Prayer: The Forerunner of Revival

Over the last few weeks, the focus of these letters has been to consider the awesome work of God’s Spirit known as revival.  Using the revival that took place in Beaufort in the 1830’s as a case study, we’ve considered what revival is, how God has historically brought it about, and what the lasting effects of revival have been.  In this final letter in this series, let us go back to the beginning and consider what typically precedes God’s great works of revival: The forerunner to revival is prayer. 

The greatest revival in the history of the world was Pentecost, when 3,000 people were converted.  And what made Pentecost so extraordinary wasn’t the sheer number of people converted; it was the lasting impact of those 3,000 as they returned to their homes with the Gospel.  This was an earthquake-like moment in the Gospel landscape of the world.  Do we not long for a Pentecost-like pouring out of the Spirit once again?  

We would do well to consider what God did before Pentecost: Acts 1:12–14 tells us,

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.  And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.  All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 

As they gathered in the upper room, they had but one purpose: to plead for God’s help.  The early church believed that as they gathered together in prayer, uniting their hearts together before the Lord, that He would send His promised Holy Spirit with unmatched power (Acts 1:4-5).  This was not merely the Apostles praying; it was the women as well.  Every person who was in Christ knew that there was great power in gathering together for prayer.  

Preparing His People

In the ancient world it was the forerunner’s job to go ahead of a king and assure that the people were ready to receive Him.  John the Baptist played such a role for the Lord Jesus. 

In the context of revival, prayer serves as the forerunner, preparing the people for the great outpouring of the Spirit that comes in revival.  God has promised wonderful things to His people when they seek Him in prayer.  Consider the precious words of Zechariah 12:10, as the prophet teaches us that when God is preparing to do a great work, He pours out a spirit of prayer among His people: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”  Thus, we pray, not to change God, but because God is stirring us up as He prepares to do a mighty work among us.  Praying together teaches us to speak to the Lord in one voice and builds a common desire in us so that we agree, being of the same mind and judgment (1 Cor 1:10). 

The Power Plant of Revival

The early church was not the only one to understand the importance of God’s people gathering in prayer and pleading with Him to pour out His Spirit.  The First Great Awakening in the 18th century, led by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, was marked by fervent prayer meetings and a heightened sense of spiritual urgency.  Similarly, the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 began with small, earnest prayer meetings led by individuals such as Evan Roberts.

One of the most famous stories of the vitality of corporate prayer in the revival of the church comes from the ministry of Charles Spurgeon.  Spurgeon was an eminently gifted pastor, at times preaching to crowds of 10,000 or more.  Though famous on both sides of the Atlantic, yet he was quite certain that his gifting alone was wholly inadequate to accomplish anything great for the Lord.  Thus, Spurgeon cherished the prayers of his people, firmly believing that any success in his ministry came via their prayers. 

One day, five young college students were visiting London, with one of their goals being to hear the famed C.H. Spurgeon preach.  While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked, “Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the power plant of this church?”  They were not particularly interested, for it was a hot day in July.  The heating room was generally a hot, dirty place, which nobody would likely want to see.  The kind Brits they were, they didn’t want to offend the stranger, so they agreed. The young men were taken down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered, “This is our power plant.”  Surprised, the students saw 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the hall above.  After closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself.  It was none other than Charles Spurgeon.

Why does the Lord often bring a season of earnest supplication and prayer prior to sending revival?  In a very real sense, until people are willing to seek the Lord in prayer for revival and make the sacrifice necessary to pray for it, they are wholly unprepared to receive it once it does come.  

Although any record of the prayers that may have preceded the Beaufort revival are known only in the courts of Heaven, we do have a precious account of how prayer precipitated a revival in nearby Charleston.  By many counts, one of the most powerful American preachers of the mid-19th century was John Lafayette Girardeau.  Born on James Island and educated at Columbia Theological Seminary, Girardeau was offered many prominent pulpits, but had a burning passion to minister to the slaves of Charleston.  In 1854, Girardeau returned to Charleston, where he would work with a mission established by Second Presbyterian Church.  The work was given a 500-seat auditorium on Anson Street, built specifically for this work.  By 1859, the church had grown so rapidly that they moved into a facility near the corner of Meeting and Calhoun Street, which could hold more than 1,500 people.  The church became known as “Zion Presbyterian Church” and Girardeau became known as “the Spurgeon of America.”    

Despite Girardeau’s extraordinary giftedness, this massive increase of growth was not merely attributed to how God used Girardeau’s preaching.  In 1858, Zion Church held an extended season of corporate prayer.  Girardeau’s biography recounts the following: 

The greatest event in his ministry was the revival in the later fifties. This began with a prayer meeting that constantly increased until the house was filled. Some of the officers of the church wanted him to commence preaching services, but he steadily refused, waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit. His view was that the Father had given to Jesus, as the King and Head of the church, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus in His sovereign administration of the affairs of his church, bestowed him upon whomsoever He pleased, and in whatever measure He pleased. Day after day he, therefore, kept his prayer addressed directly to the mediatorial throne for the Holy Spirit in mighty reviving power.

One evening, while leading the people in prayer, he received a sensation as if a bolt of electricity had struck his head and diffused itself through his whole body. For a little while he stood speechless under the strange physical feeling. Then he said: “The Holy Spirit has come; we will begin preaching tomorrow evening.” He closed the service with a hymn, dismissed the congregation, and came down from the pulpit; but no one left the house. The whole congregation had quietly resumed its seat. Instantly he realized the situation. The Holy Spirit had not only come to him- He had also taken possession of the hearts of the people. Immediately he began exhorting them to accept the Gospel. They began to sob, softly, like the falling of rain; then, with deeper emotion, to weep bitterly, or to rejoice loudly, according to their circumstances. It was midnight before he could dismiss his congregation…The meeting went on night and day for eight weeks. Large numbers of both white and black were converted and joined the various churches of the city. His own was wonderfully built up, not only in numbers, but also in an experience that remained in the church. He was accustomed to say that he could always count on those who were converted in that meeting. This was probably due to the deep work of conviction of sin, the protracted period of the conviction, the clear sense of pardon, and the joyful witness of the Spirit to their adoption. (The Life Work of John L Girardeau, D.D.: George Andrew Blackburn, State Company, 1916.  P. 99-100). 

Dear ones, only the Lord could do such a transformative work in such an unlikely place.  Do we believe God could do that again?  Do we believe that God could do such a work once again in Beaufort as He did in the time of Daniel Baker?  

When we look at the world around us, it seems unlikely that this could ever happen.  Yet when we look upward to God in prayer, seeing with the eyes of our heart the nail-pierced hands of our risen Savior, we are reminded that He is forever upon His throne and whatever He ordains will come to pass.  When He intends to send His Spirit in power among His people, He will accomplish all His purposes.  

Yet we must also recognize that typically, as Matthew Henry said, “When God intends great mercy for His people, the first thing He does is to set them a-praying.”  In the church today, we need prayers that reach the throne of God with faith to take hold of God’s awesome power.  We must have the faith to claim God’s promises in Scripture, see how they have played out in history, and approach His throne with unceasing intercessions to plead with God that He would send His Spirit among us, just as He has done in the past.  This is a colossal prayer, but we serve an infinite God who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (Eph 3:20). 

Are We A Praying People?

One of the most convicting questions that I have been asked is “If every prayer you prayed today was answered, how different would things be?”  I’ll ask you that question in the context of revival: Are you praying for God to work mightily here in Beaufort?  If He were to answer every prayer you have prayed for the people of this community, how different would things be?  Beloved, let us seek God earnestly in prayer for our town.  Revival is real, and God has done it here before.  Please pray with me that He would do it again!