Ten Reasons We Must Unite in One Cry for Awakening
1. God told us to cry out.
Hundreds of times in Scripture, God commands us to pray, and to pray together. “If my people will,” He says in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, “then I will.” Are His multiple commands not enough to move us to united prayer?
2. Jesus deserves our repentance and humble cry to Him.
Christ died to purify His Bride and develop her as an effective witnessing force that would affect the world around her. Are we satisfied with who we are spiritually in our nation? If not, should we not cooperate with the purpose of His cross?
3. There is power in a cry.
Just as a mother hears and responds to the cries of her children, so our merciful God hears our cries. He heard the Israelites in bondage (“I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry.… So I have come down to deliver them” Exodus 3:7-8), and He will hear us.
4. There is power in a united cry.
After studying this recently, I discovered the repeated number of groups who cried out to God in Scripture. To the best of my knowledge, there is not one time recorded when God did not respond to the united cry of His children. A united cry seems to be irresistible to God.
5. No one else can save us.
The psalmist understood this: “Will You not Yourself revive us again…?” (Psalm 85:6). There is no other hope but Him, and no greater need than revival in His church and awakening among the lost. We cannot save ourselves.
6. Christ can save us and has made multiple promises to do so.
The Word of God and the continuing testimony of human history remind us that God can send revival. These seasons are mighty course corrections that enliven His church and cause the rapid expansion of the gospel, to the point that it transforms culture. Surely He is able. We must cry out to Him together.
7. The world needs the mission advance that comes in days of revival.
It can easily be proven that every major mission advance in history came from seasons of revival. William Carey, the men of the Haystack Prayer Meeting, the mission advance of the Moravians, and on and on all trace their roots to moments when God corrected the church’s passion and priorities through mighty revivals.
8. Our work to unite in one cry indicates our humility before God and our humble recognition of our need for others.
God does not respond to nor is He impressed by activity that does not spring from Him. He is also not interested in a church that thinks they can do His work in a city all by themselves, without the need and balance of the rest of His body.God blesses what He initiates. He is opposed to the proud, and surely a divided, prayerless, humanistic activity in His church will not know His mighty hand of nationwide revival that we desperately need.
9. We have a dreadful problem of prayerlessness.
Can any reasoning believer be unconvicted about the prayerlessness in our lives and in the average church in America? Are we unmoved by our little concern for a lost world? Should we not do everything possible to call our own souls and the church around us to prayer?
10. The need of the hour is revival and spiritual awakening, and repentance with prayer is our only means to that end.
Every statistic imaginable indicates that the vast majority of our churches are plateaued or declining. While there are many great, vibrant churches (for which we give thanks), all of our work combined is not stopping the moral and spiritual free-fall of our nation.God has reversed such decline in the past, through the extraordinary movement of His Spirit that has produced extraordinary results. His calling to His church today is to turn, and pray, and unite now … until He comes!