Pastor calls for night prayer vigils in face of darkening world

Christians in Britain are being encouraged to revive the practice of night prayer vigils in light of the dire circumstances of the times.

Jonathan Oloyede, who has been instrumental in organising mass prayer events in Britain over the past 20 years, said he had been stirred into motion by last week’s parliamentary votes in favour of unrestricted abortion and assisted suicide, plus the escalation of conflict within the Middle East.

The pastor, who’s founder and convenor of the National Day of Prayer and Worship (NDOPW), said the thought had been floating around in his head for a while, but when he woke as much as news that the US had bombed Iran he “sensed the time was right” to show thoughts into motion.

In an open letter to the Church, Oloyede said, “In the quiet hours of the night, when the world sleeps and darkness cloak the land, the heavens have often been torn open by the cries of praying saints.

“There was a time – not so way back – when church halls across the UK would echo to the sound of earnest intercession through the night.

“Bonfires of prayer lit up our spiritual landscape. The early Methodists, the Moravians, the Welsh revivalists—all of them knew this holy secret: the ability of night vigil prayer. But now, the wells are dry.”

He continued by saying that Christians had develop into content with a convenient faith lifetime of short services and “fast faith”, but feels God is looking the Church to open the “powerful wells of night vigil prayer”. 

In his letter, Oloyede reminded Christians that nighttime prayer has long been a convention in Britain, citing John Wesley, the founding father of Methodism for instance of a person who, together with his fellow believers, would pray until 3am “overwhelmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit”.

He added, “The enemy does stay awake—and neither should our intercession. The darkness of our day—moral collapse, spiritual apathy, broken families, and a dying church—can’t be fought with lukewarm prayers and once-a-week gatherings.

“This hour demands watchmen and girls on the partitions. This hour demands vigils. Night vigils strip away distraction. They pierce the veil, and so they tell God, ‘You are price my sleep. You are price my night,’ and heaven responds to such hunger.”