Repentance and Confession

Turnaround Prayers to God’s Heart

Pause with me for a   moment and celebrate a special anniversary for Prayer Connect magazine. This issue marks our tenth year of publishing!

Jonathan Graf, our publisher, sensed a great loss to the prayer movement when NavPress stopped producing Pray! magazine several years ago. He was part of that staff at one time, and he never lost his passion to print quality prayer resources. He longed to see another prayer magazine raised up—and God birthed in his heart the vision for Prayer Connect.

I had recently transitioned out of a prayer ministry in the Twin Cities to start my own editorial business. Although I love the prayer component of ministry life, I missed writing, editing, and magazine publishing (having previously edited two magazines). I started with no clients, but I knew God was leading me to something new.

About that time, Jon and I had a “chance encounter” in a hotel lobby while attending a conference in Hollywood, CA. He was looking for an editor with a heart for prayer and magazine experience—and I was waiting on the Lord for direction.

There was no formal interview.

“Are you in?” asked Jon.

“Yes,” I replied, without hesitation.

Jon had already invited Bridget Rennie (a former graphic designer at Pray!) to join him as art director of Prayer Connect. We instantly bonded because of our love for prayer and publishing.

And here we are—the three of us—ten years later! We added wonderful people to offer editorial consulting (Dave and Kim Butts), as well as editorial assistants to help with the proofing and fine-tuning (Joan Sherman and Joyce Ellis). And now Niko Peele joins us as assistant editor.

We’ve also been blessed with the prayer expertise of many national prayer leaders who graciously give their time to write for us. Forty-five issues later, we’ve covered more prayer topics than I thought possible.

It’s the best “quick decision” I think I’ve ever made. So please, pause and celebrate with us!

In this Issue

Revival is a favorite topic because we cling to the hope of a sweeping spiritual awakening that will transform our nation. In fact, my hope has never waned. I pray with belief that revival is just on the horizon!

But at times we need to return to the basics of creating a welcoming atmosphere for revival in the Church. That means “turnaround prayers” that come back to the simplicity of repentance and confession. God draws near to the humble and brokenhearted. Confessing and repenting of our sin aligns with God’s grace and favor in pouring out the Holy Spirit with fresh power.

In this issue, Byron Paulus writes about the gift of repentance and how our lack of willingness to examine our hearts can be the greatest deterrent to revival. Jason Hubbard adds a critical component by describing true confession—when repentance goes beyond saying, “I’m sorry.”

We’ve also resurrected an article by Will Ford and Matt Lockett describing their incredible personal journey of racial reconciliation. We believe their story is so transformational that we all need to read it again! It’s the pathway forward in our nation because it is about both repentance and the often-missing response of forgiveness.

Our first Prayer Connect issue ten years ago was on the theme, “Can Prayer Save America?” We believed then—and we believe now—that God is inviting us to continue crying out to Him for another great Christ-awakening. It’s the only hope for our nation!

CAROL MADISON is editor of Prayer Connect magazine and author of Prayer That’s Caught and Taught: Mentoring the Next Generation.