“So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me” (Ezek. 33:7)
Many have been called to walk in the watchman anointing, but a spirit of slumber has tried to overtake and bring them into a state of lethargy. Romans 11:8 speaks of the “spirit of slumber.” The Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 11:7-8 that Israel had been given the “spirit of slumber,” so that they were unable to spiritually see and hear. The Aramaic can be translated as “a spirit of frustration.” 1 We would do well to ask ourselves, “lately, have I felt frustrated in any area of my life?”
If we will call out to God for deliverance from this spirit of slumber/frustration, the LORD will restore the watchman anointing to us.
While there is much to teach on the watchman anointing, we must first learn the daytime divisions of the prayer watches. By the time of Jesus, daily time was divided into 3 hour segments.2 Another thing we need to know is that we have spheres of influence and authority. Watchmen are assigned to areas. If we are not “watching” over the area assigned to us, we cannot exercise authority in another area. We also need a vision, or we are like soldiers operating without sight. We cannot blindly fire our weapons without strategy. Here are four areas of “spheres of influence:” 3
- Home
- Work
- Church
- Community
- DAYTIME DIVISIONS
In the days of Jesus, Rome established chimes in the city that would signal the beginning of each time division, or segment.
The following are the Roman time segments which correspond to the prayer hours. The following information is extracted from Chuck Pierce’s book Reordering Your Day Understanding and Embracing the Four Prayer Watches.4
DAYTIME DIVISIONS
Lauds (sometime just before Dawn): A time to begin the day in praise. It pictured the morning sacrifice offered by Israel’s priests every morning.5
Prime (the First Hour) at 6:00 am: Prime is to be considered as the prayer of the beginning of the day. Prayer at this watch consecrated all of the work of the day.6
Terce (3rd Hour at 9:00 am): This was the hour of Christ’s condemnation to death, and the hour of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost.7
Sext (6th Hour at Noon): Peter went up to the higher parts of the house to pray (Acts 10:9). It was the middle of the day, also the usual hour of rest. A time to seek the LORD! At the sixth hour Abraham received the three angels. It was thehour when darkness covered the whole land during the crucifixion (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33).8
None (9th Hour at 3:00 pm). Its name comes from Latin and refers to the ninth hour of the day after dawn. “Now Peter and John went up into the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.” (Acts 10:30). Among the ancients, the hour of None was regarded as the close of the day’s business and time for the baths and supper. The Christians used this time as an opportunity to pray.9
Vespers (Sundown-Around 6:00 pm): The word comes from the Latin vesper, meaning “evening.” This time was most widely known in the Early Church as Lucernalis or Lucenaria hora (the hour of lights). It was so called because at this hour the candles were lighted. This was often the time of corporate prayer. All the lamps and torches were lighted. The psalms were sung, thanksgiving offered, then the prayers and finally the blessing and dismissal. This evening gathering was a continuation of the evening sacrifice of the Old Testament. The day is consecrated to God by Vespers.10
Compile: The term Compile is a derivation of the Latin word completorium,designating the last (completing hour of the day. It is a private prayer at bedtime. Prayer at the time of compile closes the day with the LORD.11
Vigils: A “Middle of the Night Prayer Watch.” Usually around 3:00 am. Many prophetic individuals will be awakened by the Holy Spirit to pray at this time.12
The Lord will teach us how to build our future, if we will learn to watch with Him. Ep. 5:16 tells us to “Redeem time“. To redeem means to buy back. May the Holy Spirit teach us the depths of this concept of buying back. Wherever we have been locked up in a “time prison,” may we be set free and may the watchman anointing be restored.
Love,
P/Karen
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- TPT, pg. 779
- Biblical Life Prayer Dynamics, Chpt. 19, pg. 19
- Ibid
- Pierce, Chuck. Reordering Your Day. Understanding and Embracing The Four Prayer Watches. Glory of Zion Int. Ministries, Denton, Tx. C 2006. Pgs. 15-17
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Ibid
