Thought For The Month – February 2015

Evangelist Duncan Campbell arm in arm with Peggy & Christine Smith, the women behind the RevivalsIn November of 1949, two elderly women of the Isle of Lewis, sisters, one of them 84 years of age and the other 82, one of whom was stone blind, were greatly burdened because of the appalling state of their parish. It was a sad fact that not a single young person attended public worship there. They spent their day perhaps reading or walking, but attending church services never entered their minds. This concerned the two elderly women greatly, and they made it a special matter of prayer.

A verse of Scripture gripped them: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.” Isaiah 44:3. They were so burdened that they committed to spending time in prayer together twice a week. Each Tuesday and Friday, these women got on their knees at 10 o’clock in the evening and remained on their knees until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning — two elderly sisters in a very humble cottage.

One night, a vision came to one of them, and in the vision she saw the church of her fathers crowded with young people, packed to the doors, and a strange minister standing in the pulpit. She was so impressed by the vision that she sent for the parish minister. Knowing that these two sisters were devout, and knew God in a wonderful way, he responded straightway to their invitation and called on them at the cottage.

One night, a vision came to one of them, and in the vision she saw the church of her fathers crowded with young people, packed to the doors, and a strange minister standing in the pulpit. She was so impressed by the vision that she sent for the parish minister. Knowing that these two sisters were devout, and knew God in a wonderful way, he responded straightway to their invitation and called on them at the cottage.

That morning, the woman shared her vision with the minister, and said to the minister, “You must do something about it. And I would suggest that you call your office bearers together and that you join us in spending at least two nights in prayer in the week.” The minister accepted the challenge, and called his office bearers together, and seven of them met in a barn to pray each Tuesday and Friday evening, the same time as the elderly sisters.

That continued for almost a month and a half, until one night a deacon in the church got up and read Psalm 24. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing (not a blessing, but the blessing) from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” Then that man closed his Bible, and looking at the minister and the other office bearers, he said, “It seems to me to be a waste of time to be praying as we are praying, to be waiting as we are waiting, if we ourselves are not right with God.” He then lifted up his hands and prayed, “God, are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?” But he got no further. He fell to his knees and then fell into a trance, and lay there on the floor of the barn. At that moment, the minister and his other office bearers were gripped by the conviction that a God-sent revival MUST be related to Godliness and true holiness. Are my hands clean? Is my heart pure? That was the conviction.

When that happened in the barn, the power of God swept into the parish, and an awareness of God gripped the entire community such as hadn’t been known for over 100 years.  The following day, the looms were silent and little work was done on the farms as men and women gave themselves to thinking on eternal things, gripped by eternal realities. Revival swept the community because two elderly sisters felt a burden to pray.

I ask you this day, are you praying for revival? Are your hands clean? Is your heart pure? If you cannot answer these questions in the affirmative, then you need not wonder why there is no revival.