Who will tarry with Him through the night??

Why 3pm? Well I wouldn’t want to stay up all night would I?? Especially since I get up at 11pm. “Why??!” you ask? Well, it’s because it’s my new schedule! I’ve officially joined the NightWatch at IHOP-KC! Woot woot! “What’s the NightWatch?” you ask? It’s a group of dedicated believers who have decided to rearrange their entire lives in order to keep the fire on the alter burning through intercession and worship through the night until the wee hours of the morning. Within the Global Prayer Room (click to watch live 24/7) intercession and worship before the Lord is a ministry that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days and week and the NightWatch covers the hours of 12am until 6am. The typical end of the day for a “NightWatcher” is around 3pm or so. The NW mandate is found in:

Psalm 134:1 “Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. The LORD who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion!”

Click here for more about the NightWatch at IHOP-KC!

This is a diverse group of intercessors, singers and musicians made up of full- and part-time staff, marketplace workers, interns, and students ranging in all ages, as well as single young adults and even entire families with children! It’s been so awesome being able to start on this journey of undistracted devotion to the Lord and it’s been AWESOME so far. I actually started March 25^th, stayed up that morning and went throughout the entire NW time and then went to sleep at 3pm to start my body on the transition process. That was a total of about 28 hours :-/ The best part of that time was when I was actually in the prayer room and I noticed the sweetness of the Lord’s presence, the intimate atmosphere, and the ability to seek His face without distraction. I wasn’t tired at all from 12-6am but as soon as I left I felt my body crashing lol But there has been such a ridiculous amount of grace that I’m feeling now to the point where I think my body has started adjusting pretty well. (except when I wake up halfway through sleep at 6:30pm to let me know that I’m hungry :-/)

Which brings me to the next change with switching to the NW: feeding times <--(sounds like I’m a pet hamster or something haha) So the way that I eat now is definitely different as well as the times. So usually, you’d have breakfast when you wake up, lunch about 6 hours later and then dinner around 6 hours after that. Well, that’s what I’m doing except for me my breakfast starts at 11pm, lunch is at 6am, and dinner is 12pm, a few hours before I go to bed at 3pm. I know I know, it sounds weird haha! But my body is starting to adjust pretty well to craving certain types of food so that my mind can keep up with which part of the day I’m in. Also, in addition to the time changes, I’ve also starting eating a little healthier, which is definitely needed to keep healthy, vibrant and AWAKE throughout the rest of the day. I’ll pack different things like almonds, raisins, fruits and mozzarella string cheese (Mmm) as snacks so I can eat them throughout the day and I try to take the time to have heartier meals at the set times and keep that kind of schedule. Also on my schedule is exercise! I haven’t intentionally exercised in a while (lol) and now since it’s no longer 20 degrees outside I can finally start running! I’m pretty sure the Lord likes the idea also because I asked Him for some new running shoes (I couldn’t afford to get them on my own) and He gave them to me about 3 weeks later! A pair that would have been a good $70 or so but I got them for free! Aaaaameeeeen! –John 15:7 #Imjustsaying

So, this time on the NW will definitely be a time for gazing and beholding the beauty of Jesus as well as receiving fulfillment of a few choice promises that the Lord has been hinting at and I’m so excited! I’ll also be training hands on in what it means to be a prophetic singer while singing on a team in the GPR, which I’ll talk about in the next post and It’s pretty exciting, Jesus-orchestrated stuff for sure ;-) There really is something different about standing in the place of intercession in the wee hours and getting to commune with Him for hours undistracted. I’ve noticed that in the daytimes in the prayer room I can get so easily distracted by all that I COULD be doing or thinking about who I could be hanging out with then. But I really feel like this is also training for me to keep my gaze on the Lord so that when I get in a place that could easily distract me I’ve trained my spirit to continue to engage & dialogue with Him in the busiest of places. During that time the café isn’t open, there’s no one hanging out outside, and there aren’t any people in the hallways trying to pass the time between classes. There is just an open prayer room and the incense of worship being lifted up to the Father’s throne. “How long will you be on the NightWatch?” you ask? (You have so many good questions haha!) Well, I’m not sure yet but I’ll ask the Lord about it and get back to you. ;-) I start back with classes in August so that’s set, but all I know is that I’m supposed to be here now and we’ll see how it goes!! It’s been SO WORTH IT so far and it’s simply divine. Zzz…(^_^) 

 “The call to the NightWatch is a call to extravagant devotion. It is the Lord’s desire to raise up a people who will love Him in the night. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, the hour of judgment and salvation, He found no one to stand with Him. But in the final hours of history—the time of escalated judgment and salvation—who will tarry with Him through the night?”