This sermon emphasizes the strong cry for revival, highlighting the need for a turning back to God, earnest and believing prayer, and the power of God's presence to transform lives and communities. It draws inspiration from historical accounts of revivals where prayer played a central role in ushering in God's transformative work.

comes a strong cry. You see how that works? You see, brothers and sisters, it needs be that we be in this place this evening because things are falling down and we know that it can be different. The hedge is broken down and we know that it can be built up again. It's good for us to be here but thus the strong cry for revival in verse 1. I mean all the way down through there. Turn us again, O God. Turn us again, O God. Give ear, O shepherd of Israel. Shine forth. Hear those prayers. Turn us again, O God. Make your face to shine on us again. You know, you know what happens when God's face shines on his people? You know what happens? It's pretty powerful when God makes his face shine again. Turn us again, Lord. Return, we beseech you, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven. Behold and visit this vine. You see the strong cry for revival comes up. Once you let the memory of revival grip your heart and then the burden comes upon you for the need of revival. Well then the natural thing is to pray. Amen. The natural thing is to pray. Prayer, earnest prayer, believing prayer, brokenhearted prayer, persistent prayer. It's the secret of every heaven-sent revival. You know as well as I do, you've read the history books. That's exactly how it works. Something beautiful happens. It begins to cool. Things fall down. The testimony of the Lord is destroyed. The young people start going in directions that we don't want them to go. And then there's a small group over here. It's often a hidden group. It's just a couple of little old ladies and four or five ministers hiding in the barn in the middle of the night. Small little group. And up comes from their heart comes this cry, Lord, Lord, turn us again, Lord. Send revival, Lord. Send revival. We need revival. And the next day you're out in real life and there you see the way the church is and you see the youth and all those things. And back there you go to the prayer again. But brothers and sisters, it would be very discouraging if we didn't have those beautiful memories of revival, wouldn't it? It would be very discouraging. You look around and all you see is trouble, you know, just like, oh, which one of the prophets was it there, Habakkuk, I believe, who said, Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. You know what he was saying? He was looking around and you're seeing the condition of everything and saying, oh, Lord, revive your work. Everything's fallen down. But the exciting thing is when you read accounts of revival, there rises within your heart a faith, that impetus of faith, that believing prayer begins to come out of your heart. And you don't just tell God how bad everything is. You seek God with a positive, faith-filled attitude. Lord, send revival. You did it in the past. I know you'll do it again. That's a whole lot different than just complaining before the Lord, isn't it? And I'm afraid many times that's what the Lord gets from us is a bunch of complaints about how bad it is. Look at this and look at that. And my, I'm so tired of this. That won't bring revival, brothers and sisters. But prayer will. Prayer will. Earnest prayer. Believing prayer. David Brainerd wrestled with God day and night because of his burden for the heathen. Day and night. That God would call out a people for his name among the Indians. And you know what? God did. There was a day, I mean, that young man, he prayed. He prayed when nobody else was praying. He didn't have anybody to pray with him. He prayed by himself. But bless God, he prayed with God. And God in one man is a majority. It didn't bother him that he didn't have anybody else to pray because God was with him. And he went out there in the beginning of the day and started praying. And sometimes it was snowing. And he finished praying four or five hours later. And the snow was all around him this high. And he just had a hole in there where he had prayed the thing open. He prayed. You know, when God comes, things happen. You know, you might stand there and look at those Indians back there in Brainerd's day. And they were drunkards. And they were mean. And they were murderers. They killed each other. And they were on drugs and all of those things. They were a mess. And you could look at them and say, no hope for them. But David Brainerd knew God. And he knew that with God all things are possible. And he sought the face of God in prayer. Believing prayer, earnest prayer, broken hearted prayers. I mean, brothers and sisters, he got on praying ground and he stayed there. And one day, suddenly, God came. Took those bunch of wild Indians and turned them into holy worshiping saints. Hallelujah! Do it again, Lord! Got any drunks in your neighborhood? God still saves drunks, you know. I'm one. The revival in Wales was preceded by many, many praying people. From 1897 all the way to 1904. Many ministers gathered to pray for a visitation of God upon the churches of Wales. At times, there was utter desperation in their prayers. But they refused to let go and they continued to pray. And the day came when God came. I think of the Moravian revival. 1727 there. Count Zinzendorf there at Hernhut with all that mixed multitude of Christians, Lutherans, Brethren, Anabaptists, Calvinists from Switzerland. I mean, he had a bunch, all kinds of them there. And they started fussing with each other and you know they'll do that on all those doctrines. Things weren't going too well and they started praying. Count Zinzendorf started praying for a revival and he got a few others to start praying for a revival. And suddenly, one day, in the middle of a communion service, God came. And when God comes, things start happening. And God took that little group of praying Moravian Christians and turned them into one of the most powerful missionary bands the world has ever seen. There they were, a bunch of fussing, carrying on with each other, dividing and arguing about this doctrine and that one, and whether the bread turns into this or not, whether it doesn't, all those things. And then one day God came. And Jesus was in their midst. Spurgeon testified of the hidden group of desperate prayer warriors who stormed heaven for a visitation in their church every Sunday morning. He said, at times, the burden and presence of God was so intense that no one dared to even speak. That's when you know God's there. Nobody wants to say anything. Have you ever been there? I've been there. You don't even want to get up behind the pulpit and say anything. Because God is there. Can it happen again? Oh, there's lots of debates about that, whether it can happen again. Can revival happen again, they say? Well, is God still alive? I don't know.