How to be watchmen on the walls

Tonight we reviewed the first of our new prayer monthly prayer meetings, which was on Friday 17 November, from 8pm to midnight at Kings Church Lordswood.

We begin these new prayer meetings with the idea of being watchmen on the walls. Tonight we explored that.

Why half nights of prayer?

Back in September we studied Isaiah 62 about watchmen.

6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have stationed my watchmen.

Neither by day nor by night will they be silent.

You whose responsibility is to call upon the Lord, give yourselves no rest,

7 and also give no rest to him until he restores Jerusalem and makes her renowned throughout the earth.

Watchmen is a pictorial way of referring to people who have a calling to pray. We sensed God giving us an assignment to gather people who have a calling to pray. And so we asked how do we gather these watchmen?

We decided to hold an extra prayer time each month, an extended time to pray for the city.

As we are advised by our friends at 24-7 Prayer, when doing something new, we consider it an experiment. We try things out and learn. We aim to keep discerning how the Holy Spirit is leading us.

So we begin our half nights of prayer...

How did it go? 

There were 5 of us from the house of prayer, 2 from St Albans church, 3 from Highfield church/Uni of Southampton, 1 from Riverside Church and a family of 5 from City Life Church.

It was very encouraging that there were people from beyond SoHOP who wanted to come and pray. It was particularly encouraging to have some younger people - students and a family including 3 teenagers.

The approach I took was to wait on the Holy Spirit and listen for his leading. As the person leading, I was a little nervous, because I didn't want anyone to be bored, or to come for the first time and not encounter God.

I was particularly nervous when 3 teenagers walked in! I really hoped they would be inspired. I began to regret not having brought any resources to help us be creative - not even some paper and pens. (I was relieved to note at least one of them had brought a prayer journal with them!)

We responded to a few things that arose during the evening - it was not all silence and I've had feedback from some (including the family!) that it was encouraging and helpful to be there.

Some of the activities we did:

• You spread a table in the presence of my enemies - responding to this scripture we sat round a table together to focus and feed on God and what he is saying, rather than our enemies.

• We split into small groups to share what was on our hearts to pray for

• We joined together in a larger group and fed back from the groups and prayed again, especially for Northam and for the students at the universities.

What we have learnt so far

Once we had discerned our assignment to gather the intercessors there was another question to pray about: Why do you want to gather the intercessors?' 

Thinking about this might have helped prepare more for the first meeting. But now I see what the Holy Spirit is calling us do. We are calling people together in order to keep watch on the walls.

So tonight at SoHOP we were investigating what God is saying to us about keeping watch.

Keeping watch

In some translations we get the word sentinel - a solider or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.

The natural role of a watchman is to stand, to watch for danger, to call attention to it.

The supernatural role of a watchmen is more. The rest of the verse (Isaiah 62:6) gives instructions beyond the military application. Looking at a range of translations we get:

• never be silent; never be still; never hold their peace; speak out day and night without resting.

• pray to the Lord; call on the Lord; remind the Lord of his promises; commemorate in the presence of the Lord; profess the Lord; make mention of the Lord.

After spending time investigating this tonight, we have some ideas on what it means to be keeping watch. We are always wanting to be like Jesus, when He said 'I only do what I see the Father doing'. This is our stance. So as we keep watch we are watching for what God is doing.

Summary of keeping watch

• to take notice of what God is doing in the city

• to remind God of his promises and declare them over the situations we see

• to wait expectantly for God to move, for the arrival of Jesus into our city and situations

• to persist - quite literally, day and night

Practical ideas for creatively keeping watch

Keeping watch is another practice for us to use when we pray on our own. It's a practical, creative way for us to approach prayer, like when we had the idea of Jesus inviting us up into his chariot. It's a way to focus our prayers on what God is doing. 

These are some practical ideas for us to try:

• a promise sheet - large sheet of paper; everyone writes up the promises they have been reminded of. Use them during the evening as different topics come up for prayer

• a local newspaper - ask God for what He is doing in the situations and issues that are reported; pray his promises over those issues

• keep notice in your journal of what you see God doing in your school, home, street etc and bring that to share at the prayer meeting

• noticeboard - a place to help us remember the things God's been speaking to us about

• draw on the rich history of traditions such as Lectio divina, examen..

• watchmen on a boat see that it keeps on course - imagine you are watchmen on a boat - what is God saying about the direction of the boat?

• Go on a walk or standing the carpark and see what different perspective you have

• Look at maps of the city - ask Holy Spirit to draw your attention to where He is working; enquire what He is doing; declare God's promises into those situations. Do this individually and then share - pray together for each thing you have discerned.

• Prepare some photos from around the city. Look at them and ask God what He is saying about what you see. 

Keep watch together

Our next keep watch night is Friday 15 December. 8pm to midnight. 

Kings Church Lordswood, 414 Coxford Road, Southampton SO16 5LL.