International (MNN) ― This year's Global Day of Prayer is May 23. It's a worldwide call for repentance and prayer from Joel 2.
The Global Day of Prayer is a world-wide celebration centered around Pentecost Sunday. It began in July 2000, when a South African Christian businessman, Graham Power, had a vision for prayer based on 2 Chron. 7:14.
From it, he understood the need to call Christians from all denominations in Cape Town for a Day of Repentance and Prayer at Newlands Rugby Stadium, to challenge Christians across the rest of South Africa to unite in a Day of Repentance and Prayer, and to broaden that further beyond the borders of his country.
Since then, God has answered that prayer and the mission has spread throughout the Church. Today, according to the GDOP, the mission of this celebration is to unite the global body of Christ, to seek God for revival, intercede on behalf of the world, and collaborate for the blessing and transformation of culture.
This event is preceded by ten days of prayer (Acts 1:14), celebrated in public venues on Pentecost (Acts 2:1) and followed by "90 Days of Blessing" on communities after Pentecost (Acts 2:42).
It is different from the American National Day of Prayer observance. Both are projects of America's National Prayer Committee. The NDOP observance, led by the NDOP Task Force, remains the government-sanctioned observance committed to prayer for America. The Global Day of Prayer, in cooperation with the International Prayer Council and Transformation Africa, focuses on prayer for our world. The first is a permanent observance; the second is a five-year emphasis.
With nearly 200 countries registered so far, participants will be praying that the prophet's heart will echo through the nations. It is about an ongoing process of making God's name central in our communities. Operation Mobilization teams in many parts of the world will join in with this Global Day of Prayer again this year. Our Web site has more details on how you can be a part of this prayer concert.
