Sometime towards the end of 2005 going into 2006, a strange grace to pray for long hours came upon me. I found myself spending hours in prayers. Most of those times, my principal burden was to be at the centre of his will.
The desire to spend more time in prayer was a pointer to the fact that God was about to birth me into another level in my walk with him and realign me for his purpose. That period laid the foundation for my being in the ministry today.
One thing I observe is the vital role of prayer in actualizing divine plans and purposes for our lives. Likewise, when God is about to pioneer a move and bring us into uncommon seasons, we'll sense the need to pray more.
When God is about launching a man into his plans and purpose, the first thing he does is to stir that man into prayers for clarity, instruction and empowerment. I am yet to see a man or woman at the fore front of God's move in his generation without adequate proper prayer preparation.
It takes a sound and uncommon prayer life to birth the move of God and it takes same to maintain it.
Some church historians of African descent eapecially those of Nigerian orgin have written volumes about the 1930 revival in Oke Oye in Ilesha through Joseph Ayo Babalola but only few wrote about his uncommon prayer life since 1928 that birth what we saw in 1930. In the place of prayer,God prepared him for that historic revival two years earlier.
Even while the revival was ongoing, his uncommon prayer culture stood out. Without it, he couldn't have sustained that move of God. Sometimes, he prayed for days non stop because that was the secret of the move.
Also, there is little or no emphasison on the group that started praying for revival at Ijebu ode in 1917. The prayer work that went ahead of 1930 revival was enormous. Those sacrifices of prayer created a platform for the move of God that period or season experienced because God will not move until he finds praying men and women.
The Christian world has read about Azusa revival and even celebrate it yearly but only few talk about the men and women who spent several months praying every midnight asking the Lord for revival. I heard a preacher say some of them prayed with their heads buried in crates.
The moment you sense a strong desire to pray than unusual, God is preparing for something he wants you to do and he is about launching you into his plans and purpose. Don't waste those prayer moments, key into it and stay sensitive to the Spirit.
*In prayer, we receive divine burdens, through prayers, we birth the move of God and sustain it.
