Prayer is powerful. It is, as Charles Haddon Spurgeon puts it, “the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.” Prayer has the power to change circumstances, people and even the course of history.
With all the amazing testimonies prayer has garnered over the years, one wonderswhy men are not praying. Why is the Church failing in what are her greatest strength and a major source of power? Someone said: “It is not that people are not praying, but that most prayers are self-centred prayers and not kingdom related.” This is correct.

For certain, revival prayer is lacking within the Church and with men. There is a lack of prayer for revival because men lack the vision to pray for revival. They see revival prayer as the responsibility of a few and not of all. Revival prayer is lacking because men are not kingdom-minded. Revival prayer is lacking because men don’t appreciate the importance of revival.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: “The main reason we should be praying about revival is that we are anxious to see God’s name vindicated and His glory manifested. We should be anxious to see something happening that will arrest the nations, all the peoples, and cause them to stop and think again.”

Majorly, revival prayer is lacking because most of our Seminaries, Bible Schools and Schools of Theology fail to incorporate practical sessions on prayer for students before they graduate from the seminary. Jonathan Edwards argued that, “Revival is not a gift of God apart from human instrumentality, but a work “accomplished by means.”Therefore, it was the duty of all to do their “utmost in the place that God has set them in, to promote it.” He did not wait passively while God sent a revival that came unexpectedly and unasked for.

The scripture is a guide on how to pray to rekindle the fire of revival. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord said to King Solomon: “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land?” Here,we see the mingling of repentance, humility, prayer and the seeking of God’s face as foundational to revival praying.

In Psalm 85:6-7, the Psalmist prayed one of the greatest prayers of revival. He said: “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.”

In Daniel 9:4-19, the prophet prayed a confessional prayer on behalf of his people, which we can use as a pattern to pray for revival.

Singing revival-related hymns is another way of praying for revival. There are several hymns with lyrics asking God for revival. Use hymns such as: “Revive Us Again.” Contemporary African songs including,

“Open The Floodgates In Abundance” by Sonnie Badu and“Shine, Jesus, Shine,” by Graham Kendrick are good. May God send us another earth-shaking revival in our generation!

As I wrote in June 2019, “holiness, like light shines brightest when darkness is at its highest pitch.

Just as prayer is a pre-condition for revival, holiness is also a pre-condition for revival. We have said before that knowing God is the goal of revival, and during a revival, God chooses to make Himself known to His people. God is holy and those who seek Him must accept to relate with Him on the basis of
His holy nature. ‘Without holiness no man shall see the Lord,’” (Heb.12:14).

Singing revival-related hymns is another way of praying for revival. There are several hymns with lyrics asking God for revival. Use hymns such as: “Revive Us Again.” Contemporary African songs including, “Open The Floodgates In Abundance” by Sonnie Badu and“Shine, Jesus, Shine,” by Graham Kendrick are good.

May God send us another earth-shaking revival in our generation!

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