I did not learn about prayer and faith until I enrolled in college. Another student turned me on to an author named Leonard Ravenhill. Ravenhill introduced me to E.M. Bounds, David Brainerd, and John Hyde all mighty in prayer. A true love of prayer began though I knew so little about it and was so ineffective practicing it.
Later I read the biography on George Muller. His life of prayer and faith had a profound impact on me. His commitment to never ask anyone for financial support, to make his needs as well as the needs of thousands of orphans known only to God in prayer stirred me. The missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, was also deeply impacted by Muller's life and lived similarly in his China Inland endeavors.
I knew God was calling me to a life of faith walking. Brenda and I committed to this same philosophy of ministry over the years. We have communicated our needs to God and sought to glorify Him when He answers. Over and over again God answered prayers.Over the years He has tested us.
Many years ago Brenda and I were facing a financial crisis. I sat in my office in an old prayer room, and asked God, "Can I really trust You to meet my needs. Can I really only tell You what I need or do I need to drop hints to people or share my need with others trusting You to prompt them to help. Do I need to communicate my needs to You alone or do I share them with others."
I barely finished that prayer when my phone rang. It was a guy I met briefly on a preaching trip. He had been assigned to pick me up at the airport and drive me to the church where I would be preaching. We enjoyed our visit but I had never spoken to that man since that day. He was the one on the line. He told me God had prompted him to send me some money and wanted to get my address.
I leaned back in my chair astounded. Totally blown away at God's dramatic answer to my prayer. With that answer we do not tell people what we need. We ask God to share our needs with His children. He does and has for nearly two decades. I have taken ministry trips with nothing but a full tank of gas and three quarters to my name in my pocket. God supplied each leg of that trip.
Just a couple of years ago God prompted me to get involved in a little west Texas town named Kermit. How is a long involved story I have written about at great lengths in other posts. I made trips out there for prayer meetings and Bible studies with no provision for the trips but a clear call from God to go. Each time God got me there and back. Once a former church member from a church I served two decades ago sent me a prepaid Shell gas card for those trips. Another individual gave me $500 for such trips. One man in Kermit once gave me $100 and all I did was share the stories of faith of God's provision. I love to testify of His faithfulness. I did not communicate my needs. I prayed. God heard. God supplied. I testified afterwards. That has been our pattern in ministry and life for most of our marriage.
God will not let me alone about Kermit. I have not been there since December of 2014 physically but, I have visited there numerous times in my spirit through prayer. I keep feeling this urge to hold a Shake The City Revival meeting there. Another faith step. Attempts to contact pastors in the town have been unfruitful thus far. Yet God beckons me to take this faith step. I am mandated to minister in Kermit. So I prepare for more faith walking.
So here I go. The dates for the Kermit Shake The City Revival are July 23-29. We have so much to trust God for. We are tentatively planning on a tent meeting. I don't even have a place to pitch that tent yet. Yet God beckons me to trust Him. I have no budgeted money for the expenses of such an event but God calls me to take another faith step. So here I go again.
Logic tells me this will be a huge failure. Few people in Kermit know me. I don't know a dozen people in Kermit. I really only have one contact. Yet, the clear calling of God persists. He wants to do something in that town and He is inviting me to join Him in that work. So I faith walk and set the dates. Every phase of this will be faith walking. That is only about nine months away. There is much praying to be done. There is much ground work to be done. Each another faith step.
I need to make trips back to Kermit but currently an obstacle stands in the way. Those trips will begin shortly. For now, I pray. I seek the Lord for His plan. I cannot manufacture revival. I am no expert. I am just a man trying to follow Jesus. While I have preached numerous revival meetings I can only say I have honestly been a part of three true revivals. I ask in prayer that Kermit will be the fourth.
I make those dates public as a step of faith and to be held accountable to follow through. Does this frighten me? Yes. I cannot shake the call to do this. My reputation is not important. If I fall on my face I will fall on my face faith walking. I will obey what I believe is the leading of God. The results are up to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB)
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—
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