Revival and the Power of Praying Together

Although it is true that many revivals started in the heart of one believer who was taken to a deeper level of surrender, there is usually an increase of people praying together before the revival comes. It seems our willingness to cry out together for revival pleases the heart of God. Three revivals in the past two centuries come to mind as proof of this principle.

The prayer meeting revival that began in New York in 1857, first started in the heart of Jeremiah Lanphier. But he quickly engaged other like-hearted businessmen to join him in crying out for revival.  In the latter part of the nineteenth century in South Africa, revival hit the Dutch Reformed Church under the leadership of Andrew Murray. The desire for revival had started in the heart of his father, a Dutch Reformed pastor, more than 30 years earlier. He rallied some like-minded people to pray with him. This group was still crying out for revival when Murray took over the group for his father.

The 1949 revival in the Hebrides Islands resulted from the longing of two elderly sisters who prayed for revival—and then got their pastor and other church leaders to pray with them.

The Lesson for Us

There is a lesson here for us. Many people believe revival is the only hope for the Western Church. We pray for it and long for it. We read about revival and study it, hoping we will find an additional key we may have missed. But how many of us have found like-hearted people to pray with?

Don’t stop praying by yourself. But if you search out others to pray with you, that unity in prayer may be the catalyst God uses. Here are some suggestions:

Within Your Church. One of the best ways to stimulate hearts for revival is to do a prayer initiative within your church. For a period of time (21–40 days) encourage everyone to pray on the same theme. Here are some great revival-emphasis prayer guides you can use:

• Asleep in the Land of Nod is a 30-day, simple prayer guide focused on revival in the church. For decades author Dave Butts has rallied prayer for revival. This prayer guide will keep you focused on God’s desire for His Church. Available at prayershop.org.
• Desperate for Change is a prayer guide that goes beyond the Church and focuses more on revival and spiritual awakening for America. It is anticipated that this guide will be used by tens of thousands of people 40 days prior to the 2014 elections. Available at prayershop.org.
• Praying for a Christ Awakening is a 21-day guide focused on the ten indicators of revival in the Church and ten indicators of spiritual awakening in society. These indicators were identified by the Awakening America Alliance. To order this booklet, go to relationshippress.com, look under Bestsellers on the right side of the website, and click on “Prayer Guide Booklet.”

Use one of these guides in an all-church prayer initiative or within your small groups. Watch for people who seem especially appreciative or engaged in the guide. These are the people who might continue to pray with you.

Within Your Community.

If you have praying friends outside your church, or if you have influence and reach into your community, you can be used as a catalyst to establish a prayer group focused on community transformation.

Finding a Group

If you find it difficult to discover like-minded people to pray with in your own church or community, you can join any of several national prayer meetings via conference call.

• OneCry. This movement brings together like-hearted individuals to pray and work toward revival. Each Tuesday night at 8 p.m. (EST) OneCry hosts a prayer conference call. To participate, call 712-432-0232 and enter passcode 958551# when prompted. Find out more at onecry.com.
• National Day of Prayer. The National Day of Prayer Task Force sponsors a revival prayer call on the first Thursday of each month. It focuses more on revival for America than revival in the Church. Call 712-432-0075 at 10 p.m. EST. Use passcode 4961322# to enter the call.
• Intercessors for America. IFA has been trumpeting the National Prayer Accord for decades through its First Friday emphasis. You can join a noontime prayer call on the first Friday of each month to pray for revival with others. Call 712-432-0075 at 12:15 p.m. EST. Use passcode 1412452#. IFA also has a First Friday newsletter with great prayer points and encouragement. Go to getamericapraying.com for information and to sign up.

As you continue to pray for revival, look for every opportunity to pray with others. We believe you will be filled with hope and faith for the coming revival.

(c) 2014 Prayer Connect magazine.