H&B 1 - Sustaining reality behind 24/7 prayer

Can I repent for sin for 24/7 for years and years? No!
Can I bind the devil 24/7 for years and years? No!
To be honest, I can't even do that for a few hours. I'd get exhausted, worn out, eventually bored and gave up (unless God show up.) I believe in repenting of sins in private setting as well as in corporate setting, I believe in rebuking the evil spirits too. But it is not something I'd do 24/7 for years.

How can IHOP do 24/7 prayer for the past 10 years? I've heard that people come and go, but the fire of the altar is still kept burning and has never gone off. There're also more and more people join IHOP. IHOP has 500+ full time staffs now, and the staffs do not get paid by IHOP, they raise support. There must be something powerful.... here's the answer I got from my H&B Handbook.

The sustaining reality behind the IHOP-KC prayer model of 24 hour a day prayer is encountering God in His beauty.

The power to engage in night and day prayer is found in having a heart that soars in God. We cannot repent of sin nor bind the devil 24 hours a day for years and years. Yes, we do engage in prayers with this focus, but not as the main model of 24/7 prayer.

If we're honest to ourselves, we all love beauty. We like to feel beautiful, like to look at things and people who are beautiful, we like beautiful houses, cars, clothes, scenery, pictures... Our desire for beauty is not sinful, in fact, it is a God-designed longing which He placed in us when He created us. Beauty itself is not sinful. God Himself is the source of all true beauty. Only God Himself can fully satisfied this longing for beauty He designed in us. His beauty can fascinate our heart and awaken us; and the beauty He imparts in us can truly beautify us. (The Seven Longings of the Human Heart talks about this in details.)

How can we have enjoyable prayer? Understanding of God's beauty and God's burning desire (affection) for human beings. This is the primary source of power that will fuel the End-Time prayer movement.

This verse sums up David's life-long preoccupation as gazing on the beauty of God.
Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek:... all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD..."

The revelation of God's beauty fascinate our hearts. When we understand God's beauty, we can enjoy Him more. Encountering God's beauty and God's desire for us is where we most enjoy our primary reward, which is God Himself. Jesus is our primary reward. God spoke to Abraham and "I am your exceedingly great reward" (Gen 15:1). Even though spiritual breakthrough is fantastic, but it is not our primary reward but our secondary reward. Being involved in H&B ministry (in one way or another) for the past 9 years, my most enjoyable moments are those I encountered Jesus and was amazed by the revelation of who God is and how much He loves and cares for us. When spiritual breakthrough became my primary focus, I'd be disappointed most of the time when responses are delayed. But I remember who I was being nourished and nurtured and refreshed after H&B session because I encountered Jesus.

There were times when I was sidetracked and lose my focus on Jesus. But now I want to turn my focus back to this beautiful God. Jesus is the reason I sing, He is the reason I play the piano, He is the reason I sing the Scripture. In the midst of this, I will behold His beauty. Yes, Jesus, I want to behond Your beauty all the days of my life!

(A lot of the content are from "Harp & Bowl Handbook II 2005 edition)