It is not the will of God that any should perish but He desires that all will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel had lamented over the sins of Israel for a long time. The Lord showed him a revelation that demonstrates the only viable means by which He (God) would bless His people with revival (Ezekiel 47:1-10).
(i) Agonising prayer
In the temple of God, Ezekiel saw a spring of water flowing from the pulpit or altar—the place where the priest stands to minister to the congregation and also minister to God through prayer. In Joel 2:17, the Lord gave a clear duty of the priest (and all genuine men of God): let the priest, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar and let them say spare your people O Lord and give not your people to reproach.
• Ezekiel sees a spring of water issuing from the southern side of the altar that flows eastward to the main entrance of the temple — This means agonising prayer from the pulpit will continue day and night until there arises a spring of Holy Spirit water. Jesus also said, “He that believes in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters.”
• The spring of water flowed through the temple to the main gate and beyond— This means that as the men of God continue in prayer for revival (without stopping), the spirit of grace will flow to the outside community. Jesus said, “Men ought always to pray and not to faint.”
• The angel of God took Ezekiel through the flowing waters in specific measuring distances (thousand cubits) and the waters increased in size and depth at each interval — This also means that the effects of revival is always limited if it stays only in the church. When we pray and pray until it flows to the community the refreshing impact widens in scope and depth.
• The flowing waters started at the ankle, to the knee, to the waist and finally over the shoulder when it became a big river that flowed to the desert and one that could not easily be passed over – This means revival prayer should not stop at the ankle, knee or waist level. Prayer should continue until God answers it with a flooding river of revival potential enough to reach the desert and Muslim world.
• On the banks of the river were refreshing trees. Also wherever the river passed dead things came back to life for the water brought healing with it – Again this implies the refreshing power of revival to our communities and nations. Accounts of revivals like the Welsh revival exemplify its refreshing impact.
(ii) Humility
If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn away from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven (2 Chron, 7:4) This is the second formula for revival that his people should:
(i) be humble
(ii) pray
(iii) seek his face
(iv) turn from their wicked ways
Then God would also:
(i) hear from heaven
(ii) forgive their sins
(iii) heal their land
(iii) Sacrifice, a necessary condition to spiritual awakening
Revival prayers are sacrificial prayers devoid of personal interest and self love. Only sacrificial prayers will bring revival down. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom 12:1)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. (John12:24)
To sacrifice is to give up something of great value to oneself for a special purpose or to benefit someone else. For example Jesus poured out his soul in death for us. Everyone has something which is very precious to him or her, and sacrificing such a thing is not easy at all. Sacrificial prayers are prayers that benefit others more than the one offering them. Moses in his sacrificial prayer cried, “Yet now if you will forgive their sin; and if not blot me, I pray you, out of thy book which you have written”.
I used to wonder if Moses really understood what he was praying for. Yet the fact is, in his spirit he saw that should God consume the children of Israel in His anger not only would their bodies perish but their souls too. Picturing a whole nation in hell was too much for him so he wished that he would be a substitute for them. But God knows that it is only one person who could go to hell and come back so He referred the case to Jesus. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb of God that took the sin and guilt of the world. He said:
Most assuredly, I say unto you unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Jesus died leaving us an example to follow. Every true believer must have this spirit of sacrifice upon him for it is the mark of a true disciple of Christ. Paul could pray in his agony of soul:
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. That I have heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Rom 9:1-3) I dare say that before every great spiritual awakening there has always been sacrificial prayers. Each of the spiritual awakenings can be traced to a kneeling figure. Sacrifice has always preceded every redemptive work of God. Ours is a living sacrifice and not a dead one.
When Israel backslided into secularisation and idol worship, God brought Elijah on the scene. He challenged the prophets of Baal in a contest, prayed over a sacrifice and the fire of God came to consume it. After this there was a heavy rain which watered the three and half years’ scotched and dry land. The current backslidden generation is no different from that shown in Elijah’s days. We need kneeling figures as living sacrifices on whom the Holy Spirit fire shall fall and consume and every dry place shall also be filled with water. (Isa 43:19) Paul said, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you the less I am loved.” Yea if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. (Phil 2:17)
Our task is to make ready the sacrifice and the Lord will certainly answer by Holy Ghost fire. We need to sacrifice most of our needful personal prayers for intercessory prayer. The more we pray for others and towards revival the more God solves our problems for us (even the ones we don’t know). The secret of the men by God in history who accomplished so much in a few years was their unselfish prayer for souls.
Moses cried, Jesus groaned, Paul travailed —all for others. David Brainerd, a man who was mightily used of God, left behind a great treasure of his diary from which we could trace the source of his power with which he dispensed the bread of life to the American Indians.
Once he preached through a drunken interpreter who could barely stand on his feet yet scores of genuine souls were won for Christ. Before launching his ministry, intercessory prayer for the Indians was his bread and his very breath. According to him he lost the joy of praying for his personal needs and yet he had the care of God all the time.
Personally, about ten years ago when the Lord revealed Himself to me, the major message I got from Him was to think of others first. When I saw Him I only complained and prayed for me and me and me but it seemed He did not take notice of me until I turned to solve other people’s problems. After that He turned to give me a treasured promise.
John Hyde, the great apostle of prayer, prayed that he might rather burn out than rust out. His praying took the form of confessing the sins of others and taking the place of those sinners. This is the soul who laid hold desperately on God, to convert at least four souls a day for 365 days a year and it was granted. He prayed and groaned until his heart shifted from his left chest to the right and he died —quite a crazy sacrifice for God, wouldn’t you say? Someone prayed:
“Open my hand to receive the nail of Calvary as Christ’s was opened. So let me release my grasp. Father, let me be weak that I might loose my clutch on everything temporal. My life, my reputation, my possession, Lord let me loose the tension of the grasping hand.”
The cross is a path deliberately chosen. It is a path which so far as this world goes is one of dishonour and reproach. No one can be a burning and shining light unto the Lord unless he is a ready sacrifice. We should not fear to die for death has been overcome. Can we also have a ready heart as follows:
The sacrifice is ready Lord send now your fire To any great redemption there is an associated sacrifice To any sweet smelling sacrifice there is an associated fire of God Lord I present myself a praying sacrifice. Send now your Holy Ghost fire. The revival we need.
God is always looking for whom to send as he told Ezekiel “I sought for a man.” (Ezek 22:30) I assert that if we shall pursue a national revival akin to the American revival or the Welsh revival the Lord will answer us. Heaven-sent spiritual awakening will never fall on us by chance. It has never happened before. It must always be prayed down. It is when we fall on God in desperation that He shall personally visit us. Desperation is an important factor in every major move of God. Charles G. Finney, one of the greatest revivalists in the history of the church has a definition for securing revival:
A revival is no more a miracle than a crop of wheat. In any community revival can be secured from heaven when heroic souls enter the conflict, determined to win or die – or if need be to win and die! The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent takes it by force.
After all your selfish prayers has life been any better? “Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts.”
“For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.” The highest form of prayer is praying for a spiritual awakening, that the dying youth may be saved and the father of mercies shall take care of your personal needs.
(iv) The doctrine of save yourself
At any time the Lord finds an assignment for His servant, there emerge enemies as well as close associates who come to discourage the warrior. Friends do it out of genuine love while enemies scoff, especially when things get tough. Peter rebuked Jesus and said “Be it far from you Lord” – referring to the cross. On the cross the soldiers also mocked Him and said, “If you are the king of the Jews SAVE YOURSELF.” (Mark 3:20-21)
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
(v) Save yourself from fasting
Fasting must not be done to the extreme, to the injury of the body for that will be sin against God and yourself. (I think that in my early Christian days I went through periods of unguarded fasting to the injury of my body). But the absence of fasting too is a grievous offence.
Martin Luther, the instrument God used to roll away the dark ages, was a weekly faster. God used him to lift the curtain of night that had hung over the world for about a thousand years.
– Pas Chap
