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Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation
An extraordinary story about the adventure of faith and the power of persevering prayer…
On a summer's day in 1727 a community of Moravians started praying and didn't stop for more than 100 years. Throughout history God has mobilised such movements and moments of 24/7 prayer - from the Upper Room of Pentecost to Azusa Street in Los Angeles, through ancient Celtic saints and extraordinary characters like Alexander the Sleepless.
This is the story of a movement of the Spirit in our time, a move as ancient as it is modern.
As young people desert the church and AIDS orphans Africa, a new generation is learning to pray and obey like never before. From Communist China to Washington DC and from the ranks of the Salvation Army to anarchic German punks, the 24-7 Prayer movement has been interceding continually, night and day, since 1999 in more than fifty countries. This is their extraordinary story; an honest account of pain and perseverance alongside pioneering mission and miraculous answers to prayer.
196 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
266 people are currently reading
1320 people want to read
About the author
Pete Greig
25 books388 followersPete Greig is the bewildered founder of the 24-7 Prayer movement which has spread into more than half the nations on earth.
He is also the Senior Pastor of Emmaus Rd, Guildford, Ambassador for the NGO Tearfund, and an Associate Tutor at St Mellitus Theological College, London.
His latest book, ‘How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People’ is a companion volume to The Prayer Course (www.prayercourse.org), which has been downloaded more than a million times. His previous title, ‘Dirty Glory’, was UK Christian Book of the year in 2017.
He preaches and teaches around the world and co-hosts two British festivals: Wildfires and the Big Church Day Out which attracts 30,000 people each year.
Pete’s passions include T.S. Eliot, Portsmouth F.C. and ‘Little Mo’, a 1964 Morris Minor convertible which he has lovingly restored by hand.
He is also the Senior Pastor of Emmaus Rd, Guildford, Ambassador for the NGO Tearfund, and an Associate Tutor at St Mellitus Theological College, London.
His latest book, ‘How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People’ is a companion volume to The Prayer Course (www.prayercourse.org), which has been downloaded more than a million times. His previous title, ‘Dirty Glory’, was UK Christian Book of the year in 2017.
He preaches and teaches around the world and co-hosts two British festivals: Wildfires and the Big Church Day Out which attracts 30,000 people each year.
Pete’s passions include T.S. Eliot, Portsmouth F.C. and ‘Little Mo’, a 1964 Morris Minor convertible which he has lovingly restored by hand.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
May 4, 2008
I ordered this book somewhat by accident - amazon recommended it to me and I put it in my cart to get to my "free shipping" requirement. I remember opening it in a coffee shop in Amherst and the first page had a quote from U2's Electrical Storm, which intrigued me. A book about prayer that quoted U2?
The book opened my eyes to how big God is and how he uses ordinary people. It opened my eyes to a whole different way of living for God that I had never heard of in my quiet suburban churches.
Two years from reading the book for the first time I moved across the ocean to work with 24-7 Prayer. I'm so thankful God put this book in my path!
The book opened my eyes to how big God is and how he uses ordinary people. It opened my eyes to a whole different way of living for God that I had never heard of in my quiet suburban churches.
Two years from reading the book for the first time I moved across the ocean to work with 24-7 Prayer. I'm so thankful God put this book in my path!
February 8, 2018
This was incredibly sincere. The cover may be a bit too striking, but the Pete's story is gripping.
Break a bit out of what you think you know.
My favourite extract:
"Just as Jesus had spent his time at parties, among the crowds, engaging with the disreputable and apparently non-religious, so today he seems surprisingly comfortable among the crowds of party-goers, the non-religious pilgrims of our time. Prehaps he longs for us to vacate our buildings from time to time, to turn our temples into tabernacles, to become like him, the Friend of Sinners. We are the light of the world, but no one wants to stare at the bulb. We are the salt of the earth, but a whole plate of the stuff will make you sick. The people of God are called to scatter and mix, to mingle and move, to influence from a position of weakness, like a small child in a large family, like yeast in a loaf, like a mustard seed beneath a path." (pp. 227)
Break a bit out of what you think you know.
My favourite extract:
"Just as Jesus had spent his time at parties, among the crowds, engaging with the disreputable and apparently non-religious, so today he seems surprisingly comfortable among the crowds of party-goers, the non-religious pilgrims of our time. Prehaps he longs for us to vacate our buildings from time to time, to turn our temples into tabernacles, to become like him, the Friend of Sinners. We are the light of the world, but no one wants to stare at the bulb. We are the salt of the earth, but a whole plate of the stuff will make you sick. The people of God are called to scatter and mix, to mingle and move, to influence from a position of weakness, like a small child in a large family, like yeast in a loaf, like a mustard seed beneath a path." (pp. 227)
February 1, 2025
I enjoyed learning about a movement of God in a time and place I haven’t read much about in faith books—90s Europe!
May 16, 2021
This is an inspirational story of people who didn't really know what they were doing but found themselves at the forefront of a move of God. Throughout the book, we are introduced to people who had been touched by God and prepared in advance to be available at the right moment to play their part in what was to become a 24/7/365 worldwide "room" of prayer.
In the first few pages we meet Markus Lägel as a 13-year-old who was impacted by the prayer rally in Leipzig, East Germany, before the fall of the Communism. Starting in 1979, these prayers for peace started in a tiny church were attracting 300,000 participants. When the Berlin Wall came down, one official made the extraordinary admission: 'We were prepared for every eventuality, but not for candles and not for prayers.'
A thoughtful book, it juxtaposes Augustine's comment that God puts salt on our tongue that we may thirst for Him with Nietzsche's astounding insight (at least for the philosopher who said, "God is dead") that: 'The essential thing in heaven and earth is... that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something that has made life worth living.'
There's an interesting footnote on page 56 to the effect that the "Wild Goose" as a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Celtic Christianity seems to be a modern invention and a renowned Celtic scholar can find no reference to it prior to George MacLeod, founder of the 20th century Iona community.
Pete writes of encountering a test of God driving from Herrnhut to Prague through the border town of Dubi, where scores of prostitutes line the road. Such trials, he says, generally cross our lives when we least expect them, but when they do, our actions and responses say everything about us for weeks, months or even years to come. They are tests, moments of divine crisis, which the Chinese call 'dangerous opportunities'. It was the sight of a young girl by the side of the road that precipitated the crisis. I knew, Pete said, that if we drove away from Dubi that day, a small irredeemable part of me would feel like a hypocrite for ever, unable to guarantee a different response the next time round. (p 70)
The use of the technique of Ignatius of Loyola, examen is explained as noticing (p 116):
(1) express gratitude
(2) reflect on how God's presence might have been made tangible at that time
(3) confess failure
In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love. (Zinzendorf)
Each district of ancient Israel could send a representative to Jerusalem to take part in the daily rituals of worship on their behalf. There were 24 of these districts. (p214)
St Petersburg on the Neva Delta is called the Venice of the North or the Babylon of the Snows and is famous for the Beliye Nochi, the White Nights, when the streetlights are never switched on and the city sinks for one hour into lilac twilight. The city's foundations were built on a holocaust of human endeavour. More than 25,000 people died constructing this fairy-tale skyline for Tsar Peter the Great. For ten years, it was called Petrograd and for 67 Leningrad. 5000 street children live in the tousovkas, places of refuge at railway stations and the like. (p217f)
The prayer rooms eventually developed into "Boiler Rooms" akin to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's little 'colonies of heaven' and like Celtic muintirs. The primary features of these places are: prayer, creativity, mission, justice, pilgrimage, community. (p273f)
In the first few pages we meet Markus Lägel as a 13-year-old who was impacted by the prayer rally in Leipzig, East Germany, before the fall of the Communism. Starting in 1979, these prayers for peace started in a tiny church were attracting 300,000 participants. When the Berlin Wall came down, one official made the extraordinary admission: 'We were prepared for every eventuality, but not for candles and not for prayers.'
A thoughtful book, it juxtaposes Augustine's comment that God puts salt on our tongue that we may thirst for Him with Nietzsche's astounding insight (at least for the philosopher who said, "God is dead") that: 'The essential thing in heaven and earth is... that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something that has made life worth living.'
There's an interesting footnote on page 56 to the effect that the "Wild Goose" as a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Celtic Christianity seems to be a modern invention and a renowned Celtic scholar can find no reference to it prior to George MacLeod, founder of the 20th century Iona community.
Pete writes of encountering a test of God driving from Herrnhut to Prague through the border town of Dubi, where scores of prostitutes line the road. Such trials, he says, generally cross our lives when we least expect them, but when they do, our actions and responses say everything about us for weeks, months or even years to come. They are tests, moments of divine crisis, which the Chinese call 'dangerous opportunities'. It was the sight of a young girl by the side of the road that precipitated the crisis. I knew, Pete said, that if we drove away from Dubi that day, a small irredeemable part of me would feel like a hypocrite for ever, unable to guarantee a different response the next time round. (p 70)
The use of the technique of Ignatius of Loyola, examen is explained as noticing (p 116):
(1) express gratitude
(2) reflect on how God's presence might have been made tangible at that time
(3) confess failure
In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love. (Zinzendorf)
Each district of ancient Israel could send a representative to Jerusalem to take part in the daily rituals of worship on their behalf. There were 24 of these districts. (p214)
St Petersburg on the Neva Delta is called the Venice of the North or the Babylon of the Snows and is famous for the Beliye Nochi, the White Nights, when the streetlights are never switched on and the city sinks for one hour into lilac twilight. The city's foundations were built on a holocaust of human endeavour. More than 25,000 people died constructing this fairy-tale skyline for Tsar Peter the Great. For ten years, it was called Petrograd and for 67 Leningrad. 5000 street children live in the tousovkas, places of refuge at railway stations and the like. (p217f)
The prayer rooms eventually developed into "Boiler Rooms" akin to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's little 'colonies of heaven' and like Celtic muintirs. The primary features of these places are: prayer, creativity, mission, justice, pilgrimage, community. (p273f)
August 30, 2012
Recommended to me by a 16 year old Irish boy. Easy to read. Adventure. Pray first-then wait and see what God brings about and go where He is working and leading. An Incredible Adventure. It re-Awakened the part of me that is hungering for an adventure. Sometimes we get stuck in a prayer module, type or style and it can feel very boring and rote. This really challenged me, got my intercessory gifting excited again.
How many times do we see it modeled in the Bible - 1. Pray first. 2. Wait to see where God is working. 3. Join Him.
Let this me the model I follow and the adventure I have chosen to ride!!!
How many times do we see it modeled in the Bible - 1. Pray first. 2. Wait to see where God is working. 3. Join Him.
Let this me the model I follow and the adventure I have chosen to ride!!!
July 13, 2012
Wow! I never wanted to finish this book. Only because it is so good and I wanted to absorb as much of it as I could. It has really challenged me to take another look at my prayer life. I need to change and pray more. It causes such stirrings in me.
August 22, 2011
Would that everyone interested in understanding the true heart of "emergent" believers read this instead of the McManus and co. tripe. Inspiring, true and relevant.
May 28, 2023
Following the thread of how 24/7 prayer came to be - and the personal stories that came out of it - is inspiring and hope-giving for every person who wants to know God more deeply and step out more boldly.
October 12, 2022
Incredible and inspiring!
August 7, 2023
Eine sehr ermutigende Geschichte über die Kraft von Gebet und darüber, dass Erweckung heute noch passiert. Es ist manchmal etwas durcheinander geschrieben, aber ansonsten liest es sich sehr leicht :)
July 9, 2024
Exceptional story. Inspiring and faith building
August 12, 2019
Life's cyclical nature is amusing. I read this book in 2007 and have recommended it over a hundred times since. I returned to it this year wondering if a decade of life changed my outlook; I am happy to report, it hasn't. However, I experienced the book differently this time. The first time I read it, I was swept away by the stories of answered prayer and the powerful experiences of the holy spirit. This time, however, I noticed the unanswered prayers, the long seasons spent in the wilderness, and the ancient wisdom that roots the miraculous experiences. My heart ached when I realized how quickly I glossed over the ancient wisdom of the Christian Celts, Jesuits, Moravians, and contemplative prayer on my first read-through. I would have saved myself some time had I slowed down to digest the wisdom in those details. Regardless, this is a great book to read when learning how to pray and within a community of fiery young adults. It's an easy read that overflows with inspiring stories of contemplative prayer in action. Emphasis on action. You will be introduced to several prayer practices (Lectio Divina, centering prayer, daily examen, etc.) and learn to meet Jesus in the here and now, the exciting and the mundane. Then, you are encouraged to focus boundless compassion outward and be the hands and feet to your prayers. While this book is primarily experiential, it’s a great introduction to prayer, an inspiring story of the birth of a movement, and a shot of adrenaline to your faith.
“Our world is waiting for us to love and show God’s heart through his powerful presence.”
― Pete Greig, Red Moon Rising: Rediscover the Power of Prayer
“Our world is waiting for us to love and show God’s heart through his powerful presence.”
― Pete Greig, Red Moon Rising: Rediscover the Power of Prayer
November 28, 2008
This book is worth the time it takes to chew through it. Every chapter leaves you challenged and empowered to meditate on and use the power of prayer. It's set up as a story following one man with one God-sized dream- to see the Church revive the century old practice of praying 24-7. He doubts his own abililites and the abilities of his fellow men, but once he takes that first step of faith, he sparks something not only to be seen by him but to be felt all over the world. It's beautiful, humbling, and necessary to see what God is doing all around us, even when we have a hard time looking beyond our front door.
June 6, 2010
im reading this book for a second time. changed my life as a high school student and really shook me to read& learn about what 24-7/hour prayer is and how it is impacting individuals and societies in different cities & countries all across the world. God is stirring up a hunger in His people to encounter Him in a real and intimate way through prayer and the receiving of healing and freedom. This is connecting human hearts with God's heart to see cities& countries saved and revived; then to love and worship Jesus& build up the Body.The preparing of the way for the 2nd coming. (:
May 19, 2020
Amazing amazing amazing. Love how Pete shares his and others' journey into and through the many exciting and powerful facets of the 24-7 Prayer movement. This was instrumental and timely for me as God has been recently reminding me of/re-forming in me the incredible impact and power of prayer and intercession. Passionate, persistent prayers become a partnership with our gracious God to see miracles and bring about transformation. Thank you to my friend and brother, Scotty Burns, for gifting me this outstanding book!
June 27, 2008
Red Moon Rising is primarily encouragement to live out faith, and to seek out the face of God.
The seemingly redundant accounts reinforce the idea of "seeking" without becoming a "how to" or another piece of "Emergent" tripe.
If you are ever heading down to a House of Prayer, or a prayer retreat, this is a good piece of not too heavy reading that will definitely encourage someone looking for something a little deeper.
The seemingly redundant accounts reinforce the idea of "seeking" without becoming a "how to" or another piece of "Emergent" tripe.
If you are ever heading down to a House of Prayer, or a prayer retreat, this is a good piece of not too heavy reading that will definitely encourage someone looking for something a little deeper.
February 15, 2016
Still an essential read
I read this book over a decade ago and came back to it wondering if it would still have the same impact on me as it did as a teenager. Suffice to say the stories, encouragements and scripture based teaching are as radical as ever and it filled me with hopes d encouragement for the journey.
I read this book over a decade ago and came back to it wondering if it would still have the same impact on me as it did as a teenager. Suffice to say the stories, encouragements and scripture based teaching are as radical as ever and it filled me with hopes d encouragement for the journey.
October 13, 2016
This book makes a passionate call to holiness and radical submission to Jesus. Pete Greig has a personal and relatable writing style that he uses effectively when describing both his own spiritual journey and those of others throughout history. The poem "The Vision", which is included in the book, is particularly inspirational and memorable.
January 12, 2016
Truly inspirational. So great to read a book by someone who isn't a super-Christian. Pete Greig confesses he has trouble with prayer and often didn't know what he was doing as 24-7 prayer became a phenomenon, but God used him anyway. And life wasn't a bed of roses while all this was going on either. That means there is hope for any of us.
June 15, 2021
This book was a great discovery for me personally!
I enjoyed reading it in so many different ways I cannot even put it into words!!!
It’s well written, easy and interesting to read. It’s greatly encouraging and inspiring.
I highly recommend reading this book to every Christian! After Red Moon Raising I’ve read all of the Pete’s books and am going to 24/7 conference within couple of weeks :)
I enjoyed reading it in so many different ways I cannot even put it into words!!!
It’s well written, easy and interesting to read. It’s greatly encouraging and inspiring.
I highly recommend reading this book to every Christian! After Red Moon Raising I’ve read all of the Pete’s books and am going to 24/7 conference within couple of weeks :)
September 29, 2017
If prayer, the current state of religion and how movements are born this is a book for you. Love this book.
February 14, 2025
Testimony is a powerful thing and this book is precisely that. The story of 24/7 prayer is an encouraging one, clearly covered in God's presence and a deep hunger to see His way on earth as it is in heaven. I highly recommend exploring this book to understand the rich story behind the 24/7 Prayer movement. Let it inspire you to seek God in a life changing way.
The story is faultless, Spirit-filled and impossible which makes it clear that it's from God (who makes the impossible possible). The actual structure of the book is clunky at times and it took me about 50 pages before I understood that we'd jumped right into the story, but by the end this made more sense. The start of 24/7 prayer wasn't particularly strategic or flowing from a crafted plan and this book feels similar. A youthful, powerful call to prayer - a book I see myself quoting and referencing in the future.
The story is faultless, Spirit-filled and impossible which makes it clear that it's from God (who makes the impossible possible). The actual structure of the book is clunky at times and it took me about 50 pages before I understood that we'd jumped right into the story, but by the end this made more sense. The start of 24/7 prayer wasn't particularly strategic or flowing from a crafted plan and this book feels similar. A youthful, powerful call to prayer - a book I see myself quoting and referencing in the future.
August 15, 2025
What a faith-stirring, prayer-encouraging, heart-warming account of the beginning of the 24-7 Prayer Movement. Listening to Pete Greig read this in audiobook format is a bonus--he brings energy and passion and brings the stories to life. I'll need to read it in print/digital now to highlight key phrases and ponder more.
January 29, 2023
What I learned: prayer is powerful, but takes persistence, faithfulness, consistency, and space for God to be mysterious and outside of my comprehension.
May 8, 2024
Great book on prayer. Crazy what 24-7 is now. Made me hungry for more!
June 12, 2025
Audiobook. Great stories. A bit outdated, of course.
June 13, 2025
I can’t convey how great this book was. It made my heart so joyful and expectant to see what God is going to do. Excited to pray and have some fun along the way!
October 22, 2025
I have learned so much and been challenged. Thanks be to God for the passion and drive embodied in this movement.
February 24, 2025
Overall, great and inspiring read about a prayer movement. Definitely outside of my Southern Baptist theological training, but a cool read.
I struggled with the structure and flow of the book. It made it hard for me to follow and grasp the content. Will likely have to re-read (which in situations like this when I have to reread to understand and have it be impactful, I don’t find favor in the book lol)
I struggled with the structure and flow of the book. It made it hard for me to follow and grasp the content. Will likely have to re-read (which in situations like this when I have to reread to understand and have it be impactful, I don’t find favor in the book lol)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews