Today I read a little booklet by David Thomas called “To Sow for a Great Awakening.” It’s a quick historical survey of the times of spiritual awakening that have occurred throughout history and the ways in which deep and hungry prayer preceded them all.
Thing is, travailing prayer, as Thomas calls it, is not a pretty thing. It’s not a popular thing. It’s not a reputation-earning thing.
Listen to these challenging words from Thomas…
The goodness and burden of awakening is not for careerists. Awakening is sown by the company of the misunderstood, the downwardly mobile, the unthanked, the obscure, and criticized and burdened. Awakening is messy and costly to people who love it and long for it. Reputation is the first thing to go in this kind of praying and leading. Jesus taught that our seeds have to die before anything will grow (John 12:24). And maybe it comes to mind what it is you may need to bury for awakening to spring up: distraction, pride, an attitude of expertise, self-sufficiency, being hip, affluence, avoidance, ease. (David Thomas, 2016)
May God continue to stir our hearts towards the unglamorous work of sowing seeds of fervent prayer.
(You can buy this little booklet here: http://store.seedbed.com/collections/seedbed-seedlings/products/to-sow-for-a-great-awakening)
