Pray for revival
More than ever we need to pay for revival. More than ever believers need to come together in a united front and cry out for revival. Prayer has proven to be a catalyst for many great revivals and awakenings as it moves God to show His power and grace.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.” We must seek in humility and with a pure heart, then God will hear and God will restore. More than ever there is a need in these last days of so much peril to cry out to a holy God to awaken the churches to awaken the nations from is darkness.
David writes in “Psalm 6:9: The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.” It has always been God’s intention to hear us, to speak to us and to fellowship (tabernacle with us). He hears His children and we hear Him if we serve and follow Him (John 10). As we cry out to Him for revival, humbling ourselves before His greatness and goodness, He will surely hear us!
As John Wesley once said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Prayer is not an option for mankind but a necessity. Prayer is man connecting with His Creator, and seeking God’s help, His counsel, His guidance and strength to secure favourable outcomes according to His perfect will.
God’s plan is for mankind to desire what God desires, to will what God wills, and to ask God to accomplish God’s purposes in the world, so that goodness and truth may reign on the earth rather than evil and darkness. Praying does not mean convincing God to do your will but doing God’s will through your will. It says in “James 5:16: The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We live in terrible and perilous days of darkness, but those who seek His righteousness and follow God can stand upon the Word that one’s prayer avails much! Prayer of the righteous will thus be useful and beneficial, all to the glory of God. A prayer for revival will surely move heaven!
Prayer is not an option for the believer. It is a necessity to fulfil God’s purposes in the world and our individual lives. Time spent in prayer is not time wasted but time invested. As we embrace the will of God, as we live before Him in the righteousness of Christ, as we seek to fulfil His purposes, nothing will be able to hinder our prayers, and we will begin to understand Jesus’ saying, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
A dedicated and functional prayer life is vital as we seek revival. Do we realize the power we have available to us when we take our authority in prayer? If we did, we would be praying in Jesus’ name more. There would be no such thing as doubt, fear, or anxiety because we would be on our faces before God, storming the heavenly realms in battle with the darkness and evil forces in our world. We have the authority firstly as stewards of the earthly domain and the custodians of the eternal Kingdom. We move in such authority by the Blood of the Lamb that sealed the Covenant!
The power of prayer isn’t in the words you utter. It’s not about what you pray or even how you pray. Prayer can be defined as talking to God, but it is much more than that. Prayer is an act of worship that glorifies God and reinforces our need for Him. Through living a life of prayer, we communicate with the very source of and purpose for our existence.
Prayer is simply connecting with the Great I Am – thus the Deliverer of the Jew and the Gentile who seeks and worships Him. We connect to an awesome and amazing God. It says in “Philippians 4 (New International Version) 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
There are many descriptions to describe God – omnipotent, all-powerful, loving, kind, omnipresent, glorious, wondrous and magnificent. In the Scriptures, we find God is also described as being awesome. I just love that word and how wondrous the concept is that we serve and know a God who is amazing, magnificent and glorious. It almost provokes this feeling of wanting to stand on a stage before millions of people and making the announcement for all to welcome the AWESOME God – He who is the ruler and king of the entire universe, including our small planet. He deserves our love and praise.
We are not serving some small-time deity that has mood fluctuations like us. We don’t serve a God who is overwhelmed with our problems. We might, like Saul, wake up one morning and find a giant by the name of Goliath standing in our way. But God is in control. He has always been and nothing escapes His attention. He is the author of Revival. He has every means to awaken His people and to bring restoration to lands and communities. Since we are serving such an awesome God, we must realise that this Lord desires for us to continuously ask and pray in times of sunshine and storms. Yes, we must cry out for revival.
“Matthew 7: 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7 highlights the importance of praying according to God’s will, for then surely our prayers shall be heard and answered. Revival is surely the Lord’s will, for His heart is to see the lost, the broken, the forgotten and the neglected redeemed. And yes, the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. So pray fervently for revival. Always seek the Lord’s will in all things to pray in accordance to His plans and purposes. If we do so, we glorify God, we seek His will, we seek His Truth and such Truth sets us free (John 8:32).
The Lord God Almighty answers prayer. “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me” (Psalm 17:6). “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17). We are encouraged to always pray in faith for it is written in “Matthew 17:20: Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
The power of prayer isn’t in the person praying. It’s not a magic formula. It isn’t keywords. It is an open heart, humble and filled with awe of who our mighty God is. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Psalm 107:28-30 reminds us, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”
There is power in prayer! The Word of God is truly full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations. The power of prayer has overcome enemies (Psalm 6:9-10), conquered death (2 Kings 4:3-36), brought healing (James 5:14-15), and defeated demons (Mark 9:29). God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5).
The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory and might of the infinitely powerful God of the universe! Daniel 4:35 proclaims, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?'” Jesus often prayed and was often found praying. Jesus knew the power of prayer, for it strengthens our resolve, gives us courage, provides guidance, fortifies our hope, and quickens our faith. As we pray for revival, seeking a mighty move in the church and the nations, trust and have faith in an almighty God!
The need for prayer warriors and true intercessors is of critical importance in the end times. The end-time remnant, therefore the true Bride of Christ, is going to need a lot of prayers to remain standing, to endure, to overcome and also to fulfil its task of fulfilling the Great Commission. A lot of fervent prayers are also needed to pray for the lost, the forgotten, the broken, and the downtrodden. We need a lot of prayer for revival to sweep this world.
One man who knows about the power of prayer in difficult times is John Knox, who was born in Scotland in about 1514. Converted to Protestantism from Roman Catholicism in 1543, Knox lived during a time when it was often very dangerous to be a follower of Christ. When the Roman Catholic Mary Tudor (also known as “Bloody Mary” because of her ruthless persecution of the Protestants) became queen in 1553, Knox, who was in England at this time, was forced to hide. He eventually landed in Geneva where he met John Calvin, who became his mentor. Knox returned to Scotland in 1559, the year after Queen “Bloody Mary” died and was succeeded by the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. He remained in Scotland, bringing reformation to the church until his death in 1572.
Today people remember Knox as the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and the founder of Scottish Presbyterianism. But what others don’t realize is that by the end of his ministry, he became better known for his prayer than for his other ministries.
The devout Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, is reputed to have said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”
She saw the impact of Knox’s prayer. From a human point of view, it was the prayer of Knox that sparked the Reformation in Scotland. His prayer became the fuel of the ongoing reformation during his time. His prayer shook the land of Scotland, causing a revival among God’s people. Perhaps of all the prayers of Knox, “Give me Scotland, or I die” is the most quoted one. It was not an arrogant prayer but a passionate plea, showing his intense desire for the conversion of the people of Scotland. His prayer was an expression of his great confidence in God. His prayer also echoes the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Romans 10:1, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
Knox remained prayerful even to death. It is said that during his dying hours that he was much engaged in meditation and prayer. Knox was not perfect, but we can definitely learn from his prayer life.
Our English word “intercession” is derived from the Latin for “to come between,” which means both “obstruct” and “to interpose on behalf of” someone. Christ stands between us and the Father. That’s why we pray “in Jesus’ name” because it’s by His sacrifice that we are made righteous and can approach the throne of God. Believers are, therefore, able to bring the needs of other people before God through Christ.
While we may not all be gifted as intercessors to be steadfast in prayer (Colossians 4:2), we are all called to pray. Paul exhorted the church to pray that he would boldly declare the gospel (Ephesians 6:19). He told the church to pray for one another with “supplications […] and thanksgivings,” (1 Timothy 2:1), and he prayed for them too. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). We all need intercession, even believers. Paul was moved and encouraged by prayer on his behalf.
You can say intercession is a prayer that pleads with God for your needs and the needs of others. But it is also much more than that. Intercession involves taking hold of God’s will and refusing to let go until His will comes to pass. Intercession is warfare — the key to God’s battle plan for our lives. But the battleground is not of this earth. Intercessory prayer takes place in this spiritual world where the battles for our own lives, our families, our friends and our nation are won or lost.
Intercessory prayer is simply a pointed, persistent pleading on behalf of someone else for a deep need. Specifically, in the New Testament, we read that Jesus and the Holy Spirit interceded on behalf of God’s people for various reasons. The reality is that we need a lot more intercessory prayer in the Body of Christ, and especially intercessors to heed the call for 24-hour prayer houses. We live in times of so much deception, that all believers need prayer right now, and we need to pray day and night for the lost and the broken.
Intercession is vital these days as it has always been important throughout the Bible. Abraham interceded on Lot’s behalf to save him from the destruction of his home town (Genesis 18-19), Jonah (though begrudgingly) interceded for the town of Nineveh (Jonah 3), and in the greatest act of intercession, Jesus came down to earth to live as one of us and interceded for our salvation (John 17:20-26; Luke 23:34).
As believers, we are not praying enough. 24-hour prayer houses are of critical importance for the devil is on a rampage to destroy, kill and steal. Now is the time to pray for the youth, marriages, the Bride of Christ and for those still lost in the wilderness. It is time that all believers continue steadfastly in prayer, with the intercessors at the forefront of this mighty battle.
There is great power in prayer. We cannot only be occupied with preaching and teaching God’s word, but we need to pray the word, and we need to seek the face of the Almighty day and night! 24-hour prayer houses. It is time. In every city and every town. Constant prayer across the globe, interceding and seeking the Lord’s will and that His hand shall move in power. How we need constant fervent prayer from the righteous and the humble for God’s revival. Let there be a cry again in the churches for God to send His fire as on the day of Pentecost.