Revival Stories
The 1872 London Revival
In October 1871, Chicago experienced the terrible devastation of the infamous Great Chicago Fire that consumed vast portions of the city for 3 days, leaving over 300 people dead and many buildings destroyed, including the home and church of the renowned American preacher D. L. Moody. On the morning right before this tragedy, Moody had preached a message on the life of Christ but was waiting until the next Sunday to offer the Gospel invitation. As a result of the fire, that Sunday never came. This altered Moody’s approach to evangelism from that day forward. In light of how uncertain one’s future could be, he would urgently press future listeners to make an immediate decision for Jesus.
After the disaster of the fire, Moody found himself emotionally drained, but he also became increasingly weary in his spirit. Two ladies in his church began to pray for him. Sitting in the front pew each Sunday, they would pray intensely amongst themselves for Moody to receive a special anointing in the power of the Holy Spirit. As they spoke to him about this, Moody was initially irritated by such prayers, but his annoyance gave way to personal reflection and eventually a sharp hunger for more of God. During a fund-raising trip to New York, Moody locked himself away in a little room to pray, and it was there he experienced God and His love like never before. This fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit super-charged Moody’s ministry. He noted later that his subsequent messages seemed to be, on the surface, the same as before, but the hearts of his audience - saturated by the Holy Spirit - responded far more quickly and deeply.
In the summer of 1872, Moody felt led to set aside his busy schedule in order to visit England to get a little bit of much-needed rest. He planned to avoid all preaching and just get refreshed in a place where he was relatively unknown. However, he ran into a preacher friend Rev. Lessey who requested that Moody preach at his church. Moody reluctantly said yes. That Sunday morning, he preached to what he considered the coldest congregation he had ever encountered. Hearts were icy cold, and he felt like it had been a complete waste of time. Little did he know that an old faithful woman in that church had been praying for months that he might visit her little parish. Although bedridden, she prayed persistently that God would use Moody to bring revival. When she heard that God had answered her prayer to bring the American evangelist, she spent the rest of the day fervently in fasting and prayer. That evening, despite his own feelings, Moody returned to do the evening service as he had promised. This time, it was radically different. The very atmosphere was charged with the presence of the Spirit of God, and a hush fell upon all the listeners. When Moody gave the Gospel invitation, he was stunned as almost the entire room stood up to receive Christ.
Moody would return to preach at the church for another 10 days as the Spirit continued to be poured out on all who attended. Over 400 would confess Christ by the end. God began using Moody to preach all around England, Ireland, and Scotland. Tens of thousands of people, also hungry for God, would be drawn to hear him at these meetings. The revivals that ignited there would spread to Germany, Scandinavia, and even Russia. God had taken a weary servant from Chicago and refreshed him with the Holy Spirit, ultimately working through him to shake both the continents of America and Europe with the Gospel!
QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:
- When have you been the most weary or discouraged in your faith? Where do you think God was at this time?
- Have you ever been complacent in your spiritual relationship with God? What eventually re-sparked your hunger for more of God?
- Do you believe that prayer has the power to truly change hearts in a dramatic way in a short time? Who is praying for you right now? Who are you praying for? Who do you know is praying for revival in your city?