Throughout scripture, God’s giving is inseparably connected with our asking. Jesus tells us in Luke 11:13-15, “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” The inflow into a believer’s heart and the outflow of rivers of living water from a believer’s life (John 7:38) depend upon this law: ask and it will be done for you.

Two weeks ago, we studied how the disciples of Jesus went back to Jerusalem after Jesus was caught up to heaven and prayed for 10 continuous days until the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them in miraculous wind and fire. In Acts 4, we see a similar occurrence. After Peter and John were brought before the Council and threatened with punishment, they returned to their friends and reported all that had happened. At that point, they all lifted their voices to pray together and, here again, the place where they were gathered was miraculously shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit! As a result, they continued to speak the truths of the gospel with great boldness, notwithstanding the threats levied against them for doing so. Many other stories in Acts confirm this link between prayer and the power of the early church.

The Bible makes it clear that prayer lies at the root of the spiritual life and power of the Church. The Spirit works in and through the church in response to (and according to the measure of) our faith-filled, persistent, fervent prayers. God is seeking men and women who will give themselves to this type of prayer! Will you be one of them? Do you believe that God will bring revival in our day if we, together, call upon him in prayer to pour out his power on us for an awakening in our land?