Picturing Theology

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P i c t u r i n g T h e o l o g y

Let God Arise! (continued)

A Sober Call to Prevailing Prayer

When Edwards wrote his call to the churches of England and Scotland to pray for revival, he focused on Zechariah 8.18-23 which reads: Zech. 8.18-23 (ESV) - And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, [19] “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. [20] Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. [21] The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ [22] Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. [23] Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” Edwards related this text to prophecies of the very end of time where God would bring dramatic and glorious renewal to the entire earth through the focused intercession of God’s people. I do not believe that Edwards was incorrect. Furthermore, I am convinced that God’s promise to move in regard to extraordinary prayer by his holy people is a given throughout Scripture, sustained with many examples, both in biblical history and in contemporary life. God Almighty answers prayer. We make therefore a sober call to all believers who love the Lord Jesus and the cities of America to join us in forming new movements of prayer for the city, for all those who live in them, especially God’s people. We are making a call to prevailing prayer in the name of Jesus Christ for God’s glory. We are asking that God might send to us his very own Holy Spirit, to break through the darkness, evil, and despair of the city and bring refreshment and revolutionary change among the poorest of America’s urban poor. This is not a call to repeat the “good old days” of the past (i.e., a nostalgic return to the glory days of the great awakening revival meetings, or any other revivals of history). Nor is this a call for the sleepy-headed to simply spend a few more hours in prayer over the unimportant. Nor do we make any pleas here for simply a little more effort in prayer, a kind of seasonal emphasis in prayer for the cities that