Yielded And Bent

For decades he slept soundly every night. Nothing disturbed the young man while he slept like a rock. That is until one night. Everything changed one night when God met this young man about one in the morning. He suddenly awoke to an encounter with God.

From that moment on he awoke every night around one a.m. to pray and seek God until five a.m. He then climbed back into bed sleeping until nine a.m. when he awoke again to pray for another three to four hours.

This went on for months. Did this young man know God was preparing him and preparing his country for a mighty move of the Spirit of God.  History informs us the young man was Evan Roberts. We know God used Roberts as a catalyst in what became the Great Wales Revival of 1905.

Many people talk about how they wish God would send a revival. I wonder how many are truly willing to yield their lives  to God’s leadership even if it means loss of sleep night in and night out.

Months before Robert’s nightly prayer sessions began he attended a conference. One prayer from one of the preachers got hold of Roberts. The phrase God used to grab Robert’s was, “Bend us.” Roberts bowed fervently asking God to bend him. God answered that prayer.

If I have learned anything about revival after decades of diligent study of past moves of God,   it is that  true revival is costly. Revival will cost you something personally and cost others in giving up sin, and giving up nights of leisure for nights of prayer. Once revival breaks out it costs churches plenty to keep the doors open night after night.

Only yielded and bent people really want to pay this high price for revival. Are you yielded to God and His leadership? Are you bent toward Him? God uses bent and yielded people to accomplish His purposes.