An Appeal for Prayer

So I want to make an appeal to you today. I feel God put this on my heart. I’m surprised at what I’ve said because I said a lot of things I didn’t expect to say. I want to make this appeal very carefully. I don’t know whether Irvin and Magdal remember but when we were in Westbourne Grove we prayed every week for revival in Britain, can you remember that? And I don’t believe those prayers went unheard. Forty years later I’m looking for the answer. But, it’s going to take the prayer of desperation. You’re going to have to come face to face with the fact that there is no other hope, nothing else will do it. This nation is lost unless God intervenes. What God is waiting for is the cry of desperation.

You cannot work up desperation. It’s no good trying to be desperate. Only the Holy Spirit can pour out upon you the spirit of grace and supplication.

I want to make an appeal and I want to say it very carefully. I want you to think before you respond, but I believe God put it in my heart to ask if there were people here who would commit themselves as the Holy Spirit empowers them and enables them to pray the prayer of desperation, to get to the end of yourself.

One of my daughters, her second son, who was a Christian, was involved with a Christian woman and they were planning to get married. It was obviously a very unsuitable marriage. But he was a stubborn young man and he was going to go ahead. My daughter’s husband told me, which rather surprised me knowing my daughter, that she spent hours on her face before the Lord crying out for her son. Her prayers prevailed, the marriage was canceled. He’s now married to a beautiful Christian girl and they have two lovely children. But what happened was it changed that daughter. She’s never been the same. Most of us never thought of her as super-spiritual, to say the truth. But something happened in her when God brought her to the point of desperation. Not only did it change her son but it changed her.

I want to ask you, and please consider this carefully because don’t make a superficial response to God, how many of you feel as I have been speaking that the Holy Spirit has been saying to you, “Are you willing to let me make you desperate for Britain? Are you willing to let me break through in your life and change your priorities, and if necessary, bring you on your face on the floor day after day until you see the rain fall?” This is a calling, it’s not for everybody. Actually, it’s not for me. I have too many other aspects of my ministry. Ruth and I pray every day for revival in Britain, four times a day. But we are not—it isn’t in that cry of desperation. It’s not something supernatural released by the Holy Spirit. But my conviction is that’s what it’s going to take if Britain is to be changed.

I want to ask you to ponder for a few moments and try to listen to the Holy Spirit. Don’t respond out of your own good intentions but is the Holy Spirit saying to you, “Will you let Me make you desperate for your nation? Will you let Me change maybe the way you live? Change your priorities, the way you spend your time, so that really what you live for more than anything else is prayer?” Just think that over for a moment or two, don’t make a hasty response. But I believe there are those here this evening to whom God has been speaking. If you want to commit yourself to God’s grace to become that kind of intercessor, then I would invite you to indicate it to God first and foremost, and then to us by simply standing to your feet. Don’t be hasty.

I think there are some sisters here who feel you really don’t have much of a ministry, you don’t feel very important. I don’t want to flatter you but you could go to the top of God’s list tonight if you would give yourself to Him for this purpose.

Do you know the motto of the United States Marines? Ruth was a Marine, you’d be surprised to know. It just says “a few good men.” When they advertise they say the U.S. Marines are looking for a few good men. I believe God is looking for some special people here tonight. They may not be special in the eyes of the world but they have a special importance in the eyes of God. Please listen to the Spirit. Don’t weigh your merits, don’t look back on your past failures. Trust Him. He is the Spirit of grace and of supplication. Can you feel the solemnity of this meeting?

Brothers, we’re in the presence of God. This is a very sacred moment. Thank you, Lord. Please understand you’re not a second class Christian if you don’t stand up. But if God is speaking to you, please obey Him. Please obey Him.

Don, I’m going to ask you to pray for the people that have stood. If you have anything extra to say, just say it.

Don:

“Father, we stand in awe in your presence tonight. We thank you for the challenge of your Word that’s come to us and we first of all acknowledge the sin of this nation. Lord, we’re ashamed of the immorality, the idolatry, the materialism, the compromise of this nation. We cry to you for mercy. Oh God, have mercy on us! Lord, in judgment remember mercy. We pray, Lord, that every one that stands before you now will be enabled by the grace of God and by the Holy Spirit to know the breakthrough in prayer, will know the Spirit of God enabling them to pray in desperation, for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit for what we call revival, that the outcome of that will see this nation turn back to God. Father, I pray that everyone standing will be given a clear vision of what you want for Britain. Lord, that they’ll be stirred on, they’ll be encouraged because they will see a vision, a vision for our land, a vision that can motivate in prayer until they’re desperate and you move. Lord, as they stand to make this commitment, they’ll only make it through as you enable them to. They’re not capable on their own and we pray sincerely and honestly, Lord, that you will work in their lives that their prayer will be so effective that you will answer. Lord, I pray that we’ll see it in our day. Lord, we believe you’re coming soon but we want to finish the job that you’ve given us to do. We want to be the people, we want to be the people of God on earth that see the climax of time. We pray that you’ll help us. Lord, we need you. We endeavor to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that you may exalt us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”