Around 20 churches in the U.S. state of Colorado greeted the New Year by worshipping God for 28 straight hours.
The churches held a prayer group called "David's Tent," modelling it after the Old Testament practice of continually "ministering to the Lord." They began praying on Jan. 1 and finished at 10 p.m. the next day, according to Charisma News.
They used the Bible verse Psalm 132 as their theme. It says: "I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty God of Jacob."
The church congregations sang songs that ranged from classical English hymns such as "Amazing Grace" to contemporary Spanish songs, which members of the Vida Abundante praise team danced to. Sometimes, their worship styles were lively, while other times it was quite peaceful and solemn.
One of the attendees, Pastor David Boyd of Vineyard Church said an event such as the one is the perfect opportunity to tell God that Christians love and honour Him, and that they are longing to draw closer to Him and see His glory manifest in the church.
"That is a backdrop to understanding the need for worship and prayer in events like these around the nation," he said. "The focus is simple: Worship Jesus. Give attention to God and listen for His voice."
Another attendee, 27-year-old Evan Way, who is a graduate of a ministry school in Redding, California, is grateful that he was able to attend the prayer gathering because he was able to renew, restore, and refresh himself in the eyes of God.
"I found some answers and my hopes for strength and clarification were met because of God's presence," he said.
As for worship leader and intercessor Mark Weaver, he said he is a huge fan of the multi-ethnic flavour and unity of the body of Christ that he sees at "David's Tent" gatherings.
"Besides getting together before God, I love coming together for these things. He remains the focus, but really all the other things are unimportant, except the unity. That's where God says He commands a blessing," Weaver said.
