Recently I came across this old prayer that was printed in 1904 from a magazine called "Old Time Religion". The author is unknown.
God thou art in great favor of revival. Thou art now stirring up the sainthood to pray for what you favor. Our every other need sinks into insignificance compared to the need of deep and widespread old time revival.
God send us a revival that will turn the people of God back from their worldliness and idols to serve the true and the living God. Lord turn us back from broken cisterns to the fountain of living waters.
God send us a revival that will take away every desire for worldly amusements and abolish every ungodly scheme for raising money for the support of the gospel.
A revival that will sweep away the pride that prompts all worldly conformity and extravagance in all dress and manner of life.
A revival that will take the people out of their worldly clubs and societies and secret lodges and put them in the secret place of the Most High where they will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
A revival that will save the people of God from covetousness, the love of the world, and all uncleanness of spirit, mind and body.
A revival in which professors of religion will have their eyes open to see and feel their responsibility for souls and in which they will confess with broken hearts their former backslidings, their carelessness and their indifference. And in thousands of cases, their actual transgressions, of Your moral law.
A revival like a flood that will sweep away the refuge of lies and overthrow the hiding places of all them that would hide away from the light of God’s presence.
A revival that will unearth and uncover every devise of Satan for deceiving souls whether found in the church or outside of it. For the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him and He will show them His covenant.
A revival that will make both the church and the world realize the shortness of time and the importance of eternity.
A revival that will make heaven and hell, Calvary and the resurrection, salvation from sin, cleansing through the blood and the gift of the Holy Ghost living realities by the revelation of Your spirit in harmony with the Word of God.
A revival in which the sinfulness of sin will so be revealed that instead of excusing it and pleading for it souls will turn from it in utter loathing and cry out “O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
A revival that will sweep away all selfishness and narrowness and all sectarian spirit and bring those that now spend their time in criticism of each other down on their faces before God crying out for salvation for lost souls.
A revival like a tornado that will sweep away all the old dried up sermons and all the cold formal services and all the lifeless singing and like a whirlwind will carry everyone that comes in its path heavenward.
A revival that will fill the hearts of saints with holy love, and so burden the hearts of God’s ministers, that the Word of God will be like a fire shut up in their bones.
A revival that will help people honor God with their substance and have their barns filled with plenty.
A revival in which the presence of God will be revealed so that multitudes will fall under the power of God and cry out for mercy as they did on the day of Pentecost.
A revival that has so much of heaven and so much of God’s glory in it that all the world will be compelled to see and feel its mighty influence.
A revival that will gloriously defeat the powers of darkness and hell and make earth and heaven ring with shouts of victory over a multitude of souls snatched from eternal burning and run to God and run from hell.
Yeah a revival that will never need to be revived but that will sweep on like a mighty wave of the sea that nothing can stop it until time shall be no more.
And everybody said: Amen! Lord send revival!
