With the arrival of springtime comes the reminder of God’s power to renew his creation. All around us we see signs of new life in what lay seemingly lifeless for months.
This year, as you witness the renewing of creation, let me encourage you to think about another kind of renewal— not a reviving of the natural world but a spiritual renewal and refreshing of the heart. May we pray as never before for a “springtime of the soul” that awakens a God-consciousness in people from all walks of life across our land.
As the message of hope in Christ continues to be sown from coast to coast we are receiving encouraging reports from many church leaders. But we are still hoping for much more. Our prayer is for a spiritual awakening that sweeps through cities, towns and villages in every part of Canada.
Finding the Hope campaigns have already taken place in more than a hundred communities nation-wide and much more remains to be done. After working for several years on this national campaign we are seeing something stirring and this is no time to diminish our praying.
I believe we have reached the point where we need to insist like never before that God will pour out His Spirit upon our nation and upon the Church. We need to be like the man described in the Gospel of Luke who went to a friend in the middle of the night and would not go away until he received what he needed. It is time to ask, seek and knock and not stop until the heavens open!
Time and time again, Jesus encourages us to persevere in prayer. Through stories and parables he teaches us to ask God for what we need and to stay with our prayers, never giving up. Jesus never suggests that we should abandon praying or give up on our requests, not even when answers are delayed. Never does he suggest that when we become weary, we should quit. Never. His words are positive and strong—ask, seek, knock! (Luke 11:9) As hard as it may be to comprehend, our insistence and perseverance really does make a difference in what God will do.
At the conclusion of Luke’s story of the midnight visitor who needs bread for a guest, Jesus says, “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” (Luke 11:5-8)
In another illustration found in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us to never stop praying for what we need. He paints the picture of a widow who keeps coming to a judge, asking him to grant her justice. Eventually the judge, who neither cares for the woman nor fears God, grants her request. Jesus drives the point home: “Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night?” (Luke 18:1-8)
Think about those powerful words: “who cry out to him day and night.” It is not enough to ask and then wait passively. It is not OK to easily let go of our requests. Some things will simply not change unless we persevere in prayer. It is vital that we keep our requests before the Lord.
Canada is a nation in need. People are lost. As a society we lack a moral compass. We need an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, and we need it desperately!
In a few weeks, thousands of Christians will gather in Jakarta, Indonesia for the World Prayer Assembly. This global prayer event began nearly three decades ago. This year it is co-hosted by Christian leaders from South Korea and Indonesia. Tens of thousands will converge to pray in unity for God’s Kingdom to come in the nations of the world. Many of those who will gather in Jakarta are already crying out to the Lord night and day against oppression and persecution. Because of what they face they are unrelenting in their prayer. Leaders from various parts of the world report that they are seeing God work in the midst of disasters and tragedy. One leader remarked that the believers in his nation are pleading for a “tsunami of the Spirit of God.”
Youth and children will also be in attendance at the World Prayer Assembly. They have taken to heart the words of Jeremiah, “Do not say I am only a child.” Their passion is to ask God to heal their generation and to set his fire in their hearts.
As we pray for renewal and awakening in Canada, let’s not forget that we are joining a global prayer movement that is committed to persevere until the end. As the summertime approaches, many things will be set aside for awhile. We will create space in our schedules for rest and relaxation. Let’s also plan to set aside time to pray that the Lord will show great mercy to our nation and cause many to turn to Christ in faith, that he bring forth a great harvest from the seeds planted through the Finding the Hope campaigns.
We have just completed another eleven campaigns. Over the next few months it is likely that many who have not yet responded will have time to consider this extraordinary message of hope. Now is the time to persevere in prayer and to plead with God for those little seeds to bear much fruit! Only the Lord can bring a harvest of souls from these campaigns. Let’s ask him to do so!
Would you make prayer for the conversion of lost people a priority over the next months? Like hundreds of thousands of believers around the world are already doing, would you continue to pray that God will pour out his Spirit upon our nation and upon the world?
Jesus assures us that the Father will hear and answer his people who cry out to him day and night. Let’s join the many voices who already do. Let’s persevere in prayer and experience the renewing power of God’s deep and boundless love. -Jacqueline Dugas