As God writes the final chapter of human history before Christ’s return, do you sense that God is getting ready for an amazing harvest?
Many of us have been inspired by Edwin Orr’s video ‘The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakenings’. I particularly love the story of young Evan Roberts asking his Bible College principal if he could go home to Loughor for a week. That was October 1904, and because of his obedience to the prompting of God, Evan Roberts became part of an amazing revival that during the next year saw 100,000 Welsh come to faith in Christ. Edwin Orr also mentioned that that revival swept the whole of Britain and it crossed into Europe and many other countries – in fact every continent of the world.
I am currently reading Edwin Orr’s book ‘The Flaming Tongue’ and it is great to read some of the details and stories that Edwin did not have time to highlight in his video.
One such story is the story of a Norwegian called Albert Gustav Lunde. Albert was a young man who wanted to experience life to the full – by going to other parts of the world. While serving as a sailor in the US navy he came to faith in Christ, and was deeply challenged by a message from DL Moody. His 23rd birthday coincided with his early resignation from the navy having sensed that God was leading him into full-time ministry. About six months later he returned to Norway in 1901 and began mobilizing others to pray for revival. News of Welsh revivals (from October 1904 onwards) encouraged these prayer gatherings. In early 1905 Albert Lunde began to see his prayers answered, with revivals beginning in all Scandinavian capitals (Oslo from January, Copenhagen from May, Stockholm from November) and Helsinki.
Albert Lunde’s story is a great reminder of our role as mobilizers. As God prepared for the revivals in Wales, and other parts of the world, He did so through men and women who, like Albert Lunde, mobilized others to pray for revival. As God writes the final chapter of human history before Christ’s return, do you sense that God is getting ready for an amazing harvest? If so, then surely he is also about to unleash movements of prayer… and maybe we can be a part of a new generation of mobilizers – committed to praying for all believers to join the workforce for this amazing harvest.
