Awakenings and Public Prayer

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
 
We certainly need a Great Awakening in our country! We have to be willing to do our part to allow God to move in us and through us so that the awakening can spread.
 
We learned that great awakenings start in our quiet times with the Lord. When these private devotions are accompanied with public prayer, powerful things happen! Suddenly, the private prayers of Jesus’ followers turn into public prayers and public prayer meetings. I will include two examples that demonstrate the power of public prayers.
                                                        
Edwin Orr once said that nothing ever happened that did not come out of prayer. It doesn’t come from preaching or programming, but rather it is produced by prayer. As I look at our prayer life in our culture today, most people don’t get on their knees. They make excuses for not wanting to be around people who pray. If you wonder why our country is in sad shape, it is because of our prayerlessness. This produces destruction and moral decline. Public prayer is very important.
 
Jeremiah Lanphier had been appointed as a city missionary in New York City. He knew there was a need for prayer. He sent out many fliers, inviting people to come at noontime to pray. After 30 minutes went by, no one came. Finally, six people showed up. The next week, 40 people came.
 
Before long, over 10,000 businessmen were on their knees together in this group praying. This happened while a financial disaster was sweeping the area. During a six-month period in New York City and the outskirts, over a million people came to faith in Jesus Christ!
 
Public prayer is very important. It is absolutely necessary if we want to experience the great spiritual awakening we so desperately need!