My condensed definition of this kind of prayer is based on David the psalmist's decision to label his psalm-hymns as prayers. I call the tephillah the "sung intercessory judgments of God." This term specifically is used to title the five greatest psalms of David— Psalms 17; 86; 90; 102; and 142. It also is used in the title for the prayer of Habakkuk in Habakkuk 3:1. This was a joining together of the high priestly ministry of prayer and of praise.
In Psalm 72:20, the Bible says, "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended." Again, David the psalmist uses the plural of the word here, tephillah, meaning "the sung intercessory judgments of God." This reference to Psalms 1 through 72 clearly tells us that they were all "sung prayers." They were most likely set to music and sung in formal worship.
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PPOINTMENTNow that we better understand what the Lord means when He says His house is to be a "house of prayer for all nations," we need to go back to the number "37." After our encounter with the Lord in the watchtower at Herrnhut in 1993, Michal Ann and I took the team of intercessors to the city of Liberec in the Czech Republic. Three years earlier, in 1990, I had visited Prague with my dear brother, Mahesh Chavda, about six months after communism fell. He conducted a massive gathering where 10,000 people came, and we prayed for people for healing until 2:00 in the morning every night. One year later, I was invited to speak at their national conference in Prague, and upon its completion took my team to northern Czech to this quaint city called Liberec. One day, when the other people in our ministry team took a day off and went out touring, I stayed in my room to seek the Lord. Only one thing came to me that day. God wanted me to meet a man who had received a heavenly vision.
I was scheduled to speak at a church in the city that night, and I'd never met the leadership of the church. I didn't even know what kind of church it was. I noticed that the senior pastor wasn't on the platform, but I didn't realize that he was sitting in the congregation to the side of the platform that night. I stood up to speak, and about halfway through, the Lord had me point to this person on the side and say: "Sir, you've had a
heavenly visitation. You have been taken up in the Spirit before God, and He spoke to you about ten things that are going to happen. And you are going to be used to help restore the Watch of the Lord."
I did not know that this man, Pastor Evald Rucky, was a Moravian pastor of this congregation of 13 people, which since has grown to a vibrant church of a few hundred. During communism, it had been a little group. Earlier in the year, Evald had traveled to Sweden. While he was preaching, he had a heart attack and went into a coma for a few days. His associate pastor, Peter, was also his best friend. Evald told me later that he "went on a little trip for three days" and saw the Lord. He looked down upon the globe much like Ezekiel was "hung between Heaven and earth" (Ezek. 8:3). Evald saw dark clouds over central Europe penetrated by white lights going up and down from the heavens. The Holy Spirit explained, "These are My angels being released in answer to the prayers of the saints." They were breaking up the black clouds, which were territorial spirits massed over central Europe.
On the third day of Evald's heavenly visit, his best friend, Peter, joined Evald's wife at the bedside of his dear friend whom he believed was sinking into an irreversible coma. Peter didn't know how to pray for his friend. Evald, whose spirit seemed to be in Heaven at the time, did not realize that he was a husband, a father, and a pastor whose work was incomplete. He was just enjoying Heaven. Then Peter began to pray a "prayer of tears" from his heart. As Peter's tears fell from his eyes and landed on Evald's body in the hospital bed, Evald suddenly began to be aware in Heaven that he was a husband, a father, and a pastor, and that his work was not yet complete. He also knew that he had a decision to make.
Within moments, Evald found himself soaring through the heavens. Then his spirit hit his body in the hospital bed. He was miraculously healed in a moment. The doctors declared it a miracle. He was released from the hospital and didn't have to pay a dime of the medical expenses! Today, I know the story well. But that night in 1991, I just said, "There's a man over here who's had a heavenly visitation." Evald responded, and the rest is history. The people in that service passed around a sign-up list. People signed up that very night to launch a renewed Watch of the Lord—and they haven't stopped. They have one of the most vital churches in all of the Czech Republic today, and recently started several other satellite churches. I believe Evald is operating in an authentic apostolic for his nation and his denomination.