Jesus Now! God Is Up To Something BigSample

Normal Christianity

Bruce Snell is a businessman who loves getting rousted out of bed at 3:00 a.m. “I have this intimacy with Jesus. Seven days a week, He awakens me in the dark. An uninterrupted time of prayer follows. I talk to Him. I tell Him the things that are on my heart about my family, my work, my life, but most of all, I ask Jesus, ‘What is it that you are speaking to me, Lord?’”

One morning, the Lord Jesus said to me, “The altar, Bruce, stay at the altar.”

“At the altar is where we are altered! At the altar of prayer is where I leave everything that weighs on me. At the altar is where I reach out and reach up and bring everything, every praise, every concern, every longing, every sorrow, every joy to Jesus. I leave it all with Him, and I leave it all in prayer.”

Do you see more clearly why prayer is the heartbeat of both personal revival and the Great Awakening now before us?

Charles Finney noted that revival is simply normal Christianity. In a normal family relationship, you expect clear communication between all the members. For the Christian, prayer is that clear line of communication in an intimate relationship with God.

Why does God want us, as individuals, to pray so that He can corporately address the needs of His prodigal church? It’s beyond us. It’s beyond human understanding why God would want our silent longings and muttered whispers. Yet, He does. And through our prayer, revival begins.

Prayer unleashes power. Power is necessary for the revitalization of the church. A revitalized church is a unified and Christ-focused church. A unified and Christ-focused church is necessary for evangelism. Evangelism is necessary for discipleship. Discipleship is necessary for a maturing, reproducing church. A maturing, reproducing church is necessary for the building of the kingdom. And the building of the kingdom is necessary for the return of Christ. Revitalization, evangelism, discipleship, and building the kingdom for His return—it all begins in prayer—prayer that begins in the heart of God and moves to the heart of the Christian, whose heart is turned toward God.