jordanabina
This last week, my family had the opportunity to attend the 24-7 Prayer Conference in Vienna, Austria. It was one of the first times that all of us, kids and all, attended something like this together. There was a moment when I looked next to me to see my wife Vanessa and our children worshiping; my heart was filled with awe and wonder of how I even got to this moment.
The conference was a picture into what eternity in heaven will be like: people from every generation and from all around the world, lifting up the name of Jesus. The speakers were excellent, the worship was Spirit filled, but what stood out to me was the people. There is something special when you aren’t there to represent your corner of the Christian market and are instead there to encourage others in prayer and to partner with others as they pray over people.
It was only a few years ago that I was living and pastoring in Napa, California. Our family really had no intention of changing the life we had, leaving California, and moving to France. If you would’ve asked me 5 years ago what I was going to be doing with my life, I’m not sure what I would’ve said, but it wouldn’t have been this. We were pastoring at a church in Napa, California with gifted and anointed men and women. We had money in the bank, kids in great schools, and great relationships. We loved Jesus and were doing our best to live out our faith.
But, in 2017 we visited Grenoble, France for just about a week, and really loved our time there. We returned in 2019 for a short 3 months, but it was then that the Lord began to speak to all of us about leaving our lives in the States and moving to France. It’s crazy to think that in just a couple weeks from now I will make my first trip back to the states for two weeks; feeling anxious about that.
As we were coming here, the Lord spoke a few things to us. The first is a scripture: Daniel 9:17-19:
17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
Daniel 9:17-19
Vanessa and I knew that God was speaking to us about a few different things. The first was that we knew that God had done great work in this country, and although France has turned their backs on God, He has not turned His back on them. We believe that revival is coming. The second thing we knew was that God was speaking to us about prayer. Now, this was a little strange because I already prayed, and already knew that prayer was important, but Vanessa and I both felt like God was speaking to us about something deeper in regards to prayer. More specifically God said this to me:
“Jordan, I want you to stop praying about everything you’re doing. Instead, I want you to make prayer the thing you do, and then, I will show you what I am already doing, and invite you to participate in that.”
These words changed my life forever. Prayer, for the most part, was something I did when I needed something, but God was asking me to pray to simply be with Him. Can you relate to that? On this journey, I ran into 24-7 Prayer.
24-7 Prayer is an international, interdenominational prayer movement, with a vision to revive the church and rewire the culture through non-stop night and day prayer.
It was started in 1999, when a simple student-led prayer vigil went viral and groups all over the world joined in to pray. Now, over two decades later, thousands of communities have taken part in 24-7 Prayer in churches, communities and cities in over half the countries on earth.
I learned about contemplative prayer. I learned about the move of God across the Celtic world. I spent time reading about men and women who had given their lives to prayer. I knew that God had called me to something new, from something old. Like gravity, I was being pulled into a new realm of prayer.
At first, we made the choice to put prayer as the thing we do at the beginning of each month at our church. We have taught on rhythms of prayer and have tried to cultivate a culture of prayer. Make no mistake about it, we want our church, Le Refuge, to be marked by a culture of prayer, and we also believe that revival will come when the Church begins to pray again, travailing prayer.
Last year I attended the 24-7 Prayer Gathering in Belfast; I went alone. I didn’t know anyone and I really wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about being there by myself. Although I spend most of my life with and in front of people, I’m an introvert, and these types of settings require a lot of energy and self-motivation. I remember the host of the conference did the one thing I was hoping they wouldn’t do. At the very beginning of the conference, they asked if anyone was there by themselves, and if they were, they asked them to raise their hand. Ugh, not my thing. But I raised my hand and, thanks to some amazing extroverts from Australia, I had a really wonderful time.
At the conference, there were men and women going on stage representing the countries that they were directors for. England. Germany. South Africa. Iran. And so many more. But no one represented France. I worked up enough courage to ask someone who was in charge if they could point me towards someone who was leading 24-7 Prayer for France. When I eventually did, they said there wasn’t anyone, France hadn’t been represented in years.
At that conference, the leader of the international ministry took me to coffee where I shared about Grenoble, Pilgrim Coffee House, and the Refuge. I shared about our hearts for prayer and how people had been gathering for 24-hour prayer times at Pilgrim. From then we met each month on ZOOM and quickly formed a relationship that led me to a week in England, at Waverley Abbey, where I sat amongst all the world representatives and listened to them discuss the heart and mission of 24-7 Prayer.
At the conclusion of that time, they asked if we would be the directors for 24-7 Prayer France. One year later after Belfast, in Vienna, I was able to share on stage with over 800 people about a small community in Grenoble who were praying and how there were people in France ready for Jesus to send His Spirit. The entire conference was paused and everyone stopped what they were doing to pray over France. Just this week I was on a zoom call with a prayer group from a church in England who wanted to pray over you and us and France. Since the conference, my email has exploded with people from around France saying YES, we’ve been praying, we’ve been waiting, and we want to join in.
But I must confess, even while all these things were happening, I was discouraged.
You couldn’t see it on the outside, but on the inside, I was struggling. And friend, I must confess to you that I’ve been struggling with this for a while. While on the outside, I was excited about the coming of revival, on the inside, I didn’t believe it could really happen.
But God, being rich in love and mercy knew this, and has known this. And in the span of 2 weeks I have heard this passage of scripture spoken about 4 different times from 4 different people. I knew the Lord wanted to tell me something.
The story is found in 1 Kings 19. A man named Elijah has just had a massive victory, defeating a group of opposing religious zealots. But shortly after this victory, he is overcome with despair as his life is threatened. He experiences some incredible moments with God, and then the Lord speaks to him.
This is the conversation:
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
1 Kings 19:13-14
Have you ever felt like this? You’ve ever like you’re the only one? The only believer at your work? The only believer at your school? The only believer in your neighborhood? The only believer in your family? The only believer in France?
According to recent statistics recorded by the Joshua Project, less than 1% of the population of France identifies as evangelical Christian. Less than 1%. This was what immediately entered my mind when I left the stage in Vienna. I just started to feel that question rise up in me, how God? How can this be possible? This is what Elijah is asking God as well, there’s no way, I’m the only one!
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus…18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
1 Kings 19:15, 18
We can’t be sure of the exact population of the people of Israel in the times of Elijah, but just a few years earlier King David had counted all the fighting men in Israel, not counting Judah, so a good estimate of the population during this time could be set around 2.5 million people. Do you know what the percentage of 7000 people in a population of 2.5 million is? Less than 1%. And yet, God says, don’t worry, there are still 7000 people who still worship me.
God put this reality in front of my face four different times in the last two weeks.
Jordan, I’m in France, there are many people who have not turned their back on me.
And I’m going to move to France through the prayers of less than one percent of the population. Somehow, this is how God works. He doesn’t work with numbers, He works with faith. He doesn’t lose hope, He gives it. I imagine that Elijah must have thought, at least for a moment…7000? Big deal. But the reminder from God wasn’t about comparing the number of believers to unbelievers, it was to remind Elijah that he isn’t alone and there are others still praying.
As I left the 24-7 Prayer Gathering I was filled with one idea, captured by it. That God was going to bring revival to the country of France on the faith of French men and women who make up less than 1% of the population. It’s not possible to do something with less than 1%, but because Jesus is God, it is.
There are thousands of people praying for France, right now. Be on the lookout for more coming out of 24-7 Prayer France, and please keep praying for the people of France.
