At a pastor’s prayer luncheon in Austin, Texas, pastors gathered in unity across the body of Christ to celebrate 11 years of Unceasing Prayer! That means there are no gaps in the wall of prayer in Austin, Texas 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Intercessors are seeking God for their city, county, state and nation continually day after day, week after week, month after month and…now, 11 years in, there are currently 100+ churches involved. At the luncheon there were many new pastors who have decided that their churches need to be a part of what God is doing in their city through this unceasing prayer movement!

The powerful vision to see the Austin area covered in unceasing prayer began with one pastor and his wife prayerwalking their neighborhood. Trey Kent, and his wife, Mary Anne, pastor the Northwest Fellowship in Austin. As Trey says, “Unexpectedly, God dropped the idea in my heart – How easy would it be to see our city covered in unceasing prayer if one church adopted 1 day of prayer each month? That moment not only started this pursuit, but started a transformation within my heart related to prayer, renewed passion for God and a growing desire to see our city transformed!”

Trey and another pastor in Austin, Kie Bowman (former pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church), have now written a book together called City of Prayer! It is an inspiring and informative read that I highly recommend if you are interested in seeing your city transformed by the power of prayer!

The Vision

The original vision shared with the greater Austin area churches, and which could easily be adopted in every city/region in our nation and around the world (as it has been in Whatcom County, Washington, the entire state of New Mexico, and other cities and regions around the United States) is this:

• To see our city/region covered in unceasing prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) by 31+ churches until Jesus returns!
• To see a unified church with one heart, one mind and one prayer to see God transform our city/region!
• To see a growing number of pastors leading their churches in 24 hours (1 day) a month in unceasing prayer! (As we have mentioned, there are over 100 churches now involved in the Austin area). The excitement and enthusiasm is high as pastors see what God can do through uniting their hearts with one another in prayer.

The Commitment

How does this work? It’s the simplest of strategies based on the call to post watchmen on the walls (Isaiah 62:6-7). To commit to this Unceasing Prayer Initiative:

1. the senior pastor must sign up the church.
2. the church will choose a specific date such as the “5th” of each month, or choose 1 day a month to cover in prayer (for example your church could adopt the first Monday or third Tuesday, etc. of each month). You will have that day for a 1-year commitment.
3. the church will raise up prayer warriors to cover the 24 hours of prayer each month.

Once a year, the Austin area pastors come together for lunch to celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do in response to a united, praying Church! They break bread together, worship together, pray with and for one another and their city, and then all are given an opportunity to sign their churches up for another year of unceasing prayer! Pastors who have not yet been a part of the Unceasing Prayer Movement are given information and encouraged to join the movement of prayer!

The Flexibility of the Unceasing Prayer Movement

Every church can decide how they want to utilize their 24 hours, which gives the opportunity to be flexible and to meet with God in ways that work best for each community of believers. Some churches sign up one or more intercessors per hour for the 24 hours, while others break it into 30 minute segments. Families, couples, small groups, Sunday School classes, etc. can take one or more hours. Smaller churches sometimes share with another smaller church at first to split the day, each taking 12 hours.

Some churches ask intercessors to come to the church building to pray, while others pray during their hour from their homes, offices, schools, etc.

Some churches have creative prayer stations set up and others simply utilize the prayer points I will post below to aid people in their petitions!

7 Unceasing Prayer Points

There are seven specific prayer points that the Austin prayer leaders ask each church to ask their people to cover during their time in prayer, and then whatever else the church wants to ask their people to pray about is up to them! I am adapting these to be generic for your church. Remember, these are just ways to begin! There are many ways to pray God’s kingdom will for your city, region, state and nation!

1. Pray for local churches in your city/area to intentionally build cultures of prayer. Pray that pastors will lead their congregations to be a House of Prayer for All Nations and that congregations will follow with a passion for prayer. Pray each congregation will take big steps of faith in prayer! (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Isaiah 62:6-7, Matthew 21:12-14, Mark 12:30-31)
2. Pray for the lost to be saved. Pray that people’s hearts will be opened to repent of their sins and receive the Gospel. (Romans 10:1, 2 Peter 3:9, Matthew 9:37-38, Acts 26:18)
3. Pray for a national spiritual awakening. Pray that God will pour out His Spirit on America and forgive our sin and heal our land. Pray that millions of Americans will come under heavy conviction, repent of their sins, and turn to God with all their hearts. (2 Chronicles 7:14, Daniel 9:18-19, Psalm 85:6, Habakkuk 3:2, Acts 2:37-41)
4. Pray for unity among pastors and churches. Pray that denominational, theological, and ethnic walls will come down so that pastors will love each other, pray together, and serve each other. (John 17:20-23, Psalm 133:1, Ephesians 4:3-6)
5. Pray for racial reconciliation. Pray that God will heal our nation of racism and that God will use the church to stand against racial conflict, violence, and prejudice. The church must lead the way in racial reconciliation by modeling love and respect for every person regardless of the color of their skin or their ethnic background. (Romans 10:12-13, Galatians 3:28, Acts 10:28, Acts 10:34-35, John 7:24, 1 John 2:9, James 2:9, Revelation 7:9)
6. Pray for life to be valued and protected through all stages of life beginning at conception. Pray for God to break the culture of death in America and restore a culture of life. (Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5, Proverbs 24:11, Deuteronomy 21:8-9)
7. Pray for local and national governmental leaders. Pray that God will give them wisdom to make wise decisions and to govern with integrity, justice and mercy. (1 Timothy 2:1-2), Romans 13:1, 1 Peter 2:17, Titus 3:1-2, Micah 6:8)

Perhaps the biggest benefit of being a part of this amazing movement of unceasing prayer that is sweeping across our nation and around the world is that by involving your congregation in a regular rhythm of prayer each month, you will be building a culture of prayer that will transform the lives of people and will help your church to become a house of prayer for all nations!

If this article has excited you about involving your church in the Unceasing Prayer Movement in your area, please check out America Prays at Americaprays.org or let us know of your interest by emailing us at info@harvestprayer.com.