The Praying Sisters and the Praying Lad

Penny and Christine were in bad shape physically in the late 1940's. Both in their 80's, Peggy was blind and Christine was crippled from arthritis. They were no longer able to make it to public worship gatherings. They communed with God in their cottage on Lewis Island in Scotland.

One day they received a fresh word from the Lord, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground." The two sisters took this to heart and prayed night and day. They called for their pastor and told him. They believed God to send a great refreshing to their island.

God indeed answered their prayers. He sent Duncan Campbell to minister the word. God also had another unlikely servant. A 15 year old named Donald Smith. Even though he was young, he prayed mightily. In fact, one person called him a, "Front line prayer warrior."

Campbell heard about the lad and went to visit him. He found him in the barn on his knees praying. He called for his attention and lad responded, "Excuse me, Mr. Campbell, I'm having audience with the King." Keeping company with King Jesus took precedence over company with the preacher.

God used this lad to fuel the fire of the revival. One night after a paltry meting the pastor, Campbell and young Donald stayed behind to pray. At one point Donald commented, "I feel the Spirit brooding over us and He is about to breakthrough." They prayed more fervently and were interrupted by a knock on the church door. When they opened the door they were astonished to see a crowd assembled though it was midnight. Each had been awakened and drawn to the church where God moved powerfully from that point onward.

On another occasion, Campbell preached but could not seem to breakthrough. No matter how hard he tried to preach the atmosphere seemed stifled. The Spirit quenched. He looked down from the pulpit and saw Donald deep in prayer. The thought occurred to Campbell, "That boy is in touch with God and living nearer the Savior than I am." He asked Donald to pray out loud. When he did these are the words onlookers used to describe what happened. "The floodgates of Heaven opened." "The church resembled a battlefield." Many were broken in repentance or caught up enthralled in worship.

History records what happened in what is now known as the Hebrides Revival. It went on for several years. Think about it. God used two elderly sisters and a teenage boy to be mighty catalysts for that revival. How often others overlook the elderly thinking they have nothing to offer. Maybe you are in your twilight years thinking you have little service left for Jesus. You can pray. God can use you to do that. Pray mightily and fervently. Perhaps you are a teenager and get overlooked. You can draw as close to God as anyone if you set your mind to seek Him. You can become wise beyond your years and devote yourself to greater realities than the passing pleasures of this world. Take that to heart.