Well I just finished the book This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. If you haven't hear of either the book or the author I would recommend you looking them up, as Frank Peretti is a phenomenal author and the book is extremely well done.
While the book is amazing and the whole story is something I could write about, a very particular part of it stuck out to me.
Meet Hank Busche, a pastor in a small town that the book revolves around, he's a man of God and one thing you find out about him pretty quickly is that he prays. He prays as he mows the church lawn, he prays as he's walking, he prays for those in his church as there is a vote of confidence about him coming up, and he prays in his home with his wife. Even though he isn't always actually praying, he is constantly listening to the Holy Spirit's prompting and is willing to drop on his knees at the drop of a hat.
And that's what starts the whole book. When you get to the end of the book you find out that his one prayer couldn't have won the war. But it did, his one prayer is what won the war because it was him praying that started the war. This one man's prayers are what brought the host of heaven into the battle for the town.
One man. One praying man. One man interceding in prayer for the town and laboring as the Spirit led him. That's all it takes. One man brought revival.
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But he didn't. He didn't bring revival. He failed, he messed up, and he couldn't handle it. It was only the Spirit of God that changed hearts, the Name of Jesus that cast out demons, and the plan of God that worked out a marvelous victory. And that's not something that can be overlooked, glossed over, or made light of. Yet God used one man to start change, a revival even.
This floored me, the man didn't even do it all himself and he wasn't the object of the story, but God used his faith and actions to change a town and the hearts and lives of those there.
And that's when God asked me, "Are you ready and willing to change the lives and hearts of those around you? Are you ready to be the push that starts an avalanche? Are you ready to step out in faith?" I wasn't quite sure what to say at that moment. My first thoughts were along the lines of, "Well how can I do that? I know you use us to accomplish your tasks, but I'm no pastor, I'm just a broken man. Do my prayers really have that kind of impact?" The resounding answer was yes. In fact I know it's my prayers that matter, not on my own but as I join with the saints and we petition the Lord and cast our burdens on Him, as we pray for those around us, and as we humble ourselves to be used by God.
Something happened to me after I finished the book, I realized that revival wouldn't start without me. Now not to say that it will only take me or that I am this special tipping force, but when I think that it's someone else's job or my prayers have no effect and that they're powerless is when nothing will happen. But this extends to you, if it takes just one man to start a revival and just one man to start a war then what are you doing? Are you on your knees praying for that revival, praying for those around you that need help? Well if you are there's one more step, well one more of many. You need to step out in faith and start being the revival you're praying for. You need to serve those around you, seek to help and grow them closer to Christ, and encourage those around you to do the same.
This is when the revival starts, with one person praying. One person interceding. With one person humbling themselves and serving.
This is where revival starts, with you, and with me. I'm starting. Starting to to pray for the town I'm in, the people I'm around, and the hearts I can't see.
Revival's not going to come because we are good speakers, we have well thought out services, or we are culturally relevant. Change is going to start with dropping on our knees and interceding before God for those around us, being burdened for the lost and being willing to serve wherever God's called you.
The revival starts here. The revival starts now. Now is the time to fall on your knees. Now is the time to serve those around you. Now is the time for the Spirit to work, and we have the privilege and the burden to be the ones asking the Father to move. We have the privilege and the burden to be the ones used by God to move.
One Man on His Knees,
Joshua
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