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The Holy Spirit is divinely orchestrating a symphony of prayer and worship in these days. God’s desire is that every section of His Prayer Band be in tune with Him while in tune with one another as well. The Word of God is our score as we each follow the lead of our conductor, the Holy Spirit. Though we play a diverse variety of instruments, two of the hallmarks of God’s united sound are unity of heart and harmony. Isn’t this simply glorious? Praise the Lord! This month, I have asked GEM’s Prayer Director, Jason Ford, to share with you his heart and thoughts of what the Lord is doing in the prayer movement. He and his wonderful family recently spent 10 days in prayer at our nation’s capital. So let’s give a listen to Jason as he shares on “A Convergence of Prayer.”
We Really Are Better Together, James W. Goll God Encounters Ministries
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A Convergence of Prayer
By Jason Ford
Convergence is the act of converging and moving toward union or uniformity. The truth is that many times it seems the church is doing the opposite—repelling. However, I feel that right now the church agrees on one vital matter: prayer! I see a convergence of prayer happening in America today, as evidenced by various gatherings which recently happened in Washington D.C.
A Journey of Prayer
A couple weeks ago, my family and I spent 10 days in Washington D.C., focused on praying for America. During our time there, we attended several events and prayer initiatives. One key event known as, “The Return,” stated their purpose for gathering was: “the return to God – individually, corporately, nationally, globally – and the end-goal of world revival.” The other major event we joined was “The Washington Prayer March 2020 with Franklin Graham.” The event was “a dedicated prayer march…focused solely on asking God to heal our land. It [was] not a protest or political event, and [they asked] participants to not bring signs in support of any candidate or party.” Nearly 100,000 people gathered at these two events! I felt deeply encouraged as I saw a church without walls! The charismatic and non-charismatic believers converged together for the purpose of prayer. These two gatherings had different streams of believers, I believe from very conservative denominations and from very expressive charismatic circles, but I did not hear anyone arguing about theology. 
I witnessed thousands of disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ investing their time, energy, and money to be there solely for prayer! I experienced a 2 Chronicles 7:14 gathering of believers: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Significant and Diverse
Both events were significant in the natural and in the spiritual sense. Vice President Mike Pence surprised the people with a visit to Franklin Graham’s walk, displaying a degree of natural authority from our nation’s leaders. “The Return” marked a significant spiritual timing. Jonathan Cahn, the primary leader of “The Return” event, said that when his team chose September 26th, no one realized the day was already set apart on the Biblical Hebrew calendar as a special day of repentance. That Saturday is known as Shabbat Shuvah. Shuvah means “return” in Hebrew and the Sabbath emphasizes repentance and returning to God. In synagogues around the world, Joel 2:15 was one of the scriptures designated for reading on that day. Joel 2:15 states, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.” It was incredible to see these events converge on the same day. I also want to share with you a few smaller events that happened during my family’s 10-day assignment. On the eve and into the day of the Feast of Tabernacles we attended “All Tribes DC,” an annual gathering, followed by the culmination of 100 days of worship by the ministry “Awaken the Dawn.” In conjunction with those events, another ministry was in the process of “50 Days of Blessing,” uniting believers to stand in the gap for our nation. They are calling for these 50 days because, “God has called us to stand as watchmen at the governmental gate of our Nation. Our assignment is to counter the siege with ‘50 Days of Blessing’. Our mandate is not political but spiritual.” These three diverse gatherings were powerful — a true “Convergence of Prayer!” Though “Awaken the Dawn” is known as a worship movement, prayer set the tone for the day. The First Nation’s people from “All Tribes DC” blessed and prayed over the leadership of “Awaken the Dawn.” It was powerful to watch the blessing of the indigenous people of the land. The distinct All Tribes gathering focused on prayer and they grouped into teams to pray on site at locations north, south, east and west of the National Mall. I was deeply touched by the stories shared and the prayers offered up by this precious group of people who first inhabited America. Their mission statement is: “To empower the First Nations People to activate the governmental voice of authority rightly given to them by our Creator; by expressing that authority through the gathering of all tribes and nations in Washington D.C. annually, to pray and intercede for our nation.” I was honored to attend. Directly after their gathering, “Awaken the Dawn” kicked off 30 hours of worship to celebrate 100 days of public worship across America! All the while, the “50 Days of Blessing” group held the ground at Lafayette Park in front of the White House, releasing worship, prayer, and blessings over America 24-hours a day. Amazing! No competition, rather, divine cooperation! 
I was impacted by all of these events. But I also wondered, what happens on the ground once all the crowds are gone? There are those who “hold the line,” which is a military term meaning to maintain the existing position or state of affairs; or you could say, holding what you have gained. This term alludes to former military tactics, in which a line of troops were supposed to prevent an enemy breakthrough! Let me highlight a few “hold the line” ministries that serve the D.C. area on the ground level. The leaders of these ministries are literally some of my spiritual heroes! Bound4LIFE – Led by Matt Lockett, is a “grassroots prayer mobilization movement targeting the ending of abortion, the increase of adoptions, and the sending of revival to reform government and culture.” David’s Tent – Led by Jason Hershey, “to host the Lord publicly with 24/7, 365 days of worship on the national mall. The worship has continued since 2015.” ACPR – A branch of Every Home for Christ founded by Dick Eastman that is “building a Wall of Prayer for D.C. and the United States to pray for revival and the re-evangelization of America and our nation’s capital. This Wall of Prayer is made up of 168 weekly, one-hour prayer commitments, so there is prayer coverage 24/7.” Men for the Nations – Led by Dick Simmons, this ministry wants to see men take their place in prayer. Dick is a true hidden one who has been a watchman on the wall holding the line for decades! Each of these ministries are vital, and I believe are truly shaping history through their prayers. The corporate gatherings rally the troops, and those who hold the line help maintain what’s been gained! We need both the large corporate gatherings and the boots on the ground ministries. It reminds me of how Jesus would sometimes preach to the crowds, while other times just to the Twelve or even only three. The corporate gatherings and the community on the ground are important pieces for the convergence to have full power!
God Is Looking for You!
I end with an invitation that our friend and mentor, James Goll, recently wrote: “God is looking for those who will stand in the gap for the nations of the earth. I pray that you will join me by standing in repentance and calling forth His prophetic promises. I have determined to see the valley of dry bones (see Ezekiel 37:1-10) and then declare life to the broken, fragmented structures. I have determined to call forth the remedy.” God is looking for those who will stand in the gap and pray! Will you be a part of this mighty convergence of prayer? You can be, it starts with just one prayer, “God use me!”
