Silver Spring, January 7, 2013. [Adventist World/J.Page]. God poured out His Spirit in Pentecost power after His church spent ten days together, pleading for His promised blessing. He is ready to do it again today! All around the world, Adventist churches are experiencing the renewal of the Holy Spirit by following the disciples’ example and participating in Ten Days of Prayer.
As part of the General Conference Revival and Reformation initiative, the world church’s Executive Committee at the 2010 Annual Council held in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, voted to make Operation Global Rain (OGR)’s 10 days of prayer an annual global event each January.The next worldwide OGR has been scheduled for January 9-19, 2013, and will focus on daily prayer meetings. The final day, Sabbath, will feature a special celebration.
Church congregations, small groups, or individuals interested in being part of OGR 2013 can visit www.revivalandreformation.org and click on “Operation Global Rain” to register for the event. Daily topic sheets are available on the Web site so that local members, prayer leaders, and pastors can lead out in effective group prayer times. Each group is encouraged to set aside one hour each day to pray together. Individuals are encouraged to pray by themselves or with a few friends if they are not near a participating church.
Participants should keep in mind Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me.”
During the hour of prayer each day, short sentence prayers are encouraged so each person can pray more than once. This helps to keep the meeting focused and avoids potentially wearisome prayers. Ellen White, American writers, says: “[Many] prayers are long and mechanical. They weary the angels and the people who listen to them. Our prayers should be short and right to the point. Let the long, tiresome petitions be left for the closet, if any have such to offer. Let the Spirit of God into your hearts, and it will sweep away all dry formality.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 71).
“Our prayers should be saturated with the Word of God,” says Janet Page, now the General Conference Ministerial Association secretary for prayer and pastoral spouses. “We want to be sure that we are praying according to His will.” Page adds, “We are hoping and praying that every church, church plant, small group, and individual will join in a united effort to pray for the Holy Spirit. We know that only through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power will we be empowered to reach this world with Jesus’ love so He can come very soon.”
Ellen White emphasized the same need: “A chain of earnest, praying believers should encircle the world. Let all pray in humility. A few neighbors may meet together to pray for the Holy Spirit. Let those who cannot leave home gather in their children and unite in learning to pray together. They may claim the promise of the Savior: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ ” ( Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Jan. 3, 1907).
Adventist World church president Ted Wilson, leading the worldwide Revival and Reformation initiative, describes heaven as “anxiously waiting for God’s people to awake and seek the blessing of God’s Spirit. God’s promise, ‘Ask and you shall receive,’ is sure,” Wilson says. “He will answer prayers for the outpouring of His Spirit. The finishing of God’s work will not come only because of more effort or different methods. It is the power of God’s Spirit working in the lives of His people that will effectively enlighten the world with the glory of God so that Jesus can return.”
Each and every member’s prayers are needed in this important work. Every earnest prayer for the Holy Spirit will be answered with power because God is not waiting for the condition of the world to get worse, but for His people to seek Him unitedly. To join others seeking God’s Spirit in their lives during the 10 days of prayer, January 9-19, 2013, go to www. revivalandreformation.org and click on “Operation Global Rain.”
