God’s Timing is Perfect: Revival is Here

The Lord’s been working on me from the inside out. Being under deadline for goals, especially at year-end, I needed to be reminded to be totally dependent on the Lord. I confess I had moments of working out of my flesh as if it totally depended on me to raise funds and awareness for different ministry clients and even for Blessings Brokers.

This reflection and growth with the Lord has been too sacred for me even to write about. Now is the time. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years.

Some of you may know that I’m blessed to be part of the FOR Charlotte (CLT) Prayer Leader’s Network. We meet monthly and have Regional Prayer Gatherings every other month to pray for our city, churches, pastors, country, world. We pray for revival. We have been praying for revival for years, even when I lived in Charleston and well before I moved to Charlotte in 2015.

In 2022 Wayne Atcheson, a leader at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, published a book called “Asbury Revival.” This book beautifully chronicles the power and influence of the February 1970 Asbury Revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY.  When I read that book in November and December, I dog-eared so many pages of practical ways that the students brought revival and characteristics to replicate the revival. One student received a list of the university students and made 3×5 index cards with each name to pray for each of them as the Holy Spirit led. Her act of prayer was about three months before the 24-hour, 8-day revival broke out in February 1970.

At our January 14, 2023, For CLT Regional Prayer Gathering, we prayed Bible scripture. I talked about this book and brought a list of Charlotte churches for us to pray for intentionally. The Holy Spirit was strong as we humbly prayed for our pastors and revival.

On February 8th, 2023, states away at the same Asbury University in Wilmore, KY, the weekly Chapel Service in Hughes Auditorium occurred at 10am like normal. It was the morning after the US Presidential State of the Union. It was two days after the earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria. At 11am the Chapel Service ended, and 15 students stayed to pray. They stayed for hours and texted some of their friends to come back, that the Holy Spirit was working. Those 15 students led to thousands of people experiencing the 2023 Asbury Revival, for two weeks, 24 hours a day/seven days a week.

My friend Emily Adams with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, drove to Kentucky that Friday to experience the Asbury Revival. She came back to Charlotte and spoke a week later.

What I am  communicating is from Emily’s eyewitness experience of His majesty at the Asbury Revival.

There was only one hotel at Wilmore, KY. Emily and her friend arrived at 11:40pm to check in. Then they drove over to Asbury University and arrived at Hughes Auditorium at 1am.

This was powerful. The first thing she noticed was the smell. Emily said the smell in the Hughes Auditorium was that of….. salty tears.

Yes, salty tears. She said there was no tissue left. They had run out from all the crying and repentance. There were rolls of toilet paper at the front altar. The carpet was dark from the wet tear falling.

She said the presence of the Lord was palpable. She witnessed miracles of healing. The singing and testimonies lasted all night. It didn’t stop.

Lord Jesus, I pray for that revival now. Thank You, Lord, for being our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Thank You for stirring us up with your Holy Spirit to repent and come back to You. Thank You for our country and our freedom to worship You.

May revival start with me. In the name of Jesus, By the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Reflection:

How have you experienced revival?

What are your prayers for our country? For you? For your family?