M25 Musings

I’ve been pondering a lot of things in my heart lately. It’s one of those times when I know God is speaking but it still feels like a work in progress rather than a conclusion “tied up neatly in a bow.”

I was deeply challenged at M25 last week, on Tuesday in particular. Dr. Carla Sunberg spoke in the morning and she shared how she and her husband like to study past revivals. She spoke of one that happened in the Hebrides Islands outside of Scotland that began in 1949.

After World War II, young people in the small populations were disillusioned and walking away from God and the church. There was a call to the church for prayer, two sisters took it very seriously. At ages 81 and 84, they began to pray consistently for revival every Friday night from 10 p.m. until 2 or 3 a.m. They told no one for a couple of months. After being given a vision of churches crowded with young people, the called their minister. He agreed to call the men to pray on Friday nights and the sisters began to have other women join them.

The men began to pray in a barn. For weeks, nothing seemed to happen, but one night a man spoke Psalm 24:3-5 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.

When they began to pray for clean hands and pure hearts – to be rightly related to God themselves, God’s power began to be loosed. The church scheduled a special speaker and revival indeed broke with hundreds of people filling churches crying out to God to change their lives. If you’d like to read more of the story, I found it at https://revival-library.org/histories/1949-1953-hebrides-revival/ .

I too that morning was convicted to pray to have clean hands and a pure heart. I confessed that I have not always fully done what God has called me, that at times I have been lazy about prayer. I confessed that I need to quiet or ignore other voices (social media, etc.) if I truly want to hear God’s voice above all others. I humbly ask that you forgive me these transgressions as well.

Honestly, it didn’t feel like some big “aha” moment…but maybe it’s not always supposed to. I’m still asking God and working out what it looks like to live more wholeheartedly for Him. Somedays I feel like I’m failing more than I’m “getting it right.” But our God never fails. One of the verses he encouraged me with this week is Psalm 94:19, When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Praise be to God for His love, grace and mercy!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Cindy