Note: This post is associated with a call to 50 days of prayer at Bethel Church of Houston in association with the Houston Church Planting Network. You can find the HCPN daily devotion by following this link: Day 3
There have been periods of American history where almost no one attended church. There have also been times of incredible revivals. One such revival occurred early in the 1900s. Many trace the revival to the Welsh revival of 1904 and a young man named Evan Roberts.
Roberts was moved by a series of evangelistic meetings while he was in school studying for the ministry. He asked for a leave from his studies and returned to his home town with a message. Over the next few devotions, I will share in brief form his main points. As people responded, an awakening swept not only his town but spread throughout the county.
According to J. Edwin Orr, his first message to them was, “You must confess any known sin to God and put any wrong done to man right.”
Before we go any further into our 50 days of prayer, I want to focus on the second part of the challenge young Evan Roberts put before his people. His challenge can be expanded further by the words of our Lord Jesus, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24)
Could it be your prayers personally seem so impotent because there are unresolved issues among you and another person? How about as a church? Are there unresolved issues that groups within the church may have with one another or even people who are no longer a part of our church?
If we want to see a spiritual awakening, it must begin with believers being reconciled one to another.
