Lausanne World Pulse – Prayer and Revival

August 2006

By John Godson

Revival in Answer to Prayer
God sends revival in answer to prayer. Think of men like John Wesley, John Knox, David Brainerd, Evan Roberts, Charles Finney and others. They were instruments in the hands of God to bring revival and transformation to millions of lives because they prayed and God answered their prayers by enduing them with power from above. God is looking for people who will give themselves to prayer.

Prayer is important for revival for five reasons:

  1. Through prayer we are endued with the power of the Holy Spirit.
  2. Prayer keeps us focused and humble.
  3. Prayer keeps us ablaze for God.
  4. Through prayer we have victory (personally, as a church and as a community).
  5. Prayer keeps our discernment sharp and clear.

Many revivals were cut short because the vessels God was using stopped praying. They started in the Spirit but ended in the flesh; they started by relying on God but ended relying on human ability, organizational talent and marketing genius. The flesh gives birth to flesh and the Spirit gives birth to Spirit.

Catalysts to Revival
What are some of the modern day catalysts to revival? The following are only some of the avenues God will be using to catalyze revival in our time:

  • The Global Day of Prayer. In 2005, 220 million people prayed worldwide during the Global Day of Prayer. There were meetings even in places such as Jakarta, Indonesia, where 120,000 people met in one stadium.
  • 24/7 Prayer Centers. These are prayer houses where worship and prayer ascend to God’s throne twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Night Vigils. God uses tools such as night vigils to bring revival in places like Nigeria. Today there is an all night prayer meeting called Holy Ghost Night that brings together about two million people to pray and worship.
  • National and City-wide Prayer Gatherings.
  • Pastors’ Prayer Meetings/Breakfast.
  • Prayer Mountains. These are presently practiced in South Korea and Uganda.
  • Prayer Walking and Prayer Journeys.

The above are initiatives that have led to harvests and renewed Christian commitment. The form is not the important part; the heart, the longing and the passion and pressing after God is most important. If we are serious about revival, if we are truly longing for all to know the Lord, we cannot neglect prayer. God has given us a wonderful tool. Let us not neglect it. He yearns to bless you and use you as a tool for revival.

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John Abraham Godson, a native of Nigeria, has been serving as a missionary in Poland for the past thirteen years. He is international director of Pilgrim Mission International. Godson also serves as chair for the Lausanne Intercession Working Group in Eastern Europe/Eurasia and as international facilitator for the Network of Nigerian Missionaries Overseas.