It’s been an incredible time of prayer on Wednesday nights with the church family and I am reminded that when God wants to do something great in the world, He first stirs his people to pray! This was the case with the early church. Prior to Pentecost when Peter preached the Gospel and 3,000 turned to Jesus in Jerusalem, the early church had been in prayer for 10 days!

And I think of what took place during the “Jesus Movement” of the late 60′s and early 70′s …

Kay Smith, Chuck Smith’s wife, began praying. She prayed for hippies! Hippies she would see at the beach and around town. One of them happened to be none other than Greg Laurie. She would pray for Greg as he walked home from school.

I also think of the “Revival In Wales “ 1904 …

A young man by the name of Evan Roberts heard one of the men in his church pray, “Lord, bend us …” It resonated with him. He began praying, “Lord bend me” and the Lord did and it changed his outlook. Soon he was praying the Lord would give him 100,000 souls!

On October 31, 1904 Evan brought his four-point message to his home church. #1 “Is there any sin in your past that you have not confessed to God? On your knees at once. Your past must be put away, and yourself cleansed.” #2 Is there anything in your life that is doubtful – anything that you cannot decide whether it is good or evil? Away with it. There must NOT be a cloud between you and God. #3 Do what the Holy Spirit prompts you to do. Obey promptly, implicitly, and with unquestioning submission to God’s Spirit. #4 Publicly profess Christ as your Savior.

His cry became “Bend the church and save the world!”

As matter of public record, the culture in Wales changed! Taverns closed. Gambling went out of business. Prostitution houses shut down. Families were reunited. Friendships restored. Debts paid. Divisions in churches were healed.

I encourage you, set time aside intentionally in the Lord’s presence, with an open Bible and an open heart. Be like Moses who said, “Here I am …” And remember, while the Lord wants to impact the world by people coming to know Jesus Christ and having an intimate relationship with Him, it begins with you and it begins with, me. 

The Lord is with you, and loves you!