In 1727, a group of believers in Germany led by Count Nicholas Zinzendorf gathered for a communion service. Deep division had invaded the church, and the young leader had spent weeks visiting each member of his congregation. He urged them to repent, love one another, and walk in unity. The gathering was the culmination of his hard work and impassioned prayer for change in the Moravian community he was shepherding.
That day, division transformed to devotion. Each person present signed a covenant to surrender all to the service of Jesus Christ. Not long after, they gathered again to pray and lift their voices to the heavens in worship, and the Holy Spirit fell upon them in a palpable way.
We pray for revival in our churches, but this group of believers did the hard work of repenting, forgiving, surrendering, and then believing. They laid down their personal agendas, and they pursued Christ above all.
In the weeks that followed, this community set on fire by the Holy Spirit committed to a round-the-clock prayer vigil. Each member signed up to pray for a one-hour slot, and they cried out to God 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They prayed without ceasing for one hundred years.
By 1791, this small group of believers had commissioned three hundred missionaries to proclaim the gospel around the world. As Oswald Chambers so wisely said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.”
Our Savior sacrificed all to set this world on fire and bring freedom to lost souls. Jesus set the example for us all by His own personal prayer walk during His season of ministry on earth:
“Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer.” (Mark 1:35)
Surrendering His heart to the will of the Father was how Jesus started His day. Our Savior is sending us all a message: never stop asking, seeking, and knocking. Honor His name. Cry out for His kingdom to come. Get on your knees and ask for His will in heaven to be accomplished on earth.
Jesus did not come to earth so that we could live fruitless lives producing nothing of eternal value. Friends, we are called to pray with power.
Our prayer life starts to dry up, and our spiritual effectiveness withers away, when we allow two poisons to impact us at the core:
Unbelief: When we ask without faith and are consumed with doubt, we are double-minded like an unstable wave in a tumultuous sea (James 1:6-8).
Unforgiveness: When we let the sun go down on the cause of our anger, we harbor sin in our hearts, hindering our prayers. We are filled with bitterness, and this grieves the Holy Spirit and gives the devil an opportunity to gain a foothold in our lives (Ephesians 4:26-32; Psalm 66:18).
Want to pray with power? Fall on your knees with a repentant heart.
Longing for the world to change? Love like Jesus.
Hoping to experience revival? Uproot all the bitterness that holds you back from walking in unity with the body of Christ.
Need a miracle? Believe that Almighty God will do more than you can ask, think, or imagine.
Revival begins in your prayer closet as you continue to cry out to Jesus.