Dear Church,
I want you to
launch a prayer movement that will influence many.
I began this book
by issuing a call to prayer, for a move of God in our churches. You do know,
don’t you, that every awakening, every revival, began with, and was fueled by,
praying people. Here’s one example.
I am especially
moved by the story of a man who called his business colleagues to pray. It was
1857, in Boston. A businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier was led by God to host
weekly noon prayer meetings for workers in Boston’s business district. A local
church gave Lanphier permission to use their facility. The format was simple.
No preaching, just praying, worship, and prayer requests.
The first
gathering was on September 23, 1857. Six people showed up. Next week, there
were twenty. The week after, almost forty. By the end of October there were one
hundred. Word of these meetings spread. Another church was needed to host what
came to be known as the Fulton Street Prayer Meetings.
On March 28, 1858,
6100 people gathered, at various locations in Boston, to pray and worship. At
one place there was 600, at another 1200. This was a move of God that spread to
many cities across our land.
Could this happen
again? I believe it not only can, but it must. We need a mighty,
earth-shattering, paradigm-shifting move of God in our churches. It is time to
be part of something great, for the cause of Christ. This means me. This means
you.
J. P. Moreland, in
his book on miracles, wrote this.
“I would rather have the Lord take me home than risk failing to
finish well,
hurting those who look up to me, or losing my integrity.”
(Moreland, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles, p. 23)
Upon reading this,
I reached for a 3X5 card, and wrote down the quote. I placed it in my pocket. I
carried it with me for a few weeks, reading it often.
This quote became
a prayer. I prayed the words to God, asking him to protect and guide me so I
might finish my life well.
I think of what
Jesus said, in Luke 12, about watchfulness and readiness.
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps
burning…
It will be good for those servants whose master
finds them watching when he comes.
t will be good for those servants whose master
finds them ready,
even if he comes in the middle of the night…
You also must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when
you do not expect him.”
