11–21 September 2026
What might happen if, for ten days, we deliberately turned down the noise, stepped away from some of our normal routines and distractions, and gave ourselves afresh to seeking the presence of God?
Across the world, Christians are doing just that through 10 Days of Prayer – a global movement of prayer, worship, fasting and repentance inspired by the biblical Days of Awe.
From 11–21 September 2026, believers across nations, denominations and cultures are being invited to seek God together, with prayer gatherings taking place in cities and communities around the world.
What are the Days of Awe?
The Days of Awe are the ten-day period between the biblical Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. Within the 10 Days movement, this period has become an opportunity for Christians to set aside additional time for worship, prayer, fasting, repentance and seeking the face of God.
There is something deeply biblical about deliberately making room to seek the Lord.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…”
2 Chronicles 7:14
In a world filled with conflict, uncertainty, division and distraction, perhaps one of the most powerful things the Church can do is stop and seek God.
Not simply to ask God to change the world around us, but to allow Him to begin by changing us.
2026: PURSUE
The theme for 10 Days in 2026 is Pursue.
It is an invitation to run after the heart of God with undivided devotion. The 10 Days movement describes this season as an opportunity to reorient our hearts around one pursuit: giving our best for God’s glory.
Through worship, repentance and prayer, we surrender our ambitions, distractions and divisions to the Lordship of Jesus, asking that His character would increasingly be formed in us and His Kingdom revealed through us.
This echoes the cry of David:
“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
Psalm 27:8
Before we pursue answers, breakthrough or revival, we pursue Him.
A Global Upper Room
One of the beautiful aspects of 10 Days is that we are not praying alone.
The vision is for believers from different churches, ministries, traditions and nations to come together in unity – forming what the movement describes as a “Global Upper Room.” It draws inspiration from Acts 1, where the followers of Jesus “joined together constantly in prayer” as they waited for the promised Holy Spirit.
Jesus prayed:
“That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”
John 17:21
During these Days of Awe, we can pray for that unity again – not uniformity, but a Church united around Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit and carrying the good news of His Kingdom to the world.
How can we pray during the Days of Awe?
The 10 Days movement highlights three significant themes: personal repentance, intercessory mourning and longing for the Bridegroom.
Here are some ways we can enter into these themes.
1. Pursue the presence of God
Begin with God rather than your prayer list. Spend time worshipping Jesus and simply being in His presence.
Pray: Father, draw me closer to You. Give me a deeper hunger for Your presence. Remove the distractions that compete for my attention and teach me to seek You wholeheartedly.
2. Make room for repentance
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Where have compromise, unforgiveness, pride, fear, apathy or distraction crept in?
Pray personally, but also stand in repentance on behalf of the Church.
Lord, forgive us where we have become comfortable, divided or distracted. Purify Your Church and restore our first love for Jesus.
3. Pray for revival
Across the nations there is a growing cry for a fresh move of God.
Ask God to awaken His Church, pour out His Spirit and bring many people to faith in Jesus.
Pray for churches to become houses of prayer. Pray for renewed hunger for Scripture, holiness and the presence of God. Pray for young people and children to encounter Jesus and for communities to be transformed.
4. Stand in the gap for the nations
Bring the brokenness of our world before God.
Pray for nations experiencing war, persecution, poverty, injustice, disaster and political instability. Pray for leaders to receive wisdom and for the Church to be courageous and compassionate.
Where the news can overwhelm us, allow it instead to move us towards intercession.
Lord, let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
5. Pray for the harvest
Jesus said:
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
Matthew 9:37
Pray for people who do not yet know Jesus. Ask God to raise up and send workers into communities and nations where the gospel is least known.
Pray for opportunities to share Jesus within our own families, workplaces, neighbourhoods and communities.
6. Pray for unity in the Body of Christ
Ask God to break down unnecessary barriers between churches and ministries.
Pray for pastors and Christian leaders to develop strong relationships across denominational and cultural boundaries. Pray that Christians would increasingly pray and work together for the blessing of their communities.
7. Pray with longing for Jesus
The Days of Awe remind us that our ultimate hope is not found in governments, economies or human institutions.
Our hope is Jesus.
The 10 Days movement intentionally includes a longing for the return of Christ, echoing the final prayer of Scripture:
“Come, Lord Jesus.”
Revelation 22:20
Ask the Holy Spirit to restore that longing within the Church.
What could you give up for ten days?
Participating doesn’t necessarily mean attending a prayer meeting every hour of every day.
It could begin with a simple question:
What could I lay aside for ten days so that I can make more room for God?
Perhaps it is social media, television, certain meals, entertainment or another activity that normally occupies your attention.
You could use that time to worship, read Scripture, prayer-walk your neighbourhood, meet with other Christians to pray, fast, or intercede for a particular nation.
The 10 Days vision encourages believers to step away from ordinary distractions and intentionally devote additional time to prayer and worship.
A simple daily rhythm
During the remaining Days of Awe, why not set aside a dedicated period each day?
WORSHIP – Fix your attention on Jesus and thank Him for who He is.
WORD – Slowly read a passage of Scripture and allow God to speak through it.
REPENT – Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart.
PRAY – Intercede for your family, community, the Church and the nations.
LISTEN – Don’t fill every moment with words. Make space to listen to God.
RESPOND – Ask: Lord, what are You asking me to do?
Prayer isn’t simply about presenting God with requests. It is relationship – coming into His presence, hearing His heart and allowing our lives to become aligned with His purposes.
Will you pursue Him?
These ten days are an invitation.
An invitation to slow down.
An invitation to humble ourselves.
An invitation to repent.
An invitation to stand in the gap for a hurting world.
An invitation for churches to pray together.
And, above everything else, an invitation to pursue Jesus.
What might God do if thousands of Christians across our towns, cities and nations deliberately made room for His presence?
What might happen if we prayed again with the persistence of the early Church?
And what might happen if our ten days of prayer became the beginning of a deeper lifestyle of prayer?
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
Join the 10 Days of Prayer
The 2026 10 Days of Prayer – Pursue runs from 11–21 September 2026, with prayer gatherings and resources available for individuals, families, churches and communities around the world. A 2026 prayer guide and children’s prayer guide are also available.
Find out more, access the prayer resources and discover ways to participate through 10 Days of Prayer.
Let us seek His face. Let us stand in the gap. Let us pursue Him together.
Natasha Ruddock is the Communications Manager for the World Prayer Centre.
