Author and speaker Andrew Murray wrote much on the topic of prayer and intercession. He once said, “Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian.”
A prayer-loving father and son got in their car in the middle of the night in northeast Georgia. They began the approximately sixteen-hour drive to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. What important business caused them to drive through the night and most of the following day, persevering through strong winds and a snowstorm? It was to gather together with a group of like-minded men and earnestly seek the Lord in prayer at the 2024 Men’s Prayer Summit.
A group of fourteen men met together November 21–23, at a Duck Point cabin at the Northwoods Conference Center. They were there for the 2024 Men’s Prayer Summit; each one came with the desire to intercede on behalf of the nation and their families. Also sharing a yearning to see revival in our day, these men gathered to earnestly pray for both personal and national revival.
Roy Daniel, the son of the South African preacher Keith Daniel, participated in the Prayer Summit and shared with the group powerful messages on the subject of prayer. His topics included the importance of intercession and supplication, the “yes”, “no,” and “later” of prevailing prayer, and the example of Elijah in the school of prayer. Gabriel Cleator also shared messages related to the summit; his topics included the importance of forgiveness, the power of giving thanks, and the need to continue in prayer.
More than just having sessions on prayer and discussing prayer, the earnest desire of the event coordinators was to provide scheduled opportunities to actually pray! The men divided up into small groups and were encouraged by praying together. The times of supplication focused on individual family needs, authorities, and national revival. Individually, each man took the opportunity for personal prayer time. The solitary times were opportunities for each man to be alone with the Lord and to confess sin, pray God’s Word to Him, and then be still and hear from God.
During a prayer walk around the lake, the men enjoyed seeking the Lord amid the beauty of His creation. Another activity was visiting a beautiful nearby waterfall called Bond Falls. Considered by some to be the most spectacular waterfall in the Upper Peninsula, Bond Falls did not disappoint. The men watched the impressive waterfall, another amazing display of God’s beautiful creation.
On Saturday morning, the men awoke to a beautiful light snowfall. As they delved into the Word together for the group morning devotions, gorgeous snowflakes fell quietly outside, visible through the big picture window. The wet snow stuck to the trees making for a visually stunning sight. A better setting for unplugging from the busyness of life, being in God’s Word, and praying to Him could hardly be found. The snow also provided the ideal backdrop for the group picture.
One Prayer Summit participant expressed how impacted he was by the prayer times and fellowship. He said that up to that point, he probably had not spent more than five minutes at a time in prayer. When he prayed through the hour prayer sessions, God touched his heart and worked in his life. His testimony encouraged the other men in the group.
Another man at the Prayer Summit also was impacted, right from the very start! As he knelt with his small group, he began to pray, and soon he was overwhelmed almost to tears. What an amazing privilege we as believers have been given— through prayer, we can have an audience with the King of kings in His very throne room!
After the Prayer Summit, the father and son mentioned at the beginning of this article expressed how blessed they were by it. The dad wrote the following about their experience: “We sooooo enjoyed the prayer summit!! I believe God accomplished much in each of us this weekend.” The son also expressed what a blessing the event was for him. In fact, most of the pictures accompanying this article were thanks to his photography skills.
While the summit was going on in Northwoods, two other Men’s Prayer Summit initiatives were happening concurrently. One, led by IBLP president Tim Levendusky, was in Big Sandy, Texas. The group there gathered in a house nestled among the picturesque piney woods and beside a scenic lake. The setting also provided an ideal environment for setting aside the worries of the world and life and seeking the Lord in prayer.
Aware that not everyone can travel a distance to attend the Prayer Summit, Nate Paine coordinated an online Prayer Summit for those who could not attend in person. Six messages from Embassy Media were also available and viewed by many people online. These Embassy messages covered this important topic of prayer in the Bible. The speakers brought out important concepts and Scriptures to highlight for the Prayer Summit times, the online viewers, and others who simply wanted to be reminded of the importance of prayer.
To God be all the glory for the mighty work He did in the lives and hearts of the men who participated in these special, prayer-focused events. God did the work; He gets the praise!
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