[June 29, the fourth wednesday]

TT IV

For the first time we were joined by women – three of them, bringing our number to thirteen, our largest yet. One came by accident. She’d arranged to meet with three friends for prayer in another room. When they failed to appear, she came into the sanctuary and joined the group she found praying there. Her prayers for Boston were profound and a welcome addition. It was obvious she’d been praying for the city a long time. For her (and the rest of us), the wrong room turned out to be the right room.

Rhonda came from the nearby town of Essex. She requested urgent prayer for her grandson Nathan, who was growing in her daughter-in-law’s womb. Nathan needed to grow very quickly, for his intestines were forming outside his abdomen. The group gathered around her, praying and laying on hands, as Shelli led the prayer. Rhonda said she would be back next Wednesday and would tell us of the progress.

Throughout, the presence of the Lord was strong and manifest. We thanked Him for inviting us to His hour, and asked Him to show us how to use it and give us the prayers He would have us pray. He did.

Kris gave a brief update on the Massachusetts Family Institute’s petition initiative, and we prayed for that. Paul introduced his pastor friend from Kenya, Alex read from Scripture, as the rest of us walked the aisles and balconies, praying as we were led.

The gist of our prayers anticipated God’s imminent release of His Spirit over Boston and New England. It recalled what David seemed to hear in his heart ten days before:

For I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, says the Lord. And I will bless my servants according to their faithfulness. Those who have sought me earnestly and lived to please me will be greatly blessed. But I intend to bless all who turn to me in the city of Boston. And this will happen soon, my son. You have grown weary – and wary – of the word "soon," as I use it. Now I am using it, as you use it.

This is the time you have been waiting for and praying for. The time you have almost given up on ever appearing. So gird up your loins, don your armor, and sharpen the edge of your zeal. We are about to go to battle. The dominion of Jericho has stood against me long enough. Now we are going to bring down its walls.

As the hour drew to a close, Alex motioned us to gather down front for a final prayer. He asked Shelli to sing, and we joined her in the "How Great Thou Art." Then we joined hands for The Lord’s Prayer, and Paul pronounced the Benediction, as the clock said 1:00 P.M.

Everyone said they would be back – and would tell their friends. Speaking of Jericho, pray for the Joshua Project – and join us if you can, for a 24-hour prayer vigil on the Harvard Campus from Sunday Noon, the 3^{rd to Monday Noon. Come any time, to the Harvard Science Center, Room B 10. Edson Porto, who’s leading the vigil [781-235-7139 or Collegeprayers@aol.com], says the power hours will probably be Midnight to 3:00 A.M.}

In 1857 America was in crisis. What had begun as a cultural divide over slavery had deepened into a spiritual rift. Had God created blacks to have the same self-evident rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as whites? Or did He intend them to be intelligent beasts of burden, put on earth to serve whites? Hearts North and South had so hardened over this question that resolution by force of arms seemed inevitable.

Then the stock market crashed, the economy collapsed, multitudes were thrown out of work, and no one had any answers.

But one man thought God might.

Jeremiah Lanphier invited men in the business district of New York City to gather for prayer at Noon on Wednesdays. The first Wednesday, there were six. The second Wednesday, twenty. The third Wednesday, forty.

The Great Men’s Prayer Revival of 1857 had begun.

Today America is again in crisis. The cultural divide has become a spiritual rift. No one has any answers. But perhaps God does.

What if – we were to accept the challenge of Jeremiah’s example? What if we were to go and do likewise?

A few men have begun to meet for prayer at Tremont Temple at Noon on Wednesdays.

Join us.

 

Jeremiah’s Rules

1. All who desire to seek the face of God in meekness and humility are welcome.

2. Come to pray, not to preach or proselytize, or be entertained. Just to pray.

3. Avoid controversial subjects and divisive prayers. Ask God to guide your prayers.

4. As you pray, be sensitive to those around you, who might not come from the same prayer tradition as you.

5. Prayer requests and praise for answered prayer are welcome, as are reports of what the Lord is doing elsewhere. Exhortations are also welcome, but no more than two in a row, and none should exceed five minutes. A bell can be rung to announce the next person’s turn.

6. Promptness is vital. The hour should begin at Noon and end at one. If you can give Him the whole hour, fine. If you can stay only a few minutes, that is also fine. Linger afterwards if you care to, but the closing benediction will be at one.

7. Throughout, be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit of God. It is His hour, not ours; we’ve come to please Him, not ourselves.

Guiding Principles

For he was looking for the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. – Hebrews 11:10

Abraham was looking for a far city, whose foundations were already laid down by the Master Builder. So it will be for the Noon Prayer Hour. Erected on the firm foundation of the Word and Will of God, it will have His Spirit hovering over it, guiding the work.

From inception to completion, it will be His, and when it is ready, He will send His Spirit to speak it into existence.

We will be living stones, shaped and prepared by God to fit into His temple of prayer. Until it is finished, we will serve as watchmen and gatekeepers, awaiting His arrival and His command:

Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shall come upon you.

– Isaiah 60:1

Jesus revealed that the glory the Father gave Him is also given to us, that we might be one – in spirit and purpose, in one accord.

As the work gets underway, let us always remember:

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. – Psalm 127:1

 

Reflections

As we prayed at different times in Tremont Temple in Boston and sought the Lord’s face, we sensed He was speaking into our hearts. We’re not claiming it was Him, but what follows is the gist of what came to us.

On May 17, Alex felt that God was calling men of kindred spirits to form a unified front, for His Word said that one man could set a thousand to flight, while two could set ten thousand to flight.

He felt further that the upcoming move would escalate into thousands of watchmen and witnesses—but that first it would begin in two’s. In God’s Word He called two, Peter and Andrew, as they were casting their nets. All He said was, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." They left everything immediately and followed Him.

Similarly, James and John were mending their nets with their father, when He called them to follow Him. They, too, immediately left their livelihood to do so. And He sent the seventy out, two by two.

This new move would begin on a foundation of two’s – multitudes of groups of two’s. They would serve as prayer partners to accomplish what He was about to do. If the prayers of a righteous man availed much, how much more would the prayers of righteous men avail? The foundation, then, would be 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2. . . .

During the same Noon hour at Tremont Temple, David felt God was pleased.

They had begun. They should not shrink back. They should not lower their voices, for fear of offending men. They should sing and speak boldly and fearlessly, because they would know it was not them speaking but His Spirit speaking through them.

They should have patience with one another, but not tarry. The wave was already gathering. He wanted them on it, not observing it from afar. He was calling them to stand up for Jesus, and he would stand up for them.

At their first prayer hour at Tremont Temple on June 8, He seemed to be encouraging them that He would fill each one of the 1850 seats in that sanctuary with men whose hearts longed for His heart. He would renew their strength and would lift them on the wings of His Spirit.

They would soar with Him,

And they would rejoice with Him,

And when He returned them to earth,

Their joy would be magnified

And would spread throughout the city

And throughout the land.

 

 

The

Boston Noon

Hour

 

An invitation to

an open prayer gathering

on Wednesdays

at Tremont Temple

Noon till one o’clock

88 Tremont Street

For more information, call or email:

David Manuel, 508-364-7644

DavidBMjr@aol.com

Alex Canavan, 617-435-2636

acanavan@wezeradio.com