The conversation between Evan Roberts and Sydney Evans took place in Wales, late in the year of 1904. During the six months that followed more than a hundred thousand souls found salvation. This was the Welsh Revival. There are many revivals recorded in the history of the church. The first taking place after Peter preached to the crowds of Jerusalem n the Day of Pentecost. Acts ii tells us that about three thousand souls were added to the church that day. The many revivals that have followed occurred in all sorts of places, were started by the words of different Christians, and resulted in widely varying numbers of converts but the core factors have always remained the same.
A revival is always a work of God; accomplishing what men can not. It is ushered in by the prayers of Christians; men and woman who were led by God to ask for revival persistently for days, or even years beforehand. Marked by the turning of sinners hearts unto the Lord and the turning of the heart of the church back unto what God had first called it to. By definition, revival is 'a return to life, consciousness, strength or condition. A renewal. A restoration to importance.' So when the church is revived it returns to Christ who is its life, it is reminded and made conscious once again of its God and the truth He has given it. The body of Christ is strengthened and brought into a condition in which it is able to walk in obedience. It is renewed. The church becomes important to people again - both the saved and the unsaved- and can change the society around it because God and His will have become important to the church once again.
Evan Roberts' heart was burning with a desire to have revival. He wanted a revival first in his own soul and then in the church as a whole; for thirteen years he had prayed for the Spirit. When giving his testimony Roberts himself said it this way:
“I said then to myself: ‘I will have the Spirit.’ And through all weather, and in spite of all difficulties, I went to the meetings. Many times, on seeing other boys with the boats on the tide, I was tempted to turn back and join them. But, no. Then I said to myself: ‘Remember your resolve to be faithful,’ and on I went. Prayer meeting Monday evening at the chapel; prayer meeting Tuesday evening at Pisgah (Sunday School branch); Church meeting Wednesday evening; Band of Hope Thursday; class Friday evening-to these I went faithfully throughout the years. For ten or eleven years I have prayed for a revival. I could sit up all night to read or talk about revivals. It was the Spirit that moved me to think about a revival."
It was not his rigorous and uncompromising attendance at the meetings that made Evan ready for revival but the position of his heart. He was desperately in search of the Spirit of God and his faithfulness in going to the meetings was only the evidence of that desire. If understanding of His Lord might be found in a place, or Holy Spirit gained there then Evan Roberts was determined that he would be there to receive it. The Spirit of God was moving him and he chose to obey in spite of the other distractions that were clamoring for his time and attentions. He had set his heart to seek the Lord and Evan Roberts would not be moved.
"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."(Jeremiah xxix. 12- 13)
When God promises He can not lie and He has promised that He will be found by us if we seek for Him. He has offered us the Spirit as a gift if we will but ask Him.
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke xi. 13)
Roberts sought God and asked for an outpouring of His Spirit undeterred for thirteen years. He prayed for revival for ten or eleven years before it came. Most of us have not even begun to ask for these things. Even fewer of the Christians today could say that they have pursued them in prayer with diligence and desperation. Leonard Ravenhill said,
The only way Evan Roberts was different from you or I was in his unwillingness to live without revival. He sought it not only for himself but for more than a hundred thousand souls besides. Peter who led the first revival in church history was the same man who had denied his Lord and Savior only a few days before. God is the one to whom Roberts looked to move him and to provide the revival. It is to Him that we must look as well.
"I believe the world is upon the threshold of a great religious revival, and I pray that I may be allowed to help bring this about. I beseech all those who confess Christ to ask Him today, upon their knees, if He has not some work for them to do now. He will lead them all as He has led us. He will make them pillars of smoke by day and pillars of fire by night to guide all men to Him.” – Evan Roberts
In Christ
quiana
Thank you for this challenge! I'm always convicted when I hear stories of people who have prayed for years for something before finally seeing God answer. It's such an encouragement to keep on presenting our requests to the Lord trusting that He is faithful and does hear our prayers.
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