Revival!

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3

This is God talking. Revival is God’s idea--not man’s. Man cannot choose the time, the place, or the instrument. But He does give man the burden to pray. The other necessary component--desperation. See what God is doing in a small town in West Virginia. May God give us all the burden to pray with desperation!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=moP46qpI0So&autoplay=1

 

Habakkuk's Prayer

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet...

“LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:1-2

The prophet Habakkuk could not understand why God allowed such evil to thrive among the people of Judah. He pleaded with God to act, but when God revealed His plan for His people, it was not at all what Habakkuk had in mind. God would use the cruel and evil Babylonians to take Judah captive, in order to turn their hearts back to Him. Habakkuk wanted to know this: How could a Righteous God use evil to cure evil?

Our God cannot, and will not, be put in a box. We ask for revival, and we have our own ideas as to how God might answer that prayer--nothing too drastic--a mild chastening should do. But our God knows exactly what it will take to bring us to our knees, to turn our hearts back to Him. He has every resource available to Him--even the most evil people on earth--and He will use them if that is what it takes.

So how do we pray for our nation--our world, knowing that the answer will most likely be painful? Pray that God will do something amazing. And then pray like Habakkuk: “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”

 

Habakkuk's Cry

The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”

"Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:1-5

Have you been praying for revival? For your church, for your city, for your country, for the world? Do you think that this could possibly be the most evil, most corrupt time in human history? Does it seem as if God has turned a deaf ear to your prayers? Meet the prophet Habakkuk. His people had turned away from God, all the public officials were corrupt--injustice and corruption were rampant. Destruction and violence were a part of everyday life. Habakkuk had been asking God to intervene, yet there was no evidence that God had even heard his prayers. This time, however, God responds to His cry directly and assures Habakkuk that He has been working on a surprising plan, one that the prophet would never have imagined.

It's easy, when nothing seems to be happening, for us to imagine that God is not at work. When those thoughts start to creep in, remember the prophet Habakkuk. God may not speak to us directly, but don't stop praying. God is not on our timetable--He is engineering circumstances that will, most likely, surprise us all. In the meantime, He is teaching us the lessons of trust, patience, and perseverance.

 

A Message From Anne Graham Lotz

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Isaiah 60:1-2

Terrorist attacks in Paris, Colorado Springs, and San Bernardino have left us ashen-faced and horrified. Polarization within political parties, corruption at the highest levels of government, name-calling of opponents, character assassination of those who disagree, lies spun as truth, brutality covered up, the economy propped-up are just some issues that are contributing to our sense that America is unraveling. We no longer trust our government, our leaders, our bankers, our police officers, our newspapers, our business partners, our investors, our neighbors…even our religious leaders.

As I look ahead into 2016, I believe our national and global situation will get worse. A good friend has focused my attention on Isaiah 60:1-2 as a word from the Lord for the New Year: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. I can feel the encroaching darkness of evil that is like a heavy moral and spiritual fog. It’s permeating our nation at every level. At the very same time that our nation is enveloped in thick darkness, God commands us to arise, let our Light shine, and the distinctive glory of our Lord will be obvious to all.

These conflicting thoughts of thick darkness and light, of encroaching evil and glory, are on my mind during these days before Christmas. I have been meditating on 2 Chronicles 20 in which Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was warned that a vast army was coming against him. As I put myself in his place, I asked myself, what do we do when we are warned of the enemy’s advance? The answer was given in the next verse: Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord…1 Jehoshaphat led God’s people in a prayer that was a desperate heart’s cry for help.

I have been repeatedly warned in my spirit that the enemy is advancing. It’s something that I know. And I feel compelled, like Jehoshaphat, to lead God’s people also in a desperate prayer for help before we plunge past the point of no return into the abyss of God’s judgment.

The glory is that God answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer by reassuring him, Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged… the Lord will be with you.2

What is the position we are to take up? I believe it’s a position on our knees as we humble ourselves, seek God’s face, repent of our sin, and intercede for our nation. Then having done all, we stand firm in our faith that God has heard and will answer our prayer.

Please join with me for one hour on the first day of the first month…January 1, 2016… as together we fast and PREPRAYER for the New Year.

For more information go to:

http://www.annegrahamlotz.org/category/messages-from-gods-word/latest-from-anne/