The Birthplace of Revival

When D. L. Moody's church in Chicago lay in ashes, he went over to England, in 1872, not to preach, but to listen to others preach while his new church was being built. One Sunday morning he was prevailed upon to preach in a London pulpit. But somehow the spiritual atmosphere was lacking. He confessed afterward that he never had such a hard time preaching in his life. Everything was perfectly dead, and, as he vainly tried to preach, he said to himself, "What a fool I was to consent to preach! I came here to listen, and here I am preaching." Then the awful thought came to him that he had to preach again at night, and only the fact that he had given the promise to do so kept him faithful to the engagement.

But when Mr. Moody entered the pulpit that night and faced the crowded congregation, he was conscious of a new atmosphere. "The powers of an unseen world seemed to have fallen upon the audience." As he drew toward the close of his sermon, he became emboldened to give out an invitation, and as he concluded he said, "If there is a man or woman here who will tonight accept Jesus Christ, please stand up." At once about 500 people rose to their feet.

Thinking that there must be some mistake, he asked the people to be seated; and then, in order that there might be no possible misunderstanding, he repeated the invitation, couching it in even more definite and difficult terms. Again the same number rose. Still thinking that something must be wrong, Mr. Moody, for the second time, asked the standing men and women to be seated, and then he invited all who really meant to accept Christ to pass into the vestry. Fully 500 people did as requested!

The sequel, however, must be given. When Mr. Moody preached at the morning service, there was a woman in the congregation who had an invalid sister. On her return home she told the invalid that the preacher had been a Mr. Moody, and on hearing this the sister turned pale. "What," she said, "Mr. Moody from Chicago! I read about him some time ago in an American paper, and I have been praying God to send him to London, and to our church. If I had known he was going to preach this morning, I would have eaten no breakfast. I would have spent the whole time in prayer. Now, sister, go out of the room, lock the door, send me no dinner; no matter who comes, don't let them see me. I am going to spend the whole afternoon in prayer."

And so while Mr. Moody stood in the pulpit that had been like an ice chamber in the morning, the bedridden saint was holding him up before God; and God, who ever delights to answer prayer, poured out His Spirit in mighty power.

The God who answered the prayer of His child for Mr. Moody is willing to answer the faithful, believing prayers of His people today. When God's people become so concerned about the state of religion that they lie on their faces day and night in earnest supplication, revival will fall!

Charles Finney reported: I once knew a minister who had a revival fourteen winters in succession. I did not know how to account for it till I saw one of his members get up in a prayer meeting and make a confession. "Brethren," he said, "I have been long in the habit of praying every Saturday night till after midnight for the descent of the Holy Ghost among us. And now, brethren (and he began to weep), I confess that I have neglected it for two or three weeks." The secret was out. That minister had a praying church.

We could go on with illustration upon illustration to show the place of prayer in revival, and to demonstrate that every mighty movement of the Spirit of God had its source in the prayer chamber. The lesson of it all is this: As workers together with God, we are in part responsible for the conditions which prevail around us today.

Are we concerned about the coldness of the Church? Do we grieve over the lack of conversions? Does our soul go out to God in midnight cries for the outpouring of His Spirit? If not, part of the blame lies at our door. If we do our part, God will do His.

Around us is a world lost in sin; above us is a God willing and able to save. It is ours to build the bridge that links heaven and earth, and prayer is the mighty instrument that does the work. Pray, brethren, pray.

Adapted from Purpose in Prayer, chapter 12.