Fools for RevivalMike Andrea - 11 Jul 2011
Revival Run
Have you ever had one of those words whispered by the Holy Spirit that doesn’t quite make sense? The very idea in your spirit seems reckless and to most people would seem foolish. These are the words that shape and change the course of destiny. These are the words that require a little bit of courage, hope and foolishness to act on them.
This is what happened in the early hours of one November morning; a simple whisper in my ear to act on a prophetic word over a church. This was the beginning of what we now call Revival Run.
The idea is simple, too simple.
Underneath the simplicity is a furnace of prayer that gives us permission to go anywhere and everywhere to scatter blessing, go on modern day pilgrimage and be good news, to be a people of God that prefer one another in love through big audacious prayers of revival for other places. It takes childish faith, hope and courage to act.
So it began in the evening on the 25th of January when over 70 people gathered in a church and broke up into small revival run teams equipped with some prayer stakes. They prayed for the Holy Spirit to put a place on their heart so they could venture out and pray for God to bless that place with his presence. These were not tame prayers or reserved requests (while holding back the best for themselves.) These prayers were wild, audacious and generous. Praying that God would go far beyond any dream they might have for themselves for another place, church, college or business. It was quite simply amazing.
The words of Jesus saying it is more blessed to give than receive simply oozed through these prayers.
It was genuine love at its best. It put flesh on the words Paul said; don’t just pretend to love others...really love them. (Romans 12:9)
At the same time three of us were in Scotland following the wild leading of the Spirit to the most northern mainland church in the UK to pray for a move of God to break out over the ancient places of revival. It was foolish, it was child-like and God met with us.
The very places we prayed for were taken captive by the same spirit of prayer and in turn have led churches to pray the same across northern Scotland planting prayer stakes all over the place. The most breath taking part of this was the courage demonstrated by two ladies who felt they should travel back to the south east and give back prayer which had been brought to them.
Wild and Free
People of God are just going with the flow of the Holy Spirit and planting revival prayers all over the place. This flow emerged from a simple partnership forged out of a whisper. I heard that whisper and I still carry around the emotional impact of that moment. I had thoughts that people would think the idea was stupid and that no one would understand! I thought I’m going to look like a fool. Then I stumbled over these words from 1 Corinthians 1:25
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
When I stop allowing myself to be a fool for Christ I can actually hinder the flow of God doing amazing things through my life, I can miss his presence and the supernatural at work. When I take myself too seriously I take away the child from the adventure (after all Jesus refers so many times to approaching the father as children, being child like!).
It is a time where we are being invited back into a child like journey with God, where we cast away those cares about what people may think of our image, our reputation, our sanity even and embrace the wild whisper of the beautiful Holy Spirit to get on a train, a car, a plane and go and be a prayer for another place. Telling truth along the way and being radiant messengers for other people. To live with the attitude that nothing can really can go wrong. Yes we need wisdom, but God’s kind of wisdom. Yes we need to mature, but not to the point of losing the fire in our bellies. Heaven is crying out a huge wild invite to lay down our own ambitions and take up in prayer the wild dreams for others and physically go and pray for those places. Will you be the adventure, will you be foolish? Come on! Let’s go together!
Join the Revival Run prayers. Take some courage, take a prayer and plant it somewhere else for someone else.
Over 22 000 prayer stakes have been taken and planted. We have tweeted story after story of God breaking out, many stories of blessing, provision and adventure.