Sometime back, a friend asked why I was hesitant to or barely attended “overnights”. For a while, I could not articulate my convictions, which I knew were biblical. Partly, I feared being rebuked by some of my charismatic and Pentecostal friends as one trying to mask the kind of spiritual lukewarmness which kicks in when you have been ‘saved for long’ and have lost the so-called ‘fire’!
Well, I have since reflected deeper on the matter and here is my “why”.
But first, I must say this, it is not sinful to attend overnights. Likewise, not attending them is neither sinful nor a yardstick for measuring the authenticity of one’s faith.
However, the ultimate determinant of whether the long night awake is a sweet, pleasing sacrifice to God, is the worshiper’s intention. Again, the why?
Now, let’s dive in…
In John 4:20-25, Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well revealing deep insight on the nature true biblical worship. From verse 20, where the woman says “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship,” we observe that in days before the coming and ascension of Jesus Christ, people had no direct, intimate access to the presence of God. They could not seek God for themselves. They needed a medium- a person such as a High Priest, Prophet, etc. (today’s equivalent of a pastor). or they needed to be at a specific place such as “High places” as in elevated lands such as mountains, hills; and temples.
However, this changed under the covenant of Grace effected by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Hebrews 9:15 says, “And for this reason He is the mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
Under this new covenant of grace, Christ became and is still the one and only mediator (middleman to God) for all Christians- those who have believed in Jesus Christ for the for the forgiveness of their sin and for eternal life- as such have been born again.
Besides, having Jesus as their perfect, heavenly mediator and advocate at the throne of God the father, the Christian has yet another special privilege: his/her body is elevated beyond its previously sin-machine nature, into a temple of the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:19) who was promised helper who would inhabit those who have been born again- such a gracious reality that inspired songs such “Heaven is in my heart”.
Therefore, in this sense, the believer is a ‘living temple’ with 24/7 access to God. Hence the believer, under the new covenant of grace becomes “their own priest”- “… a royal priesthood…” (1 Peter 2:9) in the sense that they are able to worship God and/or usher themselves into God’s presence without the need of a pastor/priest or whatever spiritual leader.
With this post-ascension ministry of God the Holy Spirit among the saints, the presence of God is no longer restricted to temples, ‘sacred places’ and objects like the Ark of the covenant as was the case in the Old Testament.
Additionally, under the covenant of grace, the believer can worship and access God anywhere (bedroom, kitchen, toilet, car) and at any time (Morning, noon, night) because “God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit a truth,” John 4:24. Hence one doesn’t have to spend a sleepless night at an overnight or go to a ‘prayer mountain’ or wait for a specific ‘watch hour’ in order to access God or experience his full presence. In fact, it’s possible to be in those places and not have his presence. Similarly, it is possible to have a pastor or even ‘Bishop’ whichever ‘powerful’ “man of God” lay his hand on you and still miss God’s blessing or presence- for as long as it is not worship in “spirit [with a sincere heart] and in truth (as revealed in the bible)”.
It is impossible to worship God when you don’t understand God’s truth as revealed in the Bible.
Finally, by being “a temple of the Holy Spirit” as in a place for the presence of God, time ceases to be a restraining factor for access to God. For instance, as a Christian, when you decide to commune with God through prayer, its effectiveness is neither determined nor affected by the duration or audio-volume. You may pray or stay in prayer for as long or short as you please. Furthermore, you may pray in the simplest language/ vocabulary God has enabled you speak. And if you chose to not make any utterance or if you have a speech impairment such as mutism, it wouldn’t make a difference; your prayer would still be as loud and clear to God- perhaps even louder than for the kind of hypocrites Jesus Christ criticizes Matthew 6:5 for their showy, insincere and verbose prayers.
God our father faithfully hears the prayers of His children and answers. However, for prayer to be effective, the Bible prescribes some primary currencies. Chief of these is “faith” (Matthew 21:22), which is essentially unwavering belief, trust and dependence on God. The second is righteous motives aligned with God’s will (James 4:3) marked by sincerity of a heart submitted to God’s will (1 John 5:14). When these conditions are met, your prayer doesn’t have to be long complicated with many words or even vain recitations of scripture; let alone said inside a large, well-ornamented cathedral.
In short, dear Mulokole, you don’t have to stay awake at or in an overnight prayer meeting in order to catch God’s attention or experience His presence in a “mighty and special way”. Of course, I recognize that “overnight prayers” work for some believers as a means to achieve or attempt singular focus on God, godliness or spiritual things, which cannot happen when they are at their homes, workplaces or in the company of people who may not be interested or concerned with spiritual issues. Even more importantly, in my opinion, overnights do well to restrain late-night idleness which may lead to temptation, sin or even other unproductive activities by or among believers.
