with human beings. As the church all over the globe and these full-time watchmen persistently cry out day and night, He promises to release speedy justice and establish the kingdom of God on the earth (Luke 11:9-13, Luke 18:7-8).
An intercessory missionary is one who has been divinely “set on the wall” of intercession, who would give the Lord no rest in prayer until His desires are fully brought forth on the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7). This calling is selfless by definition – it is a giving of oneself wholeheartedly to God’s agenda, with the knowledge that His plan and purpose is far greater than anything man could possibly devise (Deuteronomy 6:5, Joel 2:17).
Historical Inspiration for an “Intercessory Missions Base”
Ancient Israel—King David organized prophetic singers and musicians to lead corporate worship and intercession 24 hours a day in Jerusalem before the Ark of the Lord. The names of the singers and musicians are even listed in 1 Chronicles 13-16, and 23-25. Many Psalms were the songs in the tabernacle.
Herrnhut, Germany, 1727—A German nobleman, Nicholaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf (1700-1760), gathered persecuted Christians from Moravia to his large estate in Germany that he named Herrnhut (“Watch of the Lord”). They began a prayer meeting that continued 24 hours a day for 120 years resulting in the first Protestant missions movement.
Bangor, Ireland, 555 A.D.—A Celtic monk named Comgall and his co-worker Columbanus gathered 3000 monks to a place called Bangor (“the High Choir”). They began a prayer meeting that continued with singing 24 hours a day for 300 years resulting in the first Celtic missions movement.
Clairvaux, France, 1120—A Catholic monk named Bernard gathered 700 monks to a valley called Clairvaux (“Light”). They began a prayer meeting that continued 24 hours a day for many years resulting in a dynamic release of evangelism through signs and wonders across all Europe.