In 1904 something astounding happened in Wales. I pass this story on to you with the prayer that it provoke in you a yearning for God to do more than you are used to seeing Him do. We dishonor God, most likely, by our small expectations. When we go to Him together in prayer - are we trusting the God who created the universe to actually act in the events of our lives?! If so, will this God not shake our little lives from time to time? He is certainly able. Listen to this story, which I quote from an article entitled ‘The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakening’ by Dr. J. Edwin Orr.
A young man named Evan Roberts left school for a week and went back to his home town of Loughor, Wales to preach - feeling a strong impression from the Lord to do so. His home pastor let him speak to the group who had come to prayer meeting. I pick up the story here…
“Seventeen people waited behind, to be impressed with the directness of the young man’s words. Evan Roberts told his fellow members, ‘I have a message for you from God. You must confess any known sin to God and put any wrong done to man right. Second, you must put away any doubtful habit. Third, you must obey the Spirit promptly. Finally, you must confess your faith in Christ publicly.’ And by ten o’clock, all seventeen had responded. The pastor was so pleased that he asked, ‘How about speaking at the mission service tomorrow night? Midweek service Wednesday night?’ He preached all week, and was asked to stay another week; and then the ‘break’ came. I have read the Welsh newspapers of the period. In them were snippets of ecclesiastical news…But suddenly there was a headline, ‘Great Crowds of People Drawn to Loughor.’ For some days a young man named Evan Roberts was causing great surprise. The main road between Lianelly and Swansea on which the church was situated was packed, wall-to-wall, people trying to get into the church. Shopkeepers closed early to find a place in the big church.
Now the news was out. A reporter was sent down and he described vividly what he saw, a strange meeting, which closed at 4:25 in the morning and even then the people did not seem willing to go home. They were still standing in the street outside the church, talking about what had taken place….Next day, every grocery shop in that industrial valley was emptied of groceries by people attending the meetings, and on Sunday, every church was filled. The movement went like a tidal wave over Wales, in five months there being a hundred thousand people converted throughout the country…
It was the social impact that was astounding….In one place, the sergeant of the police was sent for, and asked: ‘What do you do with your time?’ He replied, ‘Before the revival, we had two main jobs: To prevent crime and to control crowds, as at football games. Since the revival started, there is practically no crime, so we just go with the crowds.’ A counselor asked: ‘What does that mean?’ The sergeant replied, ‘You know where the crowds are. They are packing out the churches.’ ‘But how does that affect the police?’ He was told: ‘We have seventeen police in our station, but we have three quartets; and if any church wants a quartet to sing, they simply call the police station.’”
How great is that!? No crime to keep the police busy - so they sing instead at church meetings!
God did that in the early 1900s in Wales. He could do it in the early 2000s in the Lehigh Valley. I share this story with you, not because I’m convinced that God wants to do exactly the same thing in our day, but because I long to see Him have His way with us - and when He does, I think it will look very different than what we have seen up to this point.
Let’s pray that God has His way with us! Let’s pray that He show Himself strong!
