FIRST FRIDAY FAST — ANOTHER GREAT AWAKENING?

Could we be on the verge of another great awakening? Is it possible that we are desperate enough to seek the Lord for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit across this country? Could we begin to believe that a revival could actually sweep across the nations?

For the past couple of years, we have been encouraging believers to set aside the first Friday of the month as a day of fasting and prayer. That call to prayer is part of a larger prayer strategy that would unite churches in prayer for their community. That broader strategy is outlined on the Missionary Church website under First Friday Fast.

The call to prayer seems increasingly urgent as we read headlines regarding the situation in Afghanistan. As this is being written, there are reports from within Afghanistan of the Taliban going door to door taking women and children. There are also reports of Christians being killed if they are found with a Bible app on their phone.

The urgency for prayer is also fueled by the needs in Haiti. The loss of life and property is terrible. While numerous relief agencies are on the ground working hard to meet the needs, the images still grip our hearts.

Then there are the challenges facing the United States. We are divided over race issues; over COVID protocols; over curriculum in local schools; and over gender issues to name a few. Churches and families are divided over many of these issues.

There is GOOD NEWS! The first bit of news is that God still reigns. Our confidence is not in governments but in our Father in Heaven. The second bit of good news is that Jesus is coming back!

The need for prayer is great. The need for a spiritual awakening is great. Unless there is a move of the Spirit of God across this country, we will continue to see our culture spiral downward, away from Christian values.

AWAKENINGS BEGIN WITH PRAYER. We need not be in despair. We are living in a time when more and more people are uniting in prayer for another great awakening.  Jesus told His followers “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” — Luke 18:1.

Evan Roberts was one of the key figures in the Welsh revival in 1904-1905. He was 26 years old when revival broke out. He had been praying for it every day for 13 years. In the call to prayer, don’t ignore the teens. God has often moved among the young people of the Church.

Jeremiah Lanphier, a businessman who became a lay missionary in Manhattan, began a noontime prayer meeting on September 23, 1857. Only one person attended that first Wednesday, but in the weeks to come, the prayer meeting spread to other churches and then across the country. There are reports that one million people came to faith in Christ as a result of this prayer meeting. This move of God was often referred to as the Prayer Meeting Revival or, in other circles, the Businessman’s Revival.

The Great Awakening of the 1730s was preceded by extraordinary prayer. Churches united to pray. Many observed a “first Friday fast.” The Spirit of God moved across the country.

Could we be on the verge of another great awakening?