We know throughout history that revival of the church has followed prayer meetings. Dr. Joel R. Beek wrote an article “Prayer Meetings and Revival in the Church.” He stated that the 1620’s revival in Ireland was spurred on by prayer meetings. So were awakenings in eighteenth-century revivals in Scotland.

Prior to the awakening in 1742, numerous prayer societies had sprung up. During the Great Awakening in Scotland, prayer meetings often began with children, then spread to adults.

Dr. Beeke also quoted Jonathan Edwards who said, “Citing Zechariah 8:20-22, that God’s rich promises encourage us to expect great success from corporate prayer.” He said:

“That which God abundantly makes the subject of his promises, God’s people should abundantly make the subject of their prayers.”

He concluded that when believers persevere in united, concerted prayer, God will grant a fresh revival, which “shall be propagated, till the awakening reaches those that are in the highest stations, and till whole nations be awakened.”

Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

Global Frontier Missions estimates that of the 7.75 billion people alive in the world today, 3.22 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

According to Joshua Project, there are approximately 17,400 unique people groups in the world with 7,000+ of them considered unreached (over 41% of the world’s population!) The vast majority (85%) of these least-reached groups exist in the 10/40 window, and less than 10% of missionary work is done among these people.

China has the world’s largest population (1.42 billion), followed by India (1.35 billion). India has 33 million gods in Hinduism. The largest Muslim population within a country is in Indonesia, a nation home to 12.7% of the world’s Muslims, followed by Pakistan (11%), and India (10. %).

We need fervent prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit, to break the power of Satan in these countries and bring the Gospel of Jesus to where Muslims pray 5 times per day and practice fasting one month per year during Ramadan. Hindus are recommended to pray twice a day, in the morning for power and evening for devotion.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 states:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

We pray. God works!

This introduction to the necessity of mission-focused intercessory prayer was written by Rev. Dr. Christina Sung, and is from the WCA Global Missional Partnerships Report of 2020. It still holds true today.