After serving as a missionary in North Africa, Brad Stroup felt called to step off the missions field, and he was initially unsure of what was next. In 2005, during a time of prayer, Brad had a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit where the Lord asked him to start hosting daily 5 a.m. prayer meetings the next day and not stop until Jesus came back.
He offered God a weak “yes!” and then spent the afternoon making phone calls and sending emails to invite his friends to his house in Dallas the next day for 5 a.m. prayer. The next morning, he and a group of young adults started praying at his home, and they’ve gone every day for the last 15 years.
That same day that they launched daily prayer, Brad had read 2 Samuel 24, where King David is purchasing the threshing floor on which to build the temple in Jerusalem. Rather than accept the land for free, David says “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24, ESV). This verse stuck out to Brad, and he now knew why. God was asking him to make a costly sacrifice of his time and convenience in order to become an intercessor and give his life to praying for revival.
Shortly after they started 5 a.m. prayer meetings, God began moving powerfully in their lives and in their city. God gave their community a vision for 24/7 prayer with worship in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and their one prayer meeting each day quickly grew to two. They continued to expand their schedule and, 15 years later, they now host an incredible 20 hours of prayer with live worship every day at The Prayer Room DFW missions base in Arlington, Texas.
Interestingly, while they started prayer meetings to fuel revival, their core motivation for praying has changed over the years. To learn more about why they are still hosting 20 hours of daily prayer and worship, as well as the unique challenges of hosting prayer meetings, check out Episode 59 of Presence Pioneers on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
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Ron Allen 
Eddie Hyatt 
Michael L. Brown 
