Pray – O People Of God – Pray!

By W. C. Moore

    The Church and the world – saints and sinners – need to hear a word from God. The Gospel of the Son of God must be preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression" (Isa. 58:1). It is our responsibility to pray until God sends more Spirit-filled preachers on the scene. Conviction of sin will follow such preaching.

    One of the very first signs of a genuine revival is that Christians, even some who had been considered among the most spiritual in the church, will become convicted of their shortcomings, yes, even of their sins – their backbitings, lack of real divine love (1 Cor. 13), sluggishness, callousness, lack of a real and abiding spirit of prayer, lack of self-denial and of zeal, their worldliness and world conformity, frivolity – their apathetic unconcern for the hell-bound sinners all around them.

    In a genuine Holy Ghost revival even some of the best people in the church will be convicted of selfishness and of covetousness, of walking in the flesh, of lustfulness, uncleanness, shady dealings in business, lying and stealing on the sly, their failure to properly appreciate the shed blood of Jesus, and their failure to take the work of the Lord on their hearts and to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).

    If we do not seek first to advance God’s work, and to fit our lives into His glorious service – first – before everything else and regardless of anything and everything, and anybody and everybody else – we do not love God as we should. Jesus has said, "seek…first" and He says, "If a man love Me, He will keep My words" (John 14:23).

    "Look on the fields…." "Pray!" (John 4:35; Luke 10:2). Give yourself a burden of prayer by doing as the Lord says – look on the Gospel fields, look at the people, look at the so-called Christians, look at the sinners, consider the conditions of all in the light of God’s Holy Word and stir up yourself to take hold of God for the crying needs that face us on every hand (see Isa. 64:7).

    Do not put the blame on God by saying, "I cannot pray unless God gives me a burden of prayer." That is self-deception, hypocrisy, spiritual laziness. Jesus says, "Pray always" (Luke 21:36). "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1). Look at the situation. Stir up yourself and pray the Lord to send laborers into the Gospel fields!

    Now is the acceptable day of Salvation. Now the need is for God’s preachers to denounce sin, to lift up a standard, to call God’s people to righteousness. Pray that God send to His people preachers anointed of the Holy Spirit to call men to righteous living!