Evan Roberts aged 26, was a former coal miner. Whilst studying for the ministry, he felt called to return to his hometown. He announced to the pastor, ‘I’ve come to preach" but the pastor was not at all impressed, and said, "How about speaking at the prayer meeting on Monday?’ He didn't expect must from Evan and announced to the church, ‘Our young brother, Evan Roberts, feels he has a message for you if you care to wait after the meeting.’ 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. Afterwards tye Pastor asked Roberts to speak during the mid week services. Word got out and 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 to hear this young man speak. These meetings which continued to be held by Evan Roberts, became known as the Welsh revival of 1904, spread like a tidal wave over Wales. In five months a hundred thousand people came to know Jesus 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 so many 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, become smarter, produce results, or to be moved aside. The great cry of our day is work, work, work! Organise, organise, organise! Give us some new thimg and a better society! Tell us some new methods! Devise some new technology. But Gods ways are different and the greatest need of our day is prayer, and knowing Jesus. Because knowing Him and prayer changes everything and anyone who takes the time ti find out. Wherever and whenever there is fervent, faith filled prayer, amazing things happen. Much like the participants of a musical concert tune their instruments before they play, when we pray we tune our hearts toward Jesus. Today, I encourage you to take the time to pray. Ask Him to search your heart and point out anything that is displeasing to Him; then get it out of your life 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. (Psalm 103:20) The wise person recognizes that choosing less of what doesn’t last or truly matters 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, and Pray! “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. (James 5:16) Prayer: Lord, thank you that you hear and answer when I pray. Please help me to recognise whats important, so that I'm never too busy to pray. In Jesus name, Amen.