The Moravian Renewal: Lord, Teach Us Extraordinary Prayer
Cultivate Prayer, Week 3
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 Moravian renewal.
In the early eighteenth century, a small community of religious refugees found refuge on the estate of Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf in Herrnhut, Germany. Though they shared a common faith, they were deeply divided by theological differences, personal conflicts, and competing traditions. What appeared to be another struggling Christian community became the setting for one of history’s most remarkable prayer movements.
In 1727, following a season of repentance, reconciliation, and united prayer, the community experienced a profound renewal of the Holy Spirit. Out of that renewed unity emerged an extraordinary commitment to continuous prayer. Men, women, and children organized themselves into an around-the-clock prayer watch that continued without interruption for more than one hundred years.
That prayer movement did not remain within the walls of Herrnhut. It became the foundation for one of the most influential missionary movements in Christian history. Ordinary artisans, tradespeople, and families were sent across Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, carrying the gospel wherever God opened doors.
The Moravian story reminds us that sustained mission is sustained by sustained prayer. Before they became known as missionaries, they became known as people who sought God together.
As we pray this week, we ask God to make us a praying people. We pray for hearts that long for His presence, churches marked by unity and repentance, and a renewed commitment to seek Him together. We also pray that the National Prayer Summit would become more than a single gathering—that it would help cultivate a deeper culture of prayer that strengthens disciple-making and gospel flourishing across North America.
Scripture Readings
Read all, or choose 2–3 passages before continuing.
Isaiah 62:6–7
Luke 18:1–8
Colossians 4:2–6
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Reflection
The Moravians are often remembered for their one-hundred-year prayer watch, but the prayer meeting was never the ultimate goal. Their continual prayer flowed from a community that had first experienced repentance, reconciliation, and renewed love for one another.
Their example reminds us that extraordinary prayer is not primarily measured by its duration but by its dependence upon God. Prayer became the atmosphere in which they discerned God’s direction, encouraged one another, and found courage to go wherever Christ called them.
As their love for God deepened, so did their love for the world. Within a generation, this small refugee community had sent missionaries farther than many much larger churches of their day. Prayer did not replace mission. It sustained it.
The Moravian renewal invites us to consider what might happen if the Church once again became known not first for its programs or platforms, but for its wholehearted pursuit of God’s presence.
Consider
The Moravian renewal began not with a strategy for changing the world, but with a community that humbled itself before God. As they sought Him together, He transformed both their relationships and their mission.
As you prepare to pray this week, sit quietly before the Lord.
How would you describe the place of prayer in your own life today?
What distractions or habits keep you from seeking God with greater consistency?
Where might God be inviting greater unity, repentance, or reconciliation within His Church?
What would it look like for prayer to become a shared rhythm within your family, church, or disciple-making community?
As the National Prayer Summit approaches, what are you asking God to cultivate beyond the event itself?
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 cultivate a deeper hunger for His presence throughout His Church.
Pray for unity, humility, repentance, and reconciliation among believers across North America.
Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen local churches, prayer gatherings, and disciple-making communities through a renewed commitment to prayer.
Pray that God would raise up men, women, and young people who will devote themselves to lives of faithful intercession.
Ask God to sustain those serving on the front lines of disciple-making and mission through the prayers of His people.
Pray that the National Prayer Summit would help cultivate an enduring culture of prayer that fuels disciple-making and gospel saturation long after the gathering has ended.