Last month we started this year with 10 Days of Prayer, meeting every evening for 10 days. Thirty to 40 people came night after night, some as far as from Dallas and Willamina. We met God in song and silence, in prayer and testi mony. We felt His presence in a simple, yet powerful way. What was the result?
I saw and experienced confession and repentance. I witnessed forgiveness and reconciliation. I noticed a higher level of trust and willingness to be real and transparent. I witnessed spiritual miracles taking place. God then blessed some with the serendipity of physical healing as well. I can only say, PRAISE GOD, He is so good to His undeserving and Laodicean church.
More good things have resulted from the 10 Days of Prayer. We challenged ourselves to become a pray ing church by praying “outside of the box.†By that I mean praying in the foyer, the friendship hall, the pas tor’s office, and not just in the sanctuary. Let’s truly support each other by not just praying for each other, but also with one another.
More results of the 10 Days of Prayer have been the starting up of Men’s and Women’s support groups. These are groups where women can meet with wom en, and men with men, to pray and share their unique needs and burdens with each other. Prayer meetings will also be revitalized with a renewed emphasis on participation, prayer, and testimony. We were chal lenged to connect with someone and invite them to prayer meeting, or provide transport as needed.
The 10 Days of Prayer also challenged us to risk being real with others, opening the door for others to be real with us, leading to healing and reconciliation in relationships. We were challenged to break out of our friendship clique comfort zones by connecting with someone new each week. This can be especially meaningful on Communion Sabbath, by washing a new person’s feet.
So, what do you think? If we all take the above challenges seriously, I believe the McMinnville church will experience a revival as never seen before. This makes me think of what Ellen White wrote:
“A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our heavenly Father is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him, than are earthly parents to give good gifts to their children. But it is our work, by confes sion, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us His blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer. While the people are so destitute of God’s Holy Spirit, they cannot appreci ate the preaching of the Word; but when the Spirit’s power touches their hearts, then the discourses given will not be without effect. Guided by the teachings of God’s Word, with the manifestation of His Spirit, in the exercise of sound discretion, those who attend our meetings will gain a precious experience, and returning home, will be prepared to exert a healthful influence.†1SM 121.1
“Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.†GC 464.1
My prayer is that we will open our hearts and homes for God to share a “revival of true godliness†with us.