UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD

Each daily devotional below begins with an excerpt from a transcript of Duncan Campbell telling the story of how the 1949 Hebridean revival began. (1)

Duncan Campbell said:-

“……Do you know that out of that prayer meeting… there are four ministers in the church today? Donald McCloud’s prayer meeting… Well now, I could go on talking to you about incidents and how it began… but I think I ought to mention one or two of the supreme features of the movement. First of all, of course, it was the awareness of God that to me was the astounding thing; this sense of God. The fear of God in the parish, and in the neighbouring parish. You could speak to any person and you would find them thinking about God and crying for mercy. Now that is a fact that cannot be disputed… God was everywhere and because of this awareness of God, the churches were crowded… crowded through the day… right on through the night… until five o’clock or 6 o’clock in the morning. In revival, time does not exist. You see the presence of God puts to flight programme… How often I have cried to God that He would so move in our midst that the programmes will go and the Presence takes their place. Well that was what happened. One of the main and outstanding features was the deep, deep conviction of sin. Now, I can’t explain this; you would have to be there to see it… Here are two instances… one dear old lady came to me one day and she said I have been led to ask you go to this particular part of this parish. There are mighty sinners there that need salvation. Well, I said to her… “You know I have no leadings to go there; there are men literally opposing me there”… and she looked to me and said this, “Mr Campbell if you were living as near to God as you ought to be, He would reveal his secrets to you also”… I took that as a rebuke and went back to the manse… I said, “I think we should spend the morning with old Peggy and wait upon God with her in the room,” so she agreed and she and her sister knelt with her… in their little room. And that dear woman began to pray and I can give you her prayer… ”Lord, You remember the conversation we had this morning at 2 o’clock and You told me that you were going to visit this part of the parish with revival… and I’ve just spoken to Mr Campbell about it but he’s not prepared to think of it. You had better give him wisdom because the man badly needs it.” Well, that is what the dear woman said… When we rose from our knees I said, Well, Peggy, where do you wish me to go?… Where is the meeting to be held?… “Oh you go and God will provide the congregation and the meeting place”… “Well, Peggy, I will go”…”You had better… you had better”… I went on the following evening and there must’ve been a congregation of anything between 300 and 400 gathered around a seven room bungalow and the bungalow was so packed and so many young people interested in getting in, that the man of the house who wasn’t a Christian, but a god fearing man, suggested they get into the beds in 3’s and take off their shoes… and pack themselves like herrings… So that’s what they did! In rows of threes on their knees… in the beds… and as many outside. There were 5 ministers there. Not one of them could tell you but moved by a sovereign God, they were there. I spoke for about 10 minutes when one of the elders came to me and said, “Mr Campbell, will you come round to the end of the house? Some of the leading men in the village are crying to God for mercy. And if you go there, we will go to the peat stack over here, where are you see those women crying to God on their knees”…

Andrew Murray, of the South African revival at the end of the nineteenth century, in his book “Waiting upon God”, refers to Psalm 24:5 “For Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all day”. He says, just as an army dare not move until it receives final orders from the commander in chief, so there is a deep need in the Christian life to wait for instructions. Peggy Smith waited on God and received instructions at 2am. Murray says, “As simple as it is, to one who has eyes, to walk all the day in the light of the sun, so simple and delightful can it become to a soul practiced on waiting on God, to walk all the day in the enjoyment of God’s light and leading. God is the one and only source of wisdom and goodness – yes! This is the one thing we need. If we but saw our God in His love, that He waits to be our life and to work ‘all the day’ in us – how this waiting on God would become our highest joy..!” (2)

For Thou art the God of my salvation; On Thee do I wait all day Psalm 24:5

References

(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXIZOSWvXaE

(2) Murray, A. Waiting on God, Infinity, New York, p13