Revivals - How Promoted

Thomas Payne

Introduction To Second Edition: A Special Call To Prayer For A World-Wide Revival

THE author feels quite at a loss to express adequately his gratitude to Almighty God for the manner in which He has put His seal upon the first edition of this work on Revivals. Numerous letters were received testifying of readers being sent to their knees in prayer and supplication to God for a personal filling of the Holy Spirit. Others, after carefully perusing it, were led to meet in groups in their homes and in mission halls and churches, to wait upon God for the outpouring of the Spirit of Grace and supplication, according to suggestions given in various parts of the book. And many praised the name of the Lord because they believed that in answer to prayer it had been used as a means of helping to spread the revival atmosphere over Wales during the last great Welsh Revival. At which time The Christian, commenting on this work, spoke of it as a “trumpet-call to service for Christ.” Why should we not expect God to answer prayer to-day, and make it a trumpet-call to the wide world?

We felt glad to recognise “A Call to Prayer” in large letters on the front page of a recent issue of the Methodist Recorder, and thought what an unspeakable blessing it would be if that mighty organisation, and others with it, would in very deed harken to this call of prayer and join in spiritual fellowship with the World-wide Revival Prayer Movement of America, pioneered by Dr. and Mrs. H. M. Woods,of Ventnor City, NJ., whose earnest endeavour stirred up the soul of the writer to reprint the present work. It is said that during the great American Revival of ‘58 and ‘59 of the last century there was a “chain of prayer 4,000 miles long.” What a blessing if we could get a chain of prayer 25,000 miles long, so as to gird this sin-ruined world with the spirit of grace and supplication! Who can tell what it might accomplish even in a few months if the Lord should tarry, so that in all things He (Christ) shall have the pre-eminence, and “see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.” We are fully persuaded that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, “even though the wicked wax worse and worse.” Yet in view of Calvary, and Pentecost, and the gift of an open Bible, we can hardly think that it was the eternal purpose of God that this, the mightiest dispensation the world ever knew (as expressed by the late Mrs. Booth), “was to finish up in a poor defeated way.”

Again and again history records cases when an army making a rapid retreat has suddenly made a stand and turned upon its enemy and won the battle, and we are encouraged to believe that when the enemy comes in like a flood that ”the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against Him.” The writer can remember Dr. Pentecost making the remark at Keswick some years ago “that it is much easier to gather inspiration when we see the enemy on the run than when he is close upon our heels.” Is it not evident that, in these days of drift and abounding iniquity, the love of many is waxing cold? The need was never greater than at the present that we should pray to be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, so as to take our stand against the forces of darkness and win the well-fought day. It is true that there is no remedy for the present existing evils short of a real Holy Ghost Revival. “O Lord, revive Thy work.”

AUTHOR.