God has called us to holiness and He has called us to intercede. We see in the Gospels that Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with strong cries and tears. This is our God who ever makes intercession on our behalf and has burdened men and women in the past to pray for revival. To name a few there was Jonathan Goforth who was born near Thorndale, Ontario, John G. Lake who was born in St. Marys, Ontario and Amy Simple McPherson who was born near Ingersoll, Ontario. We are in an unusual season and we need to be led by Holy Spirit and to realize what the Lord is doing. Ontario is a good place to live and serve Christ. These revival carriers sowed in tears and paved
a way for us. They have left behind a legacy of testimonies and teachings for us. Their obedience in answering the call of Christ helped thousands. God is now raising up men and women like them.
Now God, who listened to Elijah’s prayers on Mt. Carmel, listens to us when we pray in the Spirit for Elijah was just like us. By praying we are telling God that we have all confidence in Him, but no confidence in ourselves. However, when we neglect prayer we are saying that we have confidence in the natural wisdom of man and can serve God without His help. God has commanded us to be filled with the Spirit not with the spirit of the world which is an enemy to God. God has also commanded us to be angry without sinning. There is an anger that is sinful and there is an anger that is pure and without malice, but filled with holy violence. The trouble is that many believers get angry over trifle things and are unmoved by tragedies. People are just angry these days, yet they never take time to pray and ask God for help. They just want to blame God for everything. They get upset with Him when He doesn't give them what they think they need.
When Apostle Paul was at Athens his spirit was provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. He became angry as he was deeply hurt and grieved in his spirit. When you are hurting you usually express an emotion of anger as Paul did in Athens. I wonder how he would feel if he was walking here today in our communities seeing all the provocative advertisements and false religions. What would his message be to the church? We have become desensitized to idols and complacent to all that we see and hear. It is like the days of Sodom and Gommorah. There is so much sin and yet we are more concerned about our feelings and what pleasures we deserve. Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. God's angels lead her out of bondage yet her heart was still there.
We must be willing to listen to God for He is calling us to pray earnestly and not to forsake coming to church to worship and pray. He is waiting to hear His cry come through us, the body of Christ, for our communities and nation. Isn't it interesting that the disciples didn't ask Jesus to teach them how to preach or heal the sick, but asked Him how to pray? His disciples wanted to know how to talk to God and hear Him the way Jesus did. They knew Jesus spent time in prayer. The enemy, Satan, hates for us to pray. He tries everything to distract us from praying. He doesn't want us to seek and ask God for revival, or for us to be revived in prayer, compassion, and love for Jesus. He doesn’t want us to love one another and be concerned for each other. He makes us think that God won't listen, but the truth is God does hear everyone’s cry for help when it comes from the heart.
When we pray to Jesus it is death to self and dependence on God for His wisdom, knowledge, and strength. Prayer gives us strength and it takes strength to pray. God is looking for someone to stand in the gap. We must not think that we need to be clothed in spiritual power in order to pray, for in fact God actually wants to strip us. He wants us to pray to Him out of our weakness so that we will become strong by sowing in tears and travailing prayers at His altar. We must pray and listen to Him for revival to come. Jesus has given us His Spirit and empowers us to pray!
- Pastor Carol McLean