This post is in commemoration of St. Patrick's Day just past and David Livingstone's 199th birthday today. (Please note: I originally posted this my other blog here (with a minor edit today re: Livingstone's birthday).)
As you may know, I've come to appreciate reading about past revivals and Christian biography. I've included an excerpt from R.A. Torrey, which gives us a brief summary of the role of prayer in the history of revivals in Ireland, as well as an excerpt from Rob Mackenzie's biography of Livingstone. As we look back to the past, may we examine ourselves rightly and remind ourselves that our God is the God brought revival to Ireland, and our God is the God empowered David Livingstone to persevere in running the race set before Him, despite myriad griefs, physical and emotional sufferings, setbacks and disappointments. Our God desires to work in and through us today in similar ways. However, we have become much too much like the Church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). We have become too full of ourselves: of our fleshly and worldly notions, wisdom, plans and schemes – as a result, we leave no room to be filled with the Spirit of God! However, thanks be to God – we have a God who is longsuffering and as soon as we begin to repent of our wretched self-sufficiency and self-reliance and confess our own poverty and neediness. He who has an ear, let him hear!
II Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. (KJV)
Isaiah 45:11 Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. (KJV)
Psalm 45:16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. 17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. (KJV)
The following is an excerpt from R.A. Torrey's book "How to Pray," Chapter XII - The Place of Prayer before and during Revivals, which was published in 1900 (boldface mine):
In the early part of the seventeenth century there was a great religious awakening in Ulster, Ireland. The lands of the rebel chiefs which had been forfeited to the British crown, were settled up by a class of colonists who for the most part were governed by a spirit of wild adventure. Real piety was rare. Seven ministers, five from Scotland and two from England, settled in that country, the earliest arrivals being in 1613. Of one of these ministers named Blair it is recorded by a contemporary, “He spent many days and nights in prayer, alone and with others, and was vouchsafed great intimacy with God.” Mr. James Glendenning, a man of very meager natural gifts, was a man similarly minded as regards prayer. The work began under this man Glendenning. The historian of the time says, “He was a man who never would have been chosen by a wise assembly of ministers nor sent to begin a reformation in this land. Yet this was the Lord’s choice to begin with him the admirable work of God which I mention on purpose that all may see how the glory is only the Lord’s in making a holy nation in this profane land, and that it was ‘not by might, nor by power, nor by man’s wisdom, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.’” In his preaching at Oldstone multitudes of hearers felt in great anxiety and terror of conscience. They looked on themselves as altogether lost and damned, and cried out,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved?” They were stricken into a swoon by the power of His Word. A dozen in one day were carried out of doors as dead. These were not women, but some of the boldest spirits of the neighborhood; “some who had formerly feared not with their swords to put a whole market town into a fray.” Concerning one of them, then a mighty strong man, now a mighty Christian, say that his end in coming into church was to consult with his companions how to work some mischief.”
This work spread throughout the whole country. By the year 1626 a monthly concert of prayer was held in Antrim. The work spread beyond the bounds of Down and Antrim to the churches of the neighboring counties. So great became the religious interest that Christians would come thirty or forty miles to the communions, and continue from the time they came until they returned without wearying or making use of sleep. Many of them neither ate nor drank, and yet some of them professed that they “went away most fresh and vigorous, their souls so filled with the sense of God.”
This revival changed the whole character of northern Ireland.
Another great awakening in Ireland in 1859 had a somewhat similar origin. By many who did not know, it was thought that this marvelous work came without warning and preparation, but Rev. William Gibson, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in 1860, in his very interesting and valuable history of the work tells how there had been preparation for two years. There had been constant discussion in the General Assembly of the low estate of religion, and of the need of a revival. There had been special sessions for prayer. Finally four young men, who became leaders in the origin of the great work, began to meet together in an old schoolhouse in the neighborhood of Kells. About the spring of 1858 a work of power began to manifest itself. It spread from town to town, and from county to county. The congregations became too large for the buildings, and the meetings were held in the open air, oftentimes attended by many thousands of people. Many hundreds of persons were frequently convicted of sin in a single meeting. In some places the criminal courts and jails were closed for lack of occupation. There were manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s power of a most remarkable character, clearly proving that the Holy Spirit is as ready to work to-day as in apostolic days, when ministers and Christians really believe in Him and begin to prepare the way by prayer.
Mr. Moody’s wonderful work in England and Scotland and Ireland that afterwards spread to America had its origin on the manward side in prayer. Mr. Moody made little impression until men and women began to cry to God. Indeed his going to England at all was in answer to the importunate cries to God of a bed-ridden saint. While the spirit of prayer continued the revival abode in strength, but in the course of time less and less was made of prayer and the work fell off very perceptibly in power. Doubtless one of the great secrets of the unsatisfactoriness and superficiality and unreality of many of our modern so-called revivals, is that more dependence is put upon man’s machinery than upon God’s power, sought and obtained by earnest, persistent, believing prayer. We live in a day characterized by the multiplication of man’s machinery and the diminution of God’s power. The great cry of our day is work, work, work, new organizations, new methods, new machinery; the great need of our day is prayer. It was a master stroke of the devil when he got the church so generally to lay aside this mighty weapon of prayer. The devil is perfectly willing that the church should multiply its organizations, and deftly contrive machinery for the conquest of the world for Christ if it will only give up praying. He laughs as he looks at the church to-day and says to himself:
“You can have your Sunday-schools and your Young People’s Societies, your Young Men’s Christian Associations and your Women’s Christian Temperance Unions, your Institutional Churches and your Industrial Schools, and your Boy’s Brigades, your grand choirs and your fine organs, your brilliant preachers and your revival efforts too, if you don’t bring the power of Almighty God into them by earnest, persistent, believing, mighty prayer.”
Prayer could work as marvelous results today as it ever could, if the church would only betake itself to it.
There seem to be increasing signs that the church is awakening to this fact. Here and there God is laying upon individual ministers and churches a burden of prayer that they have never known before. Less dependence is being put upon machinery and more dependence upon God. Ministers are crying to God day and night for power. Churches and portions of churches are meeting together in the early morning hours and the late night hours crying to God for the latter rain. There is every indication of the coming of a mighty and widespread revival. There is every reason why, if a revival should come in any country at this time, it should be more widespread in its extent than any revival of history. There is the closest and swiftest communication by travel, by letter, and by cable between all parts of the world. A true fire of God kindled in America would soon spread to the uttermost parts of the earth. The only thing needed to bring this fire is prayer.
It is not necessary that the whole church get to praying to begin with. Great revivals always begin first in the hearts of a few men and women whom God arouses by His Spirit to believe in Him as a living God, as a God who answers prayer, and upon whose heart He lays a burden from which no rest can be found except in importunate crying unto God.
May God use this book to arouse many others to pray that the greatly-needed revival may come, and come speedily.
* * *
Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? 5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (KJV)
Let us not despise the day of small things!Let us rely wholly on the Spirit of Lord, rather than on the flesh of man.
Please notice these portions I emphasized above:
the small numbers...
Seven ministers
four young men
and those who would be passed over as judged by the world's eyes...
a man of very meager natural gifts
He was a man who never would have been chosen by a wise assembly of ministers nor sent to begin a reformation in this land. Yet this was the Lord’s choice to begin with him the admirable work of God which I mention on purpose that all may see how the glory is only the Lord’s in making a holy nation in this profane land, and that it was ‘not by might, nor by power, nor by man’s wisdom, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.
a bed-ridden saint
God's ways are NOT our ways – but how often do we forget that? Very often when we see a problem, instead of seeking the
Lord's mind and will about that, so we might see the situation through
God's eyes and discern the solution that comes
from Him, we approach the problem according to our own human, fleshly thoughts and ways, and we begin to look to the world's ways. As a result, our way is to campaign and to network and to shout, to try to be the loudest voice on the block, we do all we can to make the biggest splash and the greatest impact. We try to rally more and more people, we seek to raise more and more money, we strive to enlist the biggest and brightest and shiniest and flashiest and strongest and wisest in the world's eyes. We get enamored with and tangled up in that vain and vile machinery of man!
But that's never God's way, as we read in I Corinthians 1:
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are...
That makes no sense to our flesh. Why, then, is that God's way?
... 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
We see that story repeated time and again throughout the Bible and throughout Church history, such as we see in Torrey's account of God's workings in revival in Ireland throughout the years.
God is always seeking that He gets all the glory. All! All means all!
Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
For example, consider the story of Gideon and Israel's battle against the Midianites in Judges 7 and 8. (See also my post here.) If you remember the story, God has Gideon continue to pare down his army time and again. Why did God do such a thing? To our human reasoning, the more the better!
Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
God is passionate for His own glory! That's the bottom line! God's glory! O, don't get me wrong, as we rely on our own fleshly ideas and plans, we may very well get a good result in the eyes of the world, we may be successful in many ways – but how does God see it? Have we robbed the LORD of the glory due His name in the process? Have we gained the whole world and lost our souls in the process?
The LORD ends up bringing victory to Israel with 300 men! Consider who He is:
I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Our God is the LORD! The LORD - Jehovah! If we would consider that, if we would consider our God's continuing, everlasting covenant love for the elect through the Lord Jesus Christ! If we would consider that our God is for us! If we would consider that He who did not spare His only begotten Son for us will freely give us all things! If we would consider that our God is the omniscient, omnipotent, only wise God, we would never consider turning to and relying on earthly means for help!
In II Chronicles 14-16, we find the story of Asa, king of Judah, and how the Lord continued to give deliverance to Asa and Judah – so long as Asa relied on the Lord. Read the sad account of what happened when Asa chose to turn away from relying on the Lord to relying on man, in this case his making an alliance with Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria:
II Chronicles 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time. (KJV)
How can we expect God's blessing to pour down upon us, how can we expect God to revive the Church if we continue to rely on our own devices rather than pleading with God in prayer, pulling down His promises, and seeking His strength and His wisdom? Whenever we continue to rely on ourselves, on our flesh and the machinery of man, God rebukes us and renders this judgment upon us: "Woe to you!" – just as God spoke to Israel thousands of years ago:
Isaiah 30:1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: 2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 5 They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. 6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. 7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. (KJV)
Isaiah 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! 2 Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. 3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together. (KJV)
These things are written to us for our instruction! Let us take heed!
Shouldn't the people of God seek their God? And yet how often do we walk in the ways of rebellious Israel and go down to "Egypt" for help? Isn't it an abomination that the children of God would do such a thing? And isn't it an abomination that we would even entertain the thought of doing such a thing? Jesus' words about adultery in the heart come to mind...
Luke 5:28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
That's a sobering reminder to each and every one of us! As we look at the world and the world's devices and methods and think: "If we had more people, more money, more advertising, a bigger building, more followers, more readers..." At that point, each and every one of us have already committed adultery with the world in our hearts! Is our God not enough? Does He not long and yearn to show Himself strong on our behalf, to give strong support to us (ESV), to rain down in power upon us and provide all we need for the work He has given us to do? That which we need more of is more of the Holy Spirit, and, as Torrey said, more and more dependence on God and less and less dependence on man's machinery!
People of God, let us consider our God! Let us consider our God is the Almighty God, the Lord of hosts! We sing Sunday after Sunday about the power of God – but do we really believe it? Do we see that apart from Him we have no power? Have we been brought to see our own insufficiency: that we are the branches and Jesus is the Vine and apart from Him we can do nothing?
Let us consider who we are: we are the bride of Christ! Let us consider the treasure we have: our first Love, our Bridegroom! Let us consider that we are children of God, and let us consider the resurrection power which God makes available to us through His Holy Spirit – so long as we stop relying on our own power and we turn away from relying on the world's power and begin to ask, seek and knock at the throne of grace! Does our heavenly Father not want to give His children His Holy Spirit? (Luke 11) May we despise ourselves each and every time our hearts begin to wander from wholly relying on the LORD alone! Our seeking to work according to worldly ways, with worldly power and machinery is adultery against the one true God!
The eyes of the LORD are still running to and fro throughout the earth today. And our God is looking for those whose hearts are perfect toward Him, or in the NKJV, whose hearts are loyal to Him, or the ESV, blameless toward Him. What does it mean to be perfect, loyal and blameless toward God? It means that God is looking for souls who are relying on Him. God did not find Asa to be such a man. Would God consider you to be such a man or a woman, one who relies on the Lord? Would He consider me to be such a woman? . . .
Because Asa was not relying on God. God rebuked king Asa – and not only that, there were dire consequences for the entire nation of Israel! Let us not forget how our own neglect of prayer and our own lack of reliance on God as individuals does have an effect on the entire Body of Christ! Consider how Miriam's sin of dissension against Moses caused her to be stricken with leprosy, and while she was sent outside the camp for seven days, the rest of the nation could not journey until she was brought back in again (see Numbers 12).
God says Asa had done foolishly. How foolish we are to rely on the power of man when our God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, He is our Savior and Redeemer, the God who conquered and defeated sin, death and Satan, the God whose Spirit blew and made us alive together with Christ – this is the God we have who is waiting to show Himself strong on our behalf! How foolish we are to despise our time in the closet in prayer, and in the meantime we find plenty of time and energy to run, run, run to all our activities, and we run, run, run to imitate the world's ways! And no, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be actively engaged in good works in the world, of course we should – but let's never do so without being engaged in that good work of prayer in the closet!
Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? , Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
We all ought to be running to our closets and falling down on our faces to our God there! Has God not promised that He will show Himself strong to us? Has He not promised He will avenge us speedily! Will He find faith on the earth? Will He find us in prayer? We can't expect God to show Himself strong on our behalf if we continue to rely on our own fleshly ideas and earthly schemes. How can we possibly expect God to bless us as we make our plans apart from consulting Him? How can we possibly expect God to bless us if we are not relying on Him?
Today, March 19, 2012, is the 199th birthday of David Livingstone. The love of God had constrained and compelled Livingstone to spend and be spent for Jesus Chris. As a missionary and explorer in Africa, he laboring unceasingly to lift up Christ and Him crucified to the natives and to tear down the slave trade. Though his outer man had been more than worn out, both his flesh and his spirit continued more than willing... ¹:
It must have been around 4 am when Susi heard Majwara's step once more. 'Come to Bwana, I am afraid; I don't know if he is alive.' Susi quickly called Chumah, Chowpere, Matthew and Muanyasere. The six men went immediately to the hut.
Passing inside they looked towards the bed. Dr Livingstone was not lying on it, but appeared to be engaged in prayer, and they instinctively drew backwards for the instant. Pointing to him, Majwara said, 'When I lay down he was just as he is now, and it is because I find that he does not move that I fear he is dead.' They asked the lad how long he had slept. Majwara said he could not tell, but he was sure that it was some considerable time: the men drew nearer.
A candle stuck by its own wax to the top of the box shed a light sufficient for them to see his form. Dr Livingstone was kneeling by the side of his bed, his body stretched forward, his head buried in his hands upon the pillow. For a minute they watched him: he did not stir, there was no sign of breathing; then one of them, Matthew, advanced softly to him and placed his hands to his cheeks. It was sufficient; life had been extinct some time, and the body was almost cold: Livingstone was dead.
"... And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks." – Hebrews 11:4
May the Holy Spirit call us and draw us and keep us in the closet and faithful to the Lord in the same way He did Livingstone.
"... Could you not watch one hour?" – Mark 14:37
May God give us grace to be patient, steadfast, fervent and faithful in prayer, knowing our labor in prayer in the Lord is not in vain.
James 5:7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful...
16 ... The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
May our God have mercy upon us and pour out upon His people the spirit of grace and supplications (Zech. 12:10), so we might watch in prayer and give the LORD no rest till He establish and make His Church a praise in the earth once again! (~ Isaiah 62)
May God give us ears to hear His Spirit speaking to us...
"Prayer could work as marvelous results today as it ever could, if the church would only betake itself to it."
"It is not necessary that the whole church get to praying to begin with. Great revivals always begin first in the hearts of a few men and women whom God arouses by His Spirit to believe in Him as a living God, as a God who answers prayer, and upon whose heart He lays a burden from which no rest can be found except in importunate crying unto God."
~ May God be pleased to use this blog to arouse souls to pray that the greatly-needed revival may come, and come speedily. ~
Reference: ¹Rob Mackenzie, "David Livingstone: The Truth Behind the Legend" (Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 1993), 365-366. Mackenzie used the account of Livingstone's death as recorded in "The Last Journals of David Livingstone in Central Africa 1865-1873," by Horace Waller & John Murray (London: 1880), 308). For more on Livingstone, please see the Biography of David Livingstone at the Gospel Fellowship Association.
Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:David_Livingstone.jpg / CC BY-SA 3.0/ {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}
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