Why showing up to pray at 2am might be good for you
By Dan Sheed
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”— Mark 1:35
There’s something beautifully disruptive about this verse. Jesus—the Son of God—chose to wake while it was still dark. He left behind warmth, comfort, and rest, simply to be alone with the Father.
In a world where we protect our sleep like it’s gold, that’s a confronting image.
At Central Vineyard, we’re leaning into this same rhythm through our 24-7 Prayer Room—hour-long slots, around the clock, in our dedicated space we have made for this time. And while the daytime hours often fill quickly, there’s something profoundly different—maybe even life-changing—about showing up at 2am.
Disruption as Invitation
A mentor of mine, Lloyd Rankin, used to say, “Ministry is always in the interruptions.” And I’ve found it to be true. God often seems to move most clearly in the places that catch us off guard.
Let’s be honest: so much of our culture is built around comfort, convenience, and control. So when we willingly disrupt our rhythms to make space for prayer—especially in the quiet hours of the night—we’re making a quiet declaration: God, You’re worth it. That disruption becomes an invitation—into dependence, intimacy, and attentiveness.
Pete Greig, the founder of 24-7 Prayer, puts it bluntly:
“The hardest part is getting into the prayer room. But once you’re there, God does the rest.”
We don’t turn up in the middle of the night because we’re spiritual heavyweights. We show up because something happens when we make ourselves available—something we only discover on the other side of obedience.
God Moves in the Quiet
There’s a hush in the early hours that you simply can’t manufacture during the day. No emails. No notifications. No traffic. Just stillness.
And in that stillness, something shifts. You’re not just praying—you’re listening. Waiting. Watching. The quiet itself becomes a kind of prayer.
It’s often in this quiet that God speaks. Not with loud declarations, but with gentle reminders: You’re not alone. I’m here. Keep going.
Prayer as Participation
One of the most beautiful things I have found to be true about participating in a 24-7 Prayer Room is that your hour is never isolated. You’re stepping into a relay—picking up where someone else left off, and making space for the one who comes after.
It’s a living chain of faithfulness and expectancy.
And there’s something deeply moving about knowing others are getting up in the wee hours too—not out of obligation, but because they believe God is meeting people in that room. You’re part of a bigger story.
Pete Greig says it like this:
“Every time we enter a prayer room, we are part of a divine conspiracy of love and intercession unfolding across the earth.”
A Different Kind of Formation
All of us want to grow in our faith. We want to live lives marked by intimacy with God. But here’s the thing: formation rarely happens in comfort. It comes through small acts of obedience—one sacrificial ‘yes’ at a time.
A 2am prayer slot might feel like a small thing. But it forms something deep. It builds spiritual muscle. It humbles us. It reminds us that prayer isn’t just something we do—it’s a way we become.
So this isn’t just an invitation to sign up for a slot. It’s an invitation to show up and be changed—one quiet, inconvenient, holy hour at a time.
Have you signed up for the Prayer Room yet? If not, you can do that here.