“Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham…” Genesis 26:18a

“A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”  Psalm 51:17b

Dr. J. Edwin Orr the well know historian of revival once stated that he believed the powerful working of God’s Spirit during the first decade of the 1900s was the most widespread spiritual awakening of all time!  This great revival touched Europe, north America, Australia, India, South Africa, Korea, China and Latin America.  He records that over five million people in these nations were won to Christ in the first two years of this revival!  It was the most recent of the four nationwide revivals in the history of the United States.

However, years before all of this began to take place, prayer meetings for worldwide revival were being held at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and in the annual Keswick Conventions in Britain as well as in local churches and missionary prayer meetings in places like India, the Far East, America, Britain and Latin America.

Historians generally refer to the revival that began in the town of Loughor in south wales as the “flash point” of the beginning of this mighty movement of God, and Evan Roberts was His instrument in the launching of the 1904 revival.  He traveled across the principality of Wales with a “four point message from God”!  The message was:  1) Confess every known sin and put any wrong done to man right!  2) Put away any doubtful habit!  3) Obey the Holy Spirit promptly!  4) Confess your faith in Christ publicly!

Three fourths of Robert’s meetings were initially spent in singing the great hymns of the Church, but he became more and more convinced of the priority of prayer over all else!  His battle cry was, “Bend the church and save the world”!  In most towns the moving of the Spirit began with prayer meetings led by young people.

When the revival spread to America in 1905 Methodists were the largest Protestant denomination.  After the revival arrived one of their leaders concluded, “Revival does what programs and campaigns, even though well attended, cannot do”!  More and more believers today are coming to the conclusion that it is time to re-dig the wells that were initially dug by our spiritual forefathers!  May our prayer be that this will not only be our conviction, but will be characterized by our actions…

Jon