HARP & BOWL
Harp & Bowl is a model of prayer and worship that facilitates prayer, group worship, and unified intercession.
What is Harp & Bowl?
- Comes from Revelation 5:8
- “the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song…”
- Mixture of worship (harp) with the prayers of the saints (bowl)
- A model that combines the spontaneous with structure
Why Harp & Bowl?
- Unity
- Helps unify the prayer room. Anyone praying can join in unified prayer to help “fill the bowls” before the Lord.
- Having basic structures unifies and gets everyone on the same page
- Wisdom and Humility
- This model facilitates overcoming fears
- This model allows for beginners and seasoned musicians and singers
- This model stays central on the Word of God
- Brings heaven to Earth
- As we mirror the realities of heaven, we release and establish those realities here on earth. Worship and prayer unto the King on earth as it is in heaven.
- “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
- Re-establishes (in the Spirit) King David’s command from God on worship
- Details of this command – 1 Chronicles 28:11-19
- After David became king he set up a tabernacle of worship in Jerusalem (1 Chr. 15). He set Levites before the ark (which spoke of God’s presence) to worship God night & day. 1 Chronicles 16:1, 4
- David established full-time singers, musicians & gatekeepers
- 4,000 musicians – 1 Chronicles 23:5
- 288 singers – 1 Chronicles 25:7
- When the Old Testament kings continued, or re-established this form of worship, revivals and renewals emerged
- Hezekiah’s revival (725 BC) – 2 Chronicles 29:25-27
- Josiah’s revival (about 625 BC) restored full-time singers and musicians – 2 Chronicles 35:3-15
- Jehoshaphat’s reform (about 870 BC) included establishing singers and musicians – 2 Chronicles 20:19-28
- Jehoiada restored temple worship in the order of David (about 835 BC) – 2 Chronicles 23:18
- Zerubbabel (about 536 BC) established full-time singers and musicians as commanded by David – Ezra 3:10-11
- Ezra and Nehemiah (445 BC) established full-time singers and musicians as David commanded – Nehemiah 12:24, 45
- Amos prophesied the restoration of David’s tabernacle
- “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down…” Amos 9:11
- A global, spiritual tabernacle of worship and prayer is being established to usher in the return of the Lord to the earth, and to release the fullness of revival to the nations before the “harvest at the end of the age.” (Matthew 13:39)
- Acts 15:14-18
**NOTE: This structure could change depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
HARP & BOWL Structure
- Corporate Worship – Stage 1
- Real power in worship.
- Chronicles 20:21 “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”
- All sing together to focus and get into agreement (Unity)
- 3 Types of songs
- Splendor of His holiness/majesty
- Intimacy
- Thanksgiving
- Spontaneous Singing – Stage 2
- Get filled with the Spirit
- Ephesians 5:18-19: ”And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…”
- Make the spiritual the reality
- Sing yourself into being filled with the Spirit
- Sing to God and about God
- Sing “love song” to the Lord from the Scripture, or personal melody, and sing in tongues
- 1 Corinthians 14:15 “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.”
- Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
- Purpose to lead so that the whole room engages with God. It is important to have simple and basic chord progressions.
- Worship leader will initiate by saying/singing, “Let’s lift our voices” or “Let’s sing our song own songs to God.” Worship leader will close by saying/singing “Thank you, God.”
- Prayer
- Prayer leader will announce what they are praying for
- Read passage of Scripture
- Pray off that passage – “meditate” on the Scripture through prayer to receive revelation on how to deeply pray into the specific topic
- Open prayer to everyone
- During corporate prayer, worshippers continue playing chord progressions and may sing prophetically or develop a chorus to encourage agreement in prayer.
- Prophetic singing in the midst of prayer can help deepen prayers and release breakthrough (give form and substance to spiritual realities that the Lord is revealing), as well as help everyone to come into agreement.
Harp & Bowl Basic Outline (1 hour) *note: worship and prayer leaders show up 15 minutes early
- Corporate Worship (15-20 minutes)
- Spontaneous Singing (2-5 minutes)
- Prayer (35 minutes)
- End with corporate worship (5-10 minutes)