WAVES OF PRAYER LIKE ROLLING THUNDER
In the year 1901 Pandita Ramabai's work at Mukti was enjoying much blessing. Twelve hundred converts were baptised in two months, but some of the workers continued to cry to God for greater blessing
News of the Welsh Revival of 1904 stirred Ramabai and she started daily prayer meetings for revival in India. In June 1905, 550 church members were meeting twice daily to pray for revival.
The answer came suddenly. One of the girls received the Holy Spirit, and was so transformed that soon all the girls in that compound were on their knees, weeping and confessing their sins.
Helen Dyer, who was involved at the time, wrote: "The next evening, while Ramabai was expounding John chapter 8 in her usual quiet way, the Holy Spirit descended with power, and all the girls began to pray aloud so that she had to cease talking. Little children, teenage girls and young women all wept bitterly and confessed their sins. Some saw visions and experienced the power of God and other things too deep to be described. Two young girls had a spirit of prayer poured on them in such torrents that they continued to pray for hours. They were transformed with heavenly light shining on their faces.
"Such repentance, such heart-searching, such agony over sin, such tears, as they cried for pardon and cleansing and the baptism of the Holy Ghost! Then a baptism like fire within came upon them. They seemed to have their eyes opened to see 'the body of sin' in themselves.
"Then came a strong realisation of Christ's work upon the Cross; then peace, followed by intense joy. It often took a soul hours to pass through all these experiences. The Lord used the Word greatly.
"The work went on and a spirit of prayer and supplication for a revival in India was poured out like a flood. The spirit of prayer possessed the people. "Waves of prayer go over the meetings like rolling thunder; hundreds pray audibly together."
Ramabai wrote: "You will rejoice to know that the revival is bearing fruit. Some seven hundred girls and women have given themselves to prayer and study of God's Word, that they may go to the places where God sends them, to give the Gospel. They are already visiting the villages around. About sixty go out daily by turns. The Lord is strengthening and developing them."
This revival continued for over a year, and it was a great blessing to Christians all over India.
This article has been extracted from Revival Fires, available online from the Jesus People Shop.
Source: The Revival Movement magazine.
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