PRAYER IN SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

2 CHRONICLES 7:12-16

      1. Revival prayer is prayer by the people of God (“my people”). J. Wilbur Chapman said, “Revivals are born in prayer.” And Matthew Henry noted, “When God is ready to pour out unusual mercies, He sets His people a-praying.” God wants to see His people in prayer (2 Chr. 6:19-20-29-35-39, 7:12-15; Is. 56:7; Dan. 6:10; 1 Tim. 2:8). Jonathan Edwards wrote, “When God has something very great for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people.”

      God sent an awakening in New England through the prayers of David Brainerd (“coughing blood” with tuberculosis), missionary to the Indians who died at twenty-nine (1747). Brainerd wrote in his diary, “I do not know that my hopes respecting the conversion of the Indians were ever reduced to so low an ebb. . . . Yet this was the very season in which God saw fit to begin this glorious work!”

      Prayer preceded the revival of 1830-31 in Rochester under Charles G. Finney. Lewis A. Drummond wrote, “Unknown to Finney, Mr. Abel Clary was in Rochester. . . . Clary was licensed to preach, but most of his energy and strength were devoted to prayer. . . . One day a friend asked Finney if he knew Clary. Charles said he did. The friend went on, ‘Well, he is at my house, and has been there for some time, and I don’t know what to think of him.’ Finney remarked he had not seen Clary at any of the meetings. ‘No,’ the man replied, ‘he cannot go to the meetings, he says. He prays nearly all the time, day and night, and in such agony of mind that I do not know what to make of it. Sometimes he cannot even stand on his knees, but will lie prostrate on the floor, and groan and pray in a manner that quite astonishes me.’ Finney answered, ‘I understand it; please keep still. It will all come out right; he will surely prevail.’”

      The revival of 1857-58 in New York City and then America began in prayer. It was exactly 12 noon on 23 September 1857. . . . A tall, middle-aged former businessman climbed creaking stairs to the third story of an old church building in the heart of lower New York City. He entered an empty room, pulled out his pocket watch and sat down to wait. The placard outside read: ‘Prayer Meeting from 12 to 1 o’clock–Stop 5, 10, or 20 minutes, or the whole hour, as your time admits.’ It looked like no one had the time. As the minutes ticked by, the solitary waiter wondered if it were all a mistake. For some three months he had been visiting boarding houses, shops, and offices, inviting people to the eighty-eight-year-old Dutch North Church at Fulton and Williams streets. The church had fallen on slim days. Old families had moved away. The business neighborhood was teeming with a floating population of immigrants and laborers. Other churches had gotten out. Many thought that Old Dutch should throw in the towel. But the trustees determined on a last ditch stand. They decided to hire a lay missionary to conduct a visitation program. The man they picked was Jeremiah C. Lanphier, a merchant who had no experience whatsoever in church visitation work. At forty-nine Lanphier gave up his trade position to knock on doors for a salary of less than $1,000 a year. The going was slow. A few families came. But often Lanphier returned to his room in the church consistory weary and discouraged. At such time he ‘spread out his sorrows before the Lord.’ And he never failed to draw strength from his time of prayer. While going his rounds of visitation, the idea occurred to him that businessmen might like to get away for a short period of prayer once a week while offices were closed at noon. With permission of church officials Lanphier passed out handbills and put up the placard. When the day of the first meeting came, he was the only one on hand for it. He waited ten minutes, then ten more. The minute hand of his watch pointed to 12:30 when at last he heard a step on the stairs. One man came in, then another and another until there were six. After a few minutes of prayer the meeting was dismissed with the decision that another meeting would be held the following Wednesday. . . . Twenty came to his second noon-hour meeting. The following Wednesday, forty. Lanphier decided to make the meeting a daily event in a larger room. That very week–on Wednesday, October 14–the nation was staggered by the worst financial panic in its history. Banks closed, men were out of work, families went hungry. The crash no doubt had something to do with the astonishing growth of Lanphier’s noon meeting (by now called the ‘Fulton Street prayer meeting’). In a short time the Fulton Street meeting had taken over the whole building with crowds of more than 3,000. . . . Within six months 10,000 businessmen (out of a population of 800,000) were gathering daily in New York City for prayer. In January, 1858, there were at least twenty other prayer meetings going full tilt in the city. . . . By January of 1858 newspapers were sending reporters to cover the meetings. ‘The Progress of the Revival’ became a standing news head. Remarkable cases of awakening were detailed at length. . . . When the revival was at high tide through the nation, it was judged that 50,000 persons a week were converted. And the numbers who joined the churches in 1858 amounted to almost 10 percent of the country’s total church membership! If the estimate of one million converts is correct. . . that accounts for one-thirtieth of the total United States population of that time–and almost all in one year!

      The revival on the island of Lewis in 1949 came in answer to prayer. Drummond recorded, “On the island of Lewis in 1949 prior to the Hebrides awakening. . . the tide had ebbed far. Few went to church. . . . A few men began praying in a barn outside their village. They prayed two, three, four nights a week into the small hours of the morning. The burden of their agonizing sacrificial prayer was for an awakening. This little group, as one author expressed it, ‘entered into a covenant with God that they would give Him no rest until He had made Jerusalem a praise in the earth.’” He continued, “Months ticked away–nothing happened–but they continued to pray. On and on they interceded for a great awakening, still the heavens were silent. Then one night a young man arose from his knees and read Psalm 24:3-5. ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart. . . He shall receive the blessing from the Lord.’ The young man looked on his praying friends and said, ‘Brethren, it is just so much humbug to be waiting night after night, month after month, if we ourselves are not right with God. I must ask myself, “Is my heart pure? Are my hands clean.”’ At these words the Holy Spirit fell mightily upon the group. Deep conviction and heartrending confession followed. Then came the outpouring of joy. The revival had come. . . . The very moment the Holy Spirit had fallen on them in the barn, he also fell on the unbelievers in the village and woke them up in deep conviction.”

      God visited the campus of Asbury College in February 1970 when some students began to pray. Howard A. Hanke recounted, “Tuesday, the third of February, dawned like any other winter day in Wilmore, Kentucky. . . . Casual chatter occupied the conversation of students as they hurried to the 10 A.M. chapel service. . . . The dean of the college, who was the scheduled speaker, did not feel impressed to preach. Instead, he felt led to have students participate in a testimony meeting. . . . For some time a small group of students had been involved in a vigorous devotional discipline. It included getting up a half hour earlier than usual each morning for prayer, Bible study and to plan specific ministries during the day. Many of these persons had entered into more meaningful experiences with God, and their witness was having an effect upon others in the college. . . . The dean opened the testimony service by sharing his own experience with God. He then invited others to do the same. Quickly a number of students arose in various areas of the sanctuary. . . . One calcitrant senior shocked the audience by confessing. . . ’I’ve wasted my time in college up to now, but Christ has met me and I’m different. Last night the Holy Spirit flooded in and filled my life. . . .’ Sensing the mandate of the moment, near the close of the allotted chapel hour one of the professors slipped to the platform and expressed his feeling that any students who wanted to pray should feel free to come to the altar. . . . No sooner had the invitation been extended than a mass of students moved forward. . . . After a short wait one girl strode toward the podium and asked the professor in charge if she could please say something. He stepped aside. As she finished, a second student stepped forward. . . . Those who had come to the altar–after a time of prayer–rose, joining those on the platform and with tears made confessions. . . . Some made their way to individuals in the congregation to ask forgiveness and to make restitution. . . . The spontaneous revival continued into the chapel period on Tuesday, February 10. Many were still in line to give their witness. . . . Shortly before 3 A.M. on Wednesday morning the last student left the sanctuary. For 185 hours–without interruption–the services had continued!”

      God pours out revival on local churches that meet His conditions. In the pastor’s absence, evangelist Junior Hill preached in the Dauphin Way Church of Mobile, Alabama, on 30 July 1978. The presence of God moved and thirty-one persons registered decisions–twenty-four were baptized that day. The move continued when Jess Hendley conducted a crusade from August 13-20. People were praying and bringing the lost. Forty-six were baptized that week. In the months of July and August the church baptized 123 people–God moved.

      2. Revival prayer is prayer according to the promises of God (“If. . . then”). When the conditions of answered prayer are met, then God hears and sends the promised revival.

      The object of prayer is the hearing of God (2 Chr. 6:19-20-21-23-25-27-30-33-35-39, 7:12-14). Charles H. Spurgeon said, “We must remember that the goal of prayer is the ear of God. Unless that is gained the prayer has utterly failed. The uttering of it may have kindled devotional feeling in our mind, the hearing of it may have comforted and strengthened the hearts of those with whom we have prayed, but if the prayer has not gained the heart of God, it has failed in its essential purpose.” R. A. Torrey wrote, “Very much of so-called prayer, both public and private, is not unto God.”

      If we pray rightly, then God hears (“eyes open”–2 Chr. 6:20-40, 7:15; “ears attentive”–2 Chr. 6:40, 7:15; Ps. 5:2, 17:1, 55:2, 61:1, 66:19, 86:6, 142:6; Dan. 9:19; “heart”–2 Chr. 6:14-38, 7:10-11-16). God attends closely to examine pridefulness (Is. 57:15), prayerlessness (1 Sam. 12:23), perfunctoriness (Lk. 18:11), and pureness (Is. 59:2; “sanctified [2 Chr. 7:7-16-20] house [2 Chr. 6:2-5-7-8-9-10-18-20-22-24-29-32-33-34-38, 7:1-2-5-7-11-12-16-20-21];” “chosen [2 Chr. 6:5-34-38, 7:12-16] place [2 Chr. 6:20-21-26-40, 7:12-15”]).

  I. Prayer that is heard is definite.

      The prayer of Solomon in chapter six dealt with specifics. Charles G. Finney explained that there were “some things which a person must do in order to prevail in prayer. He must pray for a definite object. He need not expect to offer such prayer if he prays at random, without any distinct or definite object.” The object of revival prayer is confession (2 Chr. 6:22-42) and conversion (2 Chr. 6:32).

 II. Prayer that is heard is desperate (Lk. 18:1; Acts 12:12; 1 Th. 5:17).

      Prayer in the Old Testament was desperate (2 Chr. 6:19-20-21-24-26-32-34-38, 7:1-14; Gen. 20:17; Num. 21:7; 1 Sam. 1:10, 7:5; Jas. 5:17; 2 Kg. 4:33, 19:20; Ezra 10:1; Neh. 1:4; Job 42:10; Ps. 32:6; Jer. 29:12; Dan. 9:4; Jon. 2:1). Prayer that is heard is prayer to avert the judgment of God (Hab. 3:2).

      Finney commented, “Effectual prayer for an object implies a desire for that object commensurate with its importance. If a person truly desires any blessing, his desires will bear some proportion to the greatness of the blessing.” He continued, “Prayer is not effectual unless it is offered up with an agony of desire. The apostle Paul speaks of it as a travail of the soul. Jesus Christ, when he was praying in the garden, was in such agony that ‘His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Lk. 22:44).”

      We never pray for revival until we are desperate (Gen. 32:26). Nations, denominations, and congregations fall when they do not see the desperate problems and pray. Prayerlessness is a sign of pride. God mentioned three desperate situations.

      A. Drought (2 Chr. 6:26-27, 7:13; Jl. 2:23)

      B. Devourer (2 Chr. 6:28, 7:14; Jl. 2:25)

      C. Disease (2 Chr. 6:28, 7:13, 20:9)

      One of the origins of the Welsh Revival of 1904 occurred in February of that year. A young girl rose from her seat in a service in spite of her natural shyness. With trembling lips she said fervently in Welsh, “I love Jesus Christ with all my heart.”