Over 140 years ago, the great British pastor, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote, "The times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord have at last dawned upon our land. Everywhere there are signs of aroused activity and increased earnestness. A spirit of prayer is visiting our churches....The first breath of the rushing mighty wind is already discerned, while on the rising of evangelists the tongue of fire has evidently descended."

The "spirit of prayer" that Mr. Spurgeon described has always been at the root of every great awakening of the Christian church. It's matters not whether you search the New Testament or look in the halls of history, revival has always been preceded by prayer. In Acts 1, the church was birthed in a prayer meeting. In the next chapter, 3000 people were converted. Throughout the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the church prayed and then God moved. The first great missions movement was birthed in prayer. Time and time again, the church took great strides forward because someone or a small band of people prayed.

Victorious praying lays the foundation for revival. Over the last number of years, I've been a student of the great evangelical revivals, and I've discovered that all have prayer at the heart of them. Someone gets a burden and begins to pray. They wait upon the Lord and in His divine time, He answers their prayers. They meet with God and God manifests Himself to them.

The first time that I experienced revival, there was a spirit of prayer that permeated the church and the evangelistic meetings. It began with a praying pastor. He refused to give up - to quit. He continued praying in spite of bleak circumstances. Then one day, God came. He visited His people. When God comes, everything gets interrupted. Evangelistic meetings that were scheduled to conclude on Sunday had to be extended an extra week. The church building couldn't hold the people. The news media reported on "the great things that God was doing." The hardest drug addicts were saved and delivered from their addictions. Racial enemies became brothers in Christ. God came when His people prayed.

I would not try to make you believe that I understand all the reasons why that is so. I just know it's a spiritual law of life. It's true. Prayer and revival are always partners in the manifestation of the glory of God. His glory comes when He comes. When that happens, the church is accelerated in its spiritual and numerical growth. Revival precedes great harvests of souls, and prayer always precedes great revivals of the church.

Prayer is simply intimacy with God. When we become intimate with Him, then we're on the road to revival. One can't be intimate with God and wear a religious mask. Genuine prayer produces genuine repentance. Deep repentance releases the Spirit of God in our lives. When that happens, then we're already on the road to revival.

There's much talk today about revival. I simply know one thing about revival. It always descends on the wings of prayer. A praying people will ultimately be a revived people. Pray and stand back and see what He will do.