Two Stories on how to Stop or Start a Revival

Everything had been going so beautifully; We were on the verge of revival: I just knew it. And then, four words later, Poof!! It all fell apart! The words weren’t bad in themselves. How could it be wrong to say “I’m praying for you?” But the tone that came through, that’s what was heard just as Satan had planned.

Satan knew he had to stop the close harmony of the group that had begun meeting at our home on Saturday evenings, and sad to say, he used me to create the wedge. My prayer life had been increasing during the past months. Covid had begun, riots were everywhere and government regulations were causing controversy, but all of that was contributing to our unity as well as to my burden to pray. There were a few wonderful young girls who were part of our group, and I was thrilled to be a part of their lives, encouraging them to move on in the Lord. It was all so wonderful.

Our group was a joyful one. The singing was beautiful with the young people contributing to the music. Bible study time was lively and full of insights. And our prayer time was getting stronger. But throughout it all there was fun and lots of laughter. Occasionally when my burden for our nation was strong, the joking around bothered me.

Someone had just made a joking remark that hit me the wrong way and I realize now that it had offended me personally. This set the stage in my soul for me to react negatively to the next thing that happened. A husband and wife teem were always pretending to be at odds with each other creating their own comedy routines.

I spoke. “I’m praying for you!” I said. It was a true statement. I had been praying for all of our group. But the tone of my voice must have conveyed my irritation with what was going on and suddenly the unity of the group disappeared. The camaraderie was gone and eventually the whole thing folded.

But here is a  story with a happier ending:

Ben was a student at Canadian Bible Collage in Regina Saskatchewan. He knew his Bible well and was proud of it. But one day God challenged him about his lack of concern for others. The Lord told him to crucify his pride, open up to the group of students that met together to pray, and admit his lack of concern for those around him.

From that day on, the Lord would get him up every morning early to spend time in prayer. It was a time of calling out for revival with a fervor he had never known before. The revival that he prayed for started in his own heart and eventually it did bare fruit. It is an amazing story. You can hear Ben tell about it on our YouTube interview: Ben Peters- The Decision that Changed my Life and Led to Revival or read about it in his book, Humility and how I (almost) Achieved it.