New Year Selah

One of my favorite blog posts so far is "It Was the Dog that Died". It recounts the political and social climate of the mid to late 1700's. It was a time when violence was rampant, promiscuity was cool, churches were languishing and religion, if existent at all, was subject to much ridicule and mockery.

But there is one particular New Year's Eve I want us to focus on during this era, that truly changed the trajectory of Christianity. December 31st, 1738, George Whitfield, John and Charles Wesley, and sixty of their brethren, gathered at Fetter Lane in London for an all night vigil to pray in the New Year.

John reported:

"About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried our for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of his Majesty, we broke out with one voice, ‘We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord."

So changed were those in attendance that they took to the streets and farm fields, bold and unafraid, sharing the gospel. As a result, tens of thousands hearts were moved toward Christ. John Wesley went on to travel to the United States to continue evangelizing. Charles Wesley went on to write 6,000 hymns. And by 1791 1.25 million people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

George Whitfield recounts the days that followed to be just as filled with the Holy Spirit, saying: "It was a Pentecostal season indeed, sometimes whole nights were spent in prayer. Often we have been filled as with new wine, and often I have seen them overwhelmed with the Divine Presence, and cry out, “Will God, indeed, dwell with men on earth? How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven!"

Because of this one New Years Eve prayer meeting, it is said that the outlook and even the character of England and the United States was changed.

And so, every year the Methodist Covenant prayer, that was penned by John Wesley himself in 1755, is prayed by millions of Methodists to commemorate what took place at Fetter lane. And to be reminded of what happens when God's people commit themselves to prayer. It is a beautiful liturgical prayer of surrender for the days ahead. It reads as follow:

"I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom You will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for You, or laid aside for You, exalted for You, or brought low for You;

let me be full,

let me be empty,

let me have all things,

let me have nothing.

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours.

So be it.

And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen".

~~Father, we come into your throne room now. And it is my prayer that what we gather together for this year is not dogma, not culture, not out of behavior, but with an expectation that we will have an encounter with the living God.

When the apostles were accused of turning the world upside down, their explanation was a simple defiant answer “ We cannot help speaking about what we have seen”.

I beseech you God that we will have this same answer ready on our tongues in the coming time. May we be witness to sights and sounds and experiences among us that compel us to speak. May we encounter something too wonderful to contain.

Right now, I pray for those who are sick and afflicted. God you promise us that on the day of resurrection that complete healing will come. But you also love us so much that you’ve given us the blessing to be able to ask for complete healing now. So, I pray that if there are any sick or any that are struggling with a mental illness among us, that you will grant them that healing today and we thank you God for answering our prayers.

God, I also pray for humility. As we stand on the precipice of a New Year may we be able to look at the things that need to be removed from our lives and surrender them to you. Just like removing rocks and roots from garden soil, Lord, unearth them so they can be removed.

Holy Spirit walk among us and dwell with us. I pray for your presence to permeate the places we stand. Bring us an encounter as we sit still and wait in eager anticipation for you to move.

AMEN