Global Day of Prayer Unites 300 Million Christians
More than 300 million Christians in 210 countries united in prayer on Sunday for the Global Day of Prayer.
People who gathered in churches, stadiums, and homes for the fourth annual event – held every year on Pentecost Sunday – prayed for transformation in their communities and nations, among other topics.
In Wilmington, N.C., more than 1,500 people gathered in Myrtle Grove Presbyterian Church for a two-hour event filled with singing and prayer. Some of the prayer topics were global harvest, world evangelization, salvation and for Israel and Jerusalem, according to WECT news channel.
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"When you see the number of non-denominational, denominational, black, white, Spanish, all coming together, all ages, the choir is made up of over 100 people from all different churches, the flag banner group is all different churches coming together and it's really an exciting time," said participant Tom Hauser, according to North Carolina's WWAY news channel.
Half way around the world, the prayer movement TheCall and the Global Day of Prayer teamed up in Jerusalem for "A Time of Repentance and Fellowship" on Sunday. The event began with repentance and breaking down walls between Jews and gentile believers.
"When Jesus walked here 2,000 years ago, Pilot said, 'Behold here is your king and the people said, – no we don't have a king, but Caesar.' We rejected Yeshua as king, and we have to say, as Israeli Believers – we repent of that because we want to welcome Him as our messiah, as our Lord," said Avi Mizrachi, pastor of Adonai Roi Congregation, according to Christian Broadcasting Network.
Similarly, other participants of the Global Day of Prayer repented for not appreciating enough their Jewish roots.
"We're but branches grafted in," Lou Engle, founder of TheCall, said. "There's a depth here in Jerusalem and among these people that I never honored. And I believe part of the key to the great awakening at the end of the age is the honoring of the root."
GDOP is driven by a Scripture passage found in Habakkuk 2:14, which states "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." The event's goal is to mobilize Christians from every single nation in the world to participate in the united prayer effort over the next few years before 2010.
Last year, millions of Christians from 204 nations participated in the Global Day of Prayer, seeking God in repentance and prayer for the transformation of their communities and nations.
The Global Day of Prayer traces its roots back to 2001 to the city of Cape Town, South Africa when 45,000 Christians gathered in a stadium to pray. The day of prayer quickly grew, and by 2005, Christians from 156 of the 220 nations of the world united in prayer.
"It's amazing to think that today, 214 out of 220 nations are praying together over an 18-hour span," said Graham Power, founder of GDOP, according to CBN.
