03 - O Lord, Rend the Heavens!
Chapter 3 O LORD, REND THE HEAVENS!
Every outpouring of the Spirit is preceeded by earnest, agonizing, intercession, accompanied by a heart-brokenness and humiliation before God. This is followed by a recognition and honoring of the blessed Spirit. Pastors and flock alike in their churches are deeply concerned about the terrible discrepency between the heart-stirring record in the Book of Acts and the present-day condition of the church. So it was in the little Principality of Wales before the month of November, 1904.
It is an impossible task to trace the beginnings of the awakening, either in individual hearts or in individual churches. One reason, no doubt, is that those who had the deepest experiences with their Lord were loath to reveal them publicly. These experiences were too sacred for them to divulge to the public. Many, I am sure, could have come forward and given personal and private witness to the first stirring in their own breasts, helping us trace the glorious beginnings of the revival, but somehow a veil of secrecy has been spread over these early days.
Suffice it to say that no revival is of sudden origin. When the revival manifests itself in a mighty way it comes suddenly as in the days of Hezekiah, but even so, its origins begin with the Holy Spirit of God moving effectively in individual lives in private. Let no one pray for revival - let no one pray for a mighty baptism of power who is not prepared for deep heart-searchings and confession of sin in his personal life. Revival, in its beginnings, is a most humiliating experience. When one, like Isaiah, sees himself in the light of God’s holiness he must inevitably cry, "Woe is me!".
Deep spiritual awakenings, whether in local churches or in whole countries, begin with desperate people like Hannah. God only answers prayers of desperate Christians - Christians who are tired and weary of cold, mechanical "services" before God: Christians who are heartbroken over the deadness of the professing churches and over sinners going to an endless hell: Christians who are desperate about their own spiritual condition. While it is true that when the awakening does come there is "joy unspeakable and full of glory", this is not the case of the preparatory days. Then, there is no song, but rather groans; there is no laughter, but only tears. The first known outburst of the work of God in connection with the revival in Wales took place strange to say, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where a Welsh pastor with a thriving church was thrilling his audiences with his fine oratory and intellect. Suddenly this popular preacher was broken down before God to see that he was not a true prophet of the New Testament type. As a result of this true sight of himself and his seeking reality in his life he came into a glorious experience of the fulness of the Spirit. At once his preaching took on a new note and a new power. Immediately he became burdened about his beloved Wales and upon resigning from his church in Scranton he soon set sail for his homeland. To the consternation of the religious people in Wales who knew him before he left for America the preaching of this young minister now had a sense of urgency. No longer did he preach for effect - to stir the congregation to great heights, but he preached for results - the salvation of souls and the awakening of the Lord’s people. "It was" as one has said "indeed a strange thing to see Welsh Preaching-festivals converted into what approximated very nearly to Holiness Conventions when he was there!"
"All believed in the sincerity of the preacher; most failed to explain him; many became definitely hostile."
All this went on from 1879. The preaching of this dear brother was deeply felt among the young ministers of his own denomination. In the providence of God early in 1903 they found themselves occupying pulpits near each other and they began to have holy fellowship with one another. This intensified their desperation to have all that God had for them and they began to be conscious of the presence of God in their midst. One of these young pastors recounts how he would be so overwhelmed after his sermon preparations on Saturday evenings that there would come upon him a mighty anointing of the Spirit which led to a period of agonizing intercession. The following day he would notice that he preached with unusual power.
Such glorious experiences, beget faith and soon this little group of young ministers became definitely conscious that something glorious was going to happen in their midst.
Dr F. B. Meyer had been greatly used to fellow-preachers in South Wales and so they wrote to him and invited him to come and minister to them concerning the deep things of God. He replied that there would be a "Keswick Convention" at the beautiful Welsh spa of Llandridod Wells that year and invited them to attend, which they did. Here they came into an even deeper knowledge of the things of God. A mighty work was wrought in many hearts. In August, 1904, a second convention at Llandridod Wells took place. The Spirit of God broke forth once again in glorious power during that momentous week and none will ever forget the closing morning service when Dr F. B. Meyer and Dr A. T. Pierson ministered. So overcome were these dear Welsh saints with the glory of God that they sang again and again with great exuberance, "CROWN HIM LORD OF ALL"!
We now turn our eyes to Cardinganshire, to a little village called New Quay, lying on the fringe of Cardigan Bay and fifteen miles from a railway station. Here the Lord had been quietly preparing instruments for the coming awakening. The Rev. Joseph Jenkins had been deeply concerned about the absence of pathos in his own voice when preaching and he desperately sought a deeper life in Christ. Dr Andrew Murray’s book, "With Christ in the School of Prayer" greatly influenced his life at this time. He was greatly burdened about the indifference among all Christians around him and concerned also about the apathy of his own young people in the church. He called the young people before him and talked seriously and earnestly to them about obeying the Spirit. This was in the early part of the year 1904. In a Sunday morning prayer meeting for young people the pastor asked for testimonies of spiritual experience. Several attempted to speak on different subjects, but the minister would not allow that. At last a young girl named Florrie Evans who had been gloriously converted a few days before, got up, and with a tremor in her voice said: - "I LOVE JESUS CHRIST - WITH ALL MY HEART".
These simple words sent a thrill throughout everyone present. The fire was ignited there, the flames of which spread soon to Blaenanerch, New Castle-Emlyn, Capel Drindod, and Twrgwin. This was the beginning of the visible manifestations of the Spirit’s breaking out in life-streams which afterwards would touch thousands of souls. The blessing in New Quay became soon noised abroad. Doors began to open on every hand and these young people, between sixteen and eighteen years of age, led by their minister, conducted meetings throughout the south of the country. The fire was gaining strength, presently to leap forward in irresistible flames. Conventions were conducted in West Wales for holiness of heart and life in which the Spirit used mightily such men as W. S. Jones, E. Keri Evans, Jake Thickens, Seth and Frank Joshua, John Pugh, and R. B. Jones. In August, 1904, in the city of Cardiff the renowned evangelist R. A. Torrey held a great mission which resulted in a mighty ingathering of souls. In November of the same year in Rhos, North Wales the churches invited the cultured preacher, R. B. Jones, to conduct a campaign there. This man had entered into the Spirit-filled life the previous year, at which time his entire ministry was changed. He now had a burning message to proclaim. A correspondent for The Liverpool Post wrote concerning these meetings -
If I had been asked a month ago whether a revival was probable in Wales, I should have answered no. It seemed to me that the higher criticism had wrecked the ordinary machinery of a revival and that until theology had been reshaped, nothing would be done to disturb the prevailing apathy.
Howbeit, in Rhos right from the very beginning, the professing Christians were broken down before God and began to remove the hindrances in their lives, to the full surrender to Christ and the reception of the Spirit in His fullness. After this, the flood-gates of heaven were opened and the Spirit was poured out mightily. The numbers grew until the churches were crowded out nightly. Four weeks after our beloved brother left Rhos, a Wrexham paper said that "the whole district is in the grip of an extraordinary spiritual force which shows no sign of relaxing its hold." The meetings were carried on by the people themselves, although the pastors were present. From ten o’clock in the morning until six in the evening, the meetings went on. In the street, in the train, in the homes, this strange power upon the town was, in hushed and reverential tones, the theme of conversation. In the evening after the service there were great processions marching through the town singing hymns.