The David’s Tent Story pt. 11 – What Do We Do?

It is said that the sons of Issachar were “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32, NIV). I would never proclaim myself to be one of them, but, like you, I certainly aspire to be like them. I guess if we all were a bit more spiritually tuned in, perhaps our nation would be swinging more quickly toward reformation. Although many of our churches and ministries are flourishing, somehow our cities and nation are still quite broken. Washington, D.C. has experienced some very encouraging growth in spiritual maturity, as well as in church attendance in recent years, and yet our crime rate is staggering. This reality of brokenness haunts me. Even in the midst of seeming revival movements, we have not yet achieved true societal transformation. As an intercessor, this keeps humbling me and keeps me crying out to the Lord in desperation. Let us not get puffed up with pride when our church, business, ministry or movement is expanding and is seemingly successful. Instead, let us ask: “How is my city doing as a whole? And what about my nation?” Let this become our measuring stick. It was the fall of 2011, and I was still in Washington, D.C., with a calling to be an intercessor for America. I was on an extended fast that had been ordained by the Lord. Part of my spiritual desperation was that the next election year, 2012, was just around the corner. Presidential election years create conversations about the direction of our country like nothing else can. In prayer, I began to seek the Lord: “How do I make intercession for America? How can I pray and intercede so that we will turn to Jesus and make Him central in our lives?” My heart yearned stronger than ever for America to turn back to Jesus. During that time I was led to another question: “When Israel was at her best, what were the people doing?” All of Israel’s history before David was leading up to the time when they would be in their Promised Land and God’s presence would be where He desired — in Jerusalem. The fulfillment of that dream only lasted during the reign of David. By the end of the life of his son Solomon, there was already a prophecy foretelling the kingdom being split. And Israel has never been the same since. Was it a mere coincidence that the centerpiece of David’s administration was a continuous 24/7/365 worship tent that employed 4,000 musicians and 288 singers? The Lord began to impress upon my heart to gather the nation to do the same in our capital city. “Do like David. Call the nation to gather in the Capital to worship.” I began to dream of our nation gathering in Washington, D.C. just to worship — for no other reason than because Jesus is worthy of our praise. I knew that this could only be done under the umbrella of unity, where all Christian denominations could participate, and this convinced me that we could not host such an event in any church building in the city or even the House of Prayer that I had, by then, pioneered. We would have to meet on neutral ground. As I meditated on this, my heart settled on a tent to be erected outdoors, just like David had done. In time, a vision began to take shape: • David’s Tent in Washington, D.C., outdoors, on neutral ground. • A gathering of 24/7 worship and praise, as ministry unto the Lord. • To be conducted in our Capital City for forty days leading up to Election Day 2012. Why forty days? The worship around the Ark in King David’s tent in Jerusalem had gone on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year, so I knew that this could not be just a one-day affair. It had to be longer. For whatever reason, forty days, in the Bible, seemed to be the length of time involved when the Lord wanted to do something serious, dramatic or drastic. For forty days and nights it rained during Noah’s flood. Goliath taunted Israel for forty days until young David stepped up to the challenge. Even Jesus started His ministry with a forty-day fast. Believing that this event was to be one of His serious, dramatic or drastic moves, I sensed that it needed to last for forty days. What did I mean by serious, dramatic or drastic? The Google Online Dictionary defines drastic as “likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect; radical and extreme.” Yes, that was exactly what we needed. So we would do nothing but praise God for forty days. This would be a fast from our selfishness and unbelief. It would be a joyful expression of His Lordship and our faith in the assurance of His deliverance as we celebrated His rule. During those days we would abstain from gazing on the things of this world (including the latest news headlines), and, instead, fix our eyes on Jesus. We and He would become like two lovers, gazing at each other.