"Revival Praying"
James 5:16
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, Brooklyn, New York, had the following to say about revival:
"Revival is where you see multitudes getting saved, not coming over from another church because there’s a better program...a church loving each other and coming together to pray and call out to the Lord...a return to the Book of Acts."
All of us are in agreement that the time for revival is now, but do we realize that the way to revival is prayer. English preacher Sidlow Baxter, when he was eighty-five years of age, said:
"I have pastored only three churches in my more than sixty years of ministry. We had revival in every one. And not one of them came as a result of my preaching. They came as a result of the membership entering into a covenant to pray until revival come. And it did come, every time."
Prayer is the fountain from which revival springs. The key to revival in every age is prayer. In 1904, Frank Beardsley wrote:
"It is possible to have revivals without preaching, without churches, and without ministers, but without prayer a genuine revival is impossible."
Dr A. T. Pierson once said, ’There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer." (Orr, 199)
Revival won’t come by preaching or teaching, great worship music or beautiful buildings. It is scripturally and experientially linked to prayer.
Isaiah 64:1 (NKJV) Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence-- 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil--To make Your name known to Your adversaries, [That] the nations may tremble at Your presence!
2Chr 7:14 (NKJV) "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
The term "pray" in the preceding verse comes from the same Hebrew root that describes the position of a woman in labor—the position Elijah assumed when he prayed for rain (1 Kings 18:42).
This is not dealing with the posture of the body, but that of the soul. It is a picture of deep intercession and travail until revival is birthed.
Every true revival can be traced back to prayer.
The question one must ask is "what kind of prayer"?
1. PASSIONATE PRAYER
Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) "And you will seek Me and find [Me], when you search for Me with all your heart".
James 5:16 (NKJV) "...The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
Revival praying involves heart engaged prayer.
It is prayer carried aloft by inflamed desires and impassioned hope.
Our whole being must be involved.
We must say what we feel and feel what we say.
It is anything but casual.
It is seen in the tears of Nehemiah (Neh. 1:4). When he heard of the breaking down of the wall of Jerusalem.
It is felt in the cry of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).
Bartimaeus was a desperate man. He was aware that Jesus was passing by and that the answer to his need was within reach.
Though his cry was met with a reprimand, "he cried out all the more."
How desperate are you?
Is the desire for revival a nice thought or is it the passionate cry of your heart?
How desperate are you for the presence of God in your life?
How hungry are you for intimacy with God? The Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 42:1 (NKJV)
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
"Where [is] your God?"
4 When I remember these [things],
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
2. PERSISTENT PRAYER
Luke 18:1-8
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
There is something in the heart of God that, like the unjust judge, is moved by persistent prayer.
If an unrighteous judge will arise and vindicate the persistence of the widow, surely a righteous God will vindicate His own, who cry to Him day and night.
Leonard Ravenhill said this in his book “Why Revival Tarries”
“No man is greater than his prayer life…Poverty–stricken as the church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of PRAYER.
We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few PRAYERS.
The ministry of preaching is open to few, the ministry of PRAYER- the highest ministry of all human offices is open to all."
Church…Satan fears the ability of the church!
Our ability is only empowered and activated by PRAYER!
Napoleon when talking with his trusted leaders pointed to a large piece of land on a map and said… “There lies a sleeping giant. Let her sleep. If she ever awakens, she will shake the world!”
He was referring to the nation of China.
What strange words coming from a man who had himself conquered many lands—yet he was afraid of China.
The same is true of satan…
He no doubts shudders when he realizes the potential of the church!
Acts 1:8 “and ye shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses…”
I love this scripture! But let’s look at what brought about this power.
When looking at this verse we must recognize that the EMPOWERMENT (POWER) comes before witness.
But there was a very important element that preceded the power…and that was PRAYER!
The disciples tarried and prayed in the upper room waiting for the promise of the Holy Ghost!
We must pray for RESULTS! AND PRAY POWERFULLY!
Many prayers prayed by congregations are so general that they are meaningless!
LISTEN TO THE PRAYER OF THE EARLY CHURCH…
Acts 4:24-35
24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
REVIVAL PRAYING IS A MUST IN THIS LAST DAY CHURCH!
If we spent more time in prayer, we would have more power in our evangelistic efforts!
We have the message but we lack the spiritual power!
This only comes by prayer!
Evangelistic churches emphasize prayer!
In his book Congregational Prayer Ken Hemphill wrote, “The fuel for all growth is powerful prayer”
He goes on to say…
“We spend more time praying to keep dying saints who are prepared to die out of heaven than we do to keep sinners out of hell. There is little passion to our praying and little confidence that it really doesn’t matter.”
A dynamic(DUNAMIS or POWERFUL) church must first become a House Of Prayer!
This can only come by REVIVAL PRAYING!
It is still a fact that:
James 5:16
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
