Outbreak!
By
Elin Henderson
“I will pour water upon him that is
thirsty, and floods upon the dry grounds…”
Isaiah
44:3a (KJV)
You want to see some people in the medical
field get up and move pretty quickly? Just whisper the word “outbreak!” Nothing
invokes fear like that simple word. It basically means that something is out of
control, uncontainable, moving faster than the medical personnel can keep up
with. We saw that recently in Africa and beyond when Ebola reared its ugly head
once again!
An outbreak occurred on a small
island in the UK many years ago. But this wasn’t your typical outbreak where
the medical field was called in and people quarantined. A famous minister, Duncan
Campbell, was there to witness it. He called it an “outbreak of God.” A power
was let loose from on high, and it literally spread like wildfire across this
small community and beyond. Like all outbreaks, there was no predicting it nor
containing it. Those who were there saw the hand of God moving and realized
very quickly that this was not a result of human effort, but one of divine
intervention.
The revival on the island of Lewis
began with a handful of men committing to persistent and faithful prayer. They
cried out first for clean hands and clean hearts, and then for revival to
spread throughout their community. One day, it started to rain on that parched
soil and an outbreak of God occurred that stunned the world!
Our land has grown dried and parched
with no rain in sight. What we need is an outbreak of God’s living water to
descend upon us and wash over us today! But like outbreaks of disease, there is
no predicting it, no planning it. It just happens. What we need to be doing is praying
for it and getting ourselves ready to receive it. We need to pray for revival
within our own hearts and homes first. And
then we need to pray for a revival that sweeps through our neighborhoods and
country…changing lives for eternity!
Is the arm of God any shorter today?
He is as ready today as then to reach down and revive this dry and thirsty
land. No posters, meeting tents or advertising needed. Just a few individuals
that are serious about revival, first within and then without, ready by faith to
receive an “outbreak of God!”
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Do you feel the need for revival in
your lives and communities? Who can you be partnering with in prayer for an
“outbreak of God”?
2.
For more about this outbreak of God
listen to the sermons by Duncan Campbell on www.sermonindex.net
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries, Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and
her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes Mission in
Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to sixteen-year-old Callie and
thirteen-year-old Elias.
