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Most Christian churches in Ghana have what they call prayer tower. The term is commonly used among Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.
Both English-speaking and Akan-speaking churches use it. It is not common to hear anyone say prayer tower in the Twi, Fante or other local Ghanaian languages.
Thus, it is very common to hear most Akan-speaking churches proudly refer to their special prayer teams as “prayer towerfo”.
But do they really understand the term? What and who is referred to as prayer tower? Does prayer tower refer to a thing, a person or a group of persons?
Well, most Ghanaian Christians refer prayer tower to people. They understand it to mean a group of believers who volunteer to meet and offer regular intercessory prayers with fasting for their churches, lead pastors, nations, and individuals.
Now where in the Bible can this understanding be referenced? In fact, this understanding of prayer tower is totally wrong and must be corrected and discouraged.
We need to pay a careful attention to the fact that we are talking about two words: “prayer” and “tower.” Prayer is a thing just as is tower is also a thing. None refers to a person.
We all understand prayer; therefore, the key word to critically consider in order to clearly understand the term is tower which in this context is linked to a building or a place.
Thus, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a tower as “: a tall, narrow building or structure that may stand apart from or be attached to another building or structure,”
This definition is correct and can be supported by the Bible. You may read Genesis Chapter 11 which talks about the building of the Tower of Babel for deeper comprehension.
In the words of Wilson Oshorokpor, “towers are high rise, physical structures built to fortify cities” against attacks.
Spiritually, we know that “the name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and it is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). This, according to Oshorokpor, suggests that the LORD is the highest and strongest tower that protects from all adversities.
Moreover, Adeline Lum writes that “a prayer tower is the dwelling place of God, a place of transformation into Christ, a place of refuge, a place to watch with God day and night, a place of rule and reign, a place of unity and blessings.”
You can clearly see that a prayer tower does not refer to a group of Christians who devote themselves to lift intercessory prayers to God. However, it refers to a place where Christians may go to watch and pray.
But a group of believers who unite in spirit, mind and soul to offer prayers for their churches, pastors, institutions, governments, nations and individuals can best be described as intercessors.
By James Quansah
