Regular Morning Watches builds up the cloud and the fire

This message came to me even as I considered God's prompting and call to go to church for the 6 am watch. I have been going to church every morning at 6 am to pray before I go to work.

Will anything exciting come out of it?

I believe God's word!

There is something ground-breaking about praying with others in a certain place for an extended period of time. 

My pastor has prayed in the morning watches for the past 16 years! Wow! God has blessed him and will continue to do so.

The first purpose is to build up the pillar of fire and cloud in a particular place.

Exodus 14:24 "Now it came to pass in the morning watch that the Lord looked down on the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and He troubled the Egyptians"

Note the words "Now it came to pass" thus indicating that a period of time has to pass before the pillar of fire and cloud can be activated.

The words "Now it came to pass" appears 71 times in the Bible. Each time it appears, 2 things are obvious:

- a period of time has to be passed
- the certainty of the things that will surely come to pass after the period of time has passed.

It will take some time for the pillar of fire and cloud to build up but it will certainly come to pass that there will be a pillar of cloud and fire in our church that will continually be burning in power and intensity. 

Cloud and fire are symbols of God.

To have the cloud in our midst is to have the glory of God.

2 Chron 5:14 "...so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God"


Again it took some time for the cloud to fill the house. I can imagine a small cloud that slowly expands in volume to fill the whole house.

But it came only after the singers and the musicians became as one in the spirit.

I pray that even as we keep the morning watches, the whole church will eventually be filled with the cloud of the glory of God.

To have the fire in our midst is to have the Holy Spirit.

Heb 12:29 "Our God is a consuming fire"

In the NT, the fire comes when the Holy Spirit comes upon us.

Matt 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire"

Acts 2:3 "Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire"

Again in the book of Acts, the fire of God took sometime to fall upon them. There was a time of praying together and waiting upon God in the upper room.

What does the fire of God do for us?

It breaks up hardened hearts and defeats the enemies of our souls.

 Jer 23:29 "Is not my word like fire" says the Lord"

Ps 97:3 "A fire goes before Him and burns up His enemies round about"

LORD JESUS may you grant us the grace, patience and tenacity to continue the morning watches day by day. Amen.