3 Feb -Pause and Pray

Many people have heard of the Welsh Revival which started in 1904. It began as a movement of prayer. A former coal miner, Evan Roberts aged 26, was studying for the ministry when he felt the Lord leading him to return to his hometown

As Evans returned to his hometown to preach he announced to the pastor, ‘I’ve come to preach.’

The pastor was not at all convinced, but asked, ‘How about speaking at the prayer meeting on Monday?’ He did not even let him speak to the prayer meeting, but told the praying people, ‘Our young brother, Evan Roberts, feels he has a message for you if you care to wait.’ Seventeen people waited behind, and were impressed with the directness of the young man’s words.

Evan Roberts told his listeners, “I have a message for you from God”.

* You must confess any known sin to God and put any wrong done to others right.

* Second, you must put away any doubtful habit.

* Third, you must obey the Holy Spirit promptly.

* Finally, you must confess your faith in Christ publicly.

The Pastor asked Roberts to speak during mid week services. The main road on which the church was situated was packed with people trying to get into the church. Shopkeepers closed early to find a place in the big church to hear this young man speak.

The movement went like a tidal wave over Wales, in five months a hundred thousand people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior throughout the country.

In one place the sergeant of police was sent for and asked, ‘What do you do with your time?’ He replied, ‘Before the revival, we had two main jobs, to prevent crime and to control crowds, as at football games. Since the revival started there is practically no crime. So we just go with the crowds.’

A councillor asked, ‘What does that mean?’

The sergeant replied, ‘You know where the crowds are. They are packing out the churches.’

‘But how does that affect the police?’

He was told, ‘We have seventeen police in our station, but we have three quartets, and if any church wants a quartet to sing, they simply call the police station.’

As the revival swept Wales, drunkenness was cut in half. There was even a slowdown in the mines, for so many Welsh coal miners were converted and stopped using bad language that the horses that dragged the coal trucks in the mines could not understand what was being said to them.

The revival swept Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, North America, Australasia, Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile.

Today there is great pressure from many directions in our society to work harder, to become smarter, to produce results, or to be moved aside.

The great cry of our day is work, work, work! Organise, organise, organise! Give us some new society! Tell us some new methods! Devise some new technology. But the great need of our day is prayer, more prayer and better prayer.’

Wherever and whenever fervent faith filled prayer is invoked, amazing things happen.

Take the time with the Lord to sit before Him in quietness. He doesn’t want us to do all the talking.”

As Isaiah 30:15 states: “In quiet and confidence will be your strength.”

Quietness is essential to listening. If we are too busy to listen, we won’t hear. It takes time and quietness to listen to God.

Take the time to prepare your heart. Much like the participants of a musical concert tune their instruments before they play, when we pray we tune our hearts before we pray.

Go before the Lord and ask Him to search your heart and point out anything that is displeasing to Him. Then confess it and receive cleansing.”

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. (1 John 1:9)

When we pray the Bible says our prayers are powerful and effective and that Angels go to work when we pray God’s will and His Word into situations.

“Bless the LORD, you angels who belong to him, you mighty warriors who carry out his commands, who are obedient to the sound of His words”. (Psalm 103:20)

Are you experiencing the abundant Christian life today? How are the lives of the people around you? So many are like sheep without a shepherd.

Ask God for renewal and revival of joy in your innermost being, and for others to come to know that joy also.

Seek God for His heart for your Family, Community, Country and the World.

Some things are more important than others. The wise person recognizes that choosing less of what doesn’t last or truly matter leads to more of what matters most.

Today instead of chasing the things you think you must have or need to be doing. Pause, kneel, listen to the Lord, and Pray!

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. (James 5:16)