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DALLAS—On the eve of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, some 7,500 people packed into an auditorium at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center to ask God for a fresh movement of His Holy Spirit.
Nathan Lino, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Forney, led the time of corporate prayer at the request of D.J. Horton, president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference and senior pastor of Church at The Mill in Spartanburg, S.C.
“Tonight, we want to invite you into an experience of prayer, an experience of worship, and an experience of preaching,” Horton said.
Recording artists Shane & Shane, joined by the praise team and worship choir from Horton’s church, led worship. Shane & Shane launched into their rendition of Psalm 34, followed by “Is He Worthy?” and “Worthy of It All,” with the massive crowd singing along.
After reading Psalm 40:1-3 aloud, Lino asked the congregation to read the on-screen passage to themselves slowly.
“Would anyone like for God to incline to them tonight? And to hear your cry?” he asked.
As for the psalmist, David, “God drew him up from the pit of destruction out of the miry bog and set his feet upon a rock,” Lino said, adding that David received fresh anointing from the Lord, who put a song in his mouth. David’s heart was filled with fresh faith about what the Lord could do.
“Lord, as we draw near tonight, would you please draw near to us?” Lino prayed. He called for the same fresh anointing, faith, and relief God had given David, imploring Him to “use this time for your glory and for our good.”
Praying the names of God
Lino invited the audience to stand for a time of praise and thanksgiving beginning with an acknowledgment of the Lord as Jehovah Rapha, the “Lord who heals,” and Jehovah Jireh, the “Lord who provides.” He asked the crowd to first silently, and then audibly, recall times of God’s healing and provision. Sustained silences fell, followed by the low murmurings and softly spoken prayers of thousands of voices. Choruses of “God, you’re so good” and “I love you, Lord,” prompted by Lino, filled the room afterward.
Seated, the congregation entered into a time of personal consecration based upon Matthew 5:3-6, calling for humility, repentance, and surrender.
“We live for the Lord Jesus. We live for the glory of His name. We live for the mission of Jesus,” Lino said. With heads bowed, some couples leaned toward each other, praying before again standing and joining Shane & Shane in a chorus of “You’ve Already Won.”
Asking the audience to form small groups, Lino called for brief prayer for unity and for the Lord to save and baptize more people through SBC churches. Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, led the groups in praying for SBC churches to return prayer to its rightful place in worship services.
“Every major revival we have seen in America has come out of churches returning to becoming houses of prayer,” Kaunitz said.
Prayer for pastors
Lino asked the pastors and their wives in attendance to stand, welcoming Bill Elliff, founding pastor of Summit Church in Little Rock, Ark., to pray for them.
“How many of you pastors would say … ‘I’m dog tired’?” Elliff asked, reminding all that “everything flows from the presence of the Lord”—direction, fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore.
“I’ve gotten old enough that I just believe that when we pray, God answers. He does stuff,” Elliff said. “I believe if you ask the Lord for a fresh flow of His presence in your life, it would bring you what nothing else can bring.”
Elliff urged attendees to surround the pastors, lay hands on them, and pray for them fervently. Groups quickly formed and voices filled the room.
His voice cracking with emotion, Elliff implored of God, “Lord, we need you. … We need you desperately … daily … deeply. … We don’t have a single plan or idea or scheme that works without you. Be kind to us as you have always been. Your presence is what we need.”
