The Korean Prayer Movement: Lord, Make us a Praying Church
Cultivate Prayer, Week 5
Introduction
On September 18, 2026, believers from across North America will gather for the National Prayer Summit to seek God together for spiritual renewal, disciple-making, and gospel saturation in our cities and nations.
As we prepare for that gathering, we are looking back at moments in church history when God used extraordinary prayer and ordinary people to spark movements of renewal. These stories are not meant to create nostalgia for the past. They remind us that God has continued to work through surrendered communities, persistent prayer, and faithful discipleship across generations.
This week, we reflect on the Korean prayer movement.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Christianity was still a relatively young faith in Korea. The nation faced political uncertainty, foreign occupation, economic hardship, and social upheaval. Yet in the midst of these challenges, God stirred a remarkable movement of prayer that reshaped the Korean church.
The revival that began in places like Pyongyang in 1907 was marked by deep repentance, public confession of sin, reconciliation, and wholehearted dependence on the Holy Spirit. Over the decades that followed, churches throughout Korea developed enduring rhythms of prayer. Early morning prayer gatherings, overnight prayer meetings, and seasons of prayer on mountains became ordinary expressions of Christian life rather than occasional events.
These practices did more than strengthen individual believers. They cultivated communities that were resilient in suffering, bold in witness, and committed to making disciples. Prayer became woven into the daily life of the Church, sustaining generations of faithful ministry and gospel witness.
The Korean prayer movement reminds us that prayer is not simply something the Church does—it is part of who the Church becomes.
As we pray this week, we ask God to deepen the prayer life of His Church across North America. We pray for congregations, disciple-makers, families, and communities to rediscover the joy of seeking God together. We also pray that the National Prayer Summit would strengthen a lasting culture of prayer that continues long after the gathering has ended.
Scripture Readings
Read all, or choose 2–3 passages before continuing.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Acts 2:42–47
Philippians 4:4–7
Colossians 4:2
Reflection
One of the defining characteristics of the Korean church has been its commitment to gathering for prayer together. Prayer was not reserved for moments of crisis or special occasions. It became a regular rhythm that shaped the identity of the Church.
Many believers gathered before sunrise to seek God before beginning the day. Others climbed nearby mountains to pray in solitude or with fellow believers. Churches regularly opened their doors for extended times of intercession, repentance, worship, and listening to the Holy Spirit.
These rhythms remind us that prayer is more than a discipline to practice. It is a way of ordering our lives around the presence of God. As people learned to seek Him together day after day, they were strengthened to endure hardship, love their neighbors, proclaim the gospel, and make disciples.
The Korean church invites us to imagine what might happen if prayer once again became one of the defining rhythms of God’s people rather than an occasional activity.
Consider
The Korean prayer movement reminds us that extraordinary movements are often sustained by ordinary habits practiced faithfully over time.
As you prepare to pray this week, sit quietly before the Lord.
What rhythms currently shape your relationship with God?
How might God be inviting you into a more consistent life of prayer?
What would it look like for prayer to become a more regular rhythm within your family, church, or disciple-making community?
Where have you seen God strengthen His people through seasons of shared prayer?
As the National Prayer Summit approaches, how are you asking God to deepen the culture of prayer within His Church?
Pray
Read through these prayer prompts slowly and prayerfully. Notice which ones the Holy Spirit seems to highlight for you this week. Spend extra time praying in those areas.
Ask God to deepen the prayer life of His Church across North America.
Pray for churches to cultivate healthy, sustainable rhythms of corporate prayer.
Ask the Holy Spirit to stir fresh repentance, humility, and dependence upon God.
Pray for disciple-makers to be sustained through lives rooted in prayer.
Ask God to raise up a new generation that sees prayer as essential to following Jesus.
Pray that the National Prayer Summit would strengthen a lasting culture of prayer that fuels disciple-making and gospel saturation throughout North America.