In early May, I (Brandon McKenzie) packed my bags and met some of our team in Kansas City, Missouri, for The Send— a massive stadium gathering where tens of thousands of Christians gathered to become mobilized in the call to global missions. While the main event was held on Saturday, May 14th, an equally significant event called The Procession preceded it. From May 9th-13th thousands descended upon Truman Field for five consecutive days of unceasing worship, prayer, and gospel proclamation. 

There were moments throughout these gatherings where I physically could not contain myself from praising God. The atmosphere was absolutely charged with the very presence of God. As I looked out into this vast and diverse crowd of believers, young and old alike, singing their hearts out to Jesus, my heart was filled with hope and faith for the future of the Church. 

A Lost Hope Restored

Let’s face it, since 2020, we’ve been inundated with bad news. In the midst of a multi-faceted global crisis, I have felt my heart sink into despair on multiple occasions. However, the sight of mass unity and zeal for the Lord that I witnessed in Kansas City encouraged my soul with an immutable biblical truth that “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5 NIV). In other words, it is in times of great darkness that the Church shines the brightest! After all, some of the greatest revivals in history happened in the midst of national and global crises. I am convinced we really are on the cusp of such a revival.

The Explosive Collision of Prayer and Missions

Something that has really been stirring my heart as I’ve been processing this is the fact that many of the people who championed this conference the most are also members of praying communities like Harvest House of Prayer. Planted in small rural towns throughout the United States, many have cried out to God in their hiddenness for laborers to be sent into the nations. In small, obscure prayer rooms just like ours, they’ve labored in intercession to the Lord for the gospel to break into new territory. The feeling during this entire week was that God was bringing together two widespread movements— the missions movement and the prayer movement— to release a generation into the harvest fields in evangelistic zeal and passion. 

We have always felt very strongly here at Take the City that none of us are exempt from being a praying believer or from being a missional disciple of Jesus. The two are intrinsically linked. One cannot truly exist without the other. I am stirred to pray all the more that God would send laborers from our city. I am stirred all the more to do my part in fulfilling the Great Commission outside of the four walls of the prayer room. I am stirred to see a generation arise in the Chattahoochee Valley to take hold of their destiny in local and global missions. 

A Prayer

Lord, let your kingdom come, here and now, and let us do our part in seeing your dream come true. It is your dream for your glorious gospel to reach every ethnos, every tribe and tongue, so that you can return for your bride, the Church. Grant us the honor to be called by you in this mission. Grant us the gift of a burden for the nations. Give us missional zeal. Give us the heart cry of the Godhead. Enlarge our vision beyond our circumstances, beyond our immediate surroundings, and let us see the fields ripe for harvest. We will say yes to you, Lord. Help us say yes. Amen.

– Brandon McKenzie, Harvest House of Prayer Coordinator 

Interested in being a part of our Harvest House of Prayer? Email brandon@take-the-city.com.