Prayer awakening
Anyone who visited the Asbury Revival back in February found it difficult to describe their experience. One young man told his dad, “You had to be there.” Reports that circulated include phrases like authentic worship; a sense of peace; convicting; spontaneous confession and repentance. All of those are typical of revival.
The Prayer Awakening brought a taste of that revival feel. It may not have been like Asbury, but it had some similar elements. Pastors and prayer leaders came together for times of worship, teaching, and prayer. The worship was authentic, and the presence of the Lord was very real. There were times of confession and repentance and times of simply lingering in the presence of the Lord.
One person responded, “God is freeing me from some fear and lack of trust that has been holding me captive.” Another person determined to live totally surrendered to the Lord. One of the people in attendance said, “I want to spend more time in prayer and lingering in His presence.” One reported healing: “I have been dealing with pain in my knee for almost a year…had it prayed for and now all the pain is gone. I had a vein that was popping out and it is gone.” A pastor came very discouraged and left ready to reengage in ministry.
There were several conversations around the subject of how we can create space in our worship services for people to “linger in the presence of the Lord.” Perhaps one of the greatest values of the conference was the pace that allowed for lingering — for unrushed times to spend in the presence of the Lord.
We were rightfully reminded that it isn’t about having a prayer ministry but about having prayer as the foundation upon which every ministry is built. It served as a reminder of Jesus’ words in John 15, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
It is obvious that we are seeing the birth pangs of revival. Asbury received the media attention earlier this year, but God is also bringing revival to places like Baylor University, Oklahoma University, and Lee University. Recently more than 2,000 students met in Waco, Texas, simply for going deeper with Jesus. Several thousand Auburn University students gathered recently to “unapologetically seek Jesus,” and 200 were baptized. Our own Bethel University reports authentic worship and the presence of the Lord following their spiritual emphasis week.
God is moving in the hearts of the next generation. Pray that the Church will be ready to receive and empower them. Pray that this spirit of revival will spread through all of our churches.
