May 5, 2008

A Crippled Young Girl Brings Revival

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b TNIV).

Friend to Friend

G. Campbell Morgan tells a story about the power of one woman’s prayers to stir a revival in her home church.

“There are saints of God who for long, long years have been shut off from all the activities of the Church, and even from the worship of the sanctuary, but who, nevertheless, have continued to labor together in prayer with the whole fellowship of the saints. There comes to me the thought of one woman who, to my knowledge, since 1872 in this great babble of London, has been in perpetual pain, and yet in constant prayer. She is today a woman twisted and distorted by suffering, and yet exhaling the calm and strength of the secret of the Most High.

“In 1872 she was a bed-ridden girl in the North of London, praying that God would send revival to the Church of which she was a member, and yet into which even then she never came. She had read in the little paper called Revival, which subsequently became The Christian, the story of a work being done in Chicago among ragged children by a man called Moody. She had never seen Moody, but putting that little paper under her pillow, she began to pray, “O Lord, send this man to our Church.” She had no means of reaching him or communicating with him. He had already visited the country in 1867, and in 1872, he started again for a short trip with no intention of doing any work.

“Mr. Lessey, however, the pastor of the church of which this girl was a member, met him and asked him to preach for him. He consented, and after the evening service he asked those who would decide for Christ to rise, and hundreds did so. He was surprised and imagined that his request had been misunderstood. He repeated it more clearly, and again the response was the same.

“Meetings were continued through the following ten days, and four hundred members were taken into the church. In telling me this story Moody said, ‘I wanted to know what this meant. I began making inquiries and never rested until I found a bed-ridden girl praying that God would bring me to that Church. He (God) had heard her, and brought me over four thousand miles of land and sea in answer to her request.’”

One little crippled lamb by the name of Marianne Adlard, uttered fervent prayers to Almighty God on behalf of her flock and God sent a shepherd to gather the sheep from all around England. You may not feel that you have the ability to change the world for Christ, but consider this…one crippled girl impacted the world through her prayers. You can do the same. Amazing…the power of a woman’s words to God in prayer!

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, thank You that You allow me to come into Your presence at any time. I confess that I do not pray enough. I confess that I do not take the power of prayer as seriously as I should. Help me to become a prayer warrior that goes to battle on the front line of the spiritual warfare that rages around us. Teach me how to pray.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

Now it’s Your Turn

Often Jesus went away by himself and prayed. Many times, He prayed all night. Do you think God is calling you to spend more time in prayer?

As you pray for other people, consider praying Scripture for them. Turn to Philippians 1, Colossians 1, and Ephesians 1 to see how Paul prayed for fellow believers.

Consider writing a prayer for someone based on those verses.

More from the Girlfriends

I learn some time ago that what God had to say to me was much more important than what I had to say to God. Prayer is both speaking and listening to God. If you’re having a difficult time listening to God or want to learn more about hearing His still small voice, you’ll want to read Becoming a Woman who Listens to God. You’ll learn how God speaks, what blocks our spiritual ears, and how to discern whose voice you’re hearing.

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