Worship Through the Ages by Elmer Towns & Vernon M.Whaley

Author:Elmer Towns & Vernon M.Whaley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Church, history, *Updated*
ISBN: 9781433673719
Publisher: B&H Publishing
Published: 2012-09-06T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The Welsh Revival (1904–1906)

Following the prayer movement of 1857 and the powerful Moody-Sankey, Whittle-McGranahan, and Torry-Alexander revivals, manifestations of God’s presence began to spread around the world. Bermuda, Africa, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand all experienced notable revivals. What many have considered the greatest revival occurred in Wales from 1904 to 1906. 1 Revival historian J.

Edwin Orr2 called it “a blaze of evening glory at the end of the great century.” By some estimates, more than five million people came to faith in Christ within two years. 3

One of the first Welshmen to experience the flames of revival was Joseph Jenkins, pastor of a church in New Quay, Cardiganshire. He organized a special preaching conference in January 1904, and many of his members began experiencing personal revival.

Then, evangelist Seth Joshua preached in the town of Blaenannerch, with a group of students from a nearby

Methodist Bible school in attendance. Evan Roberts, a former coal miner and a twenty-three-year-old student, heard Joshua cry out, “Lord, bend me.” The prayer so struck Roberts that he began praying, “Oh Lord, bend me.”

At nine o’clock the following morning, Roberts knelt at an early meeting with arms outstretched, perspiration soaking his shirt as he agonized over committing himself to God.

He prayed aloud, “Bend me! Bend me! Bend me!” Later, Joshua made an entry in his journal recalling the young man’s cry.

Roberts did not realize that he was about to become God’s agent to carry a spirit of revival throughout his homeland, and ultimately the world. Later, he wrote the following:

One Friday night last spring, when praying by my bedside before retiring, I was taken up to a great expanse—without time and space. It was

communion with God. Before this I had a far-off God. I was frightened that night, but never

since. So great was my shivering that I rocked the bed, and my brother, being awakened, took hold of me thinking I was ill. After that

experience I was awakened every night a little after one o’clock. This was most strange, for

through the years I slept like a rock, and no disturbance in my room would awaken me.

From that hour I was taken up into the divine fellowship for about four hours. What it was I cannot tell you, except that it was divine. About five o’clock I was again allowed to sleep on till about nine. At this time I was again taken up into the same experience as in the earlier hours of the morning until about twelve or one

o’clock.4

Such experiences continued for three months.

Roberts spent long hours in personal Bible study, prayer, and worship of God. In addition, he experienced visions of large numbers of people coming to Christ. He felt that revival was coming to his native Wales and that he had to prepare for a special ministry.

At the end of October, Roberts took the train home to be with his family and conduct a week of meetings among the young people at his church. He told his pastor at Loughor that God had given him a message for the church and asked if he could deliver it.

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