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THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Prayer and Revival* The Wonderful Story of how Prayer Started the Great Awakening in Korea By J/GOFORTH, HONAN, CHINA
I N th e summ er o f 1903 a lad y mis- sionary from C en tra l C h in a v is ited W onsan, on th e east co a st of K orea. H e r conv e rsa tion w as much a long th e line o f th e H o ly S p irit’s pow er. D r. R. A . H a rd ie be c am e d e e p ly conscious o f his own lack of p ow e r in life a n d service. H e was ask ed to p re p a re several ad d re sse s on p ra y e r fo r a little con feren ce of m issionaries. A s h e p re p a re d , his ow n n e ed b e c am e m o re pressing. F inally, he co u n ted th e cost, fulfilled th e conditions, a n d b y faith, w ith ou t feeling, received th e H o ly Spirit. T h e S a b b a th a fter, h e to ld th e K o re an C hristians a b o u t his experience, an d a v e ry d e e p im pression was m ade. S ub sequen tly h e g av e sev era l ta lk s on p ray e r, a n d rev ival comm en ced am o n g th e K oreans. A t th e beg inn ing o f 1904, while D r. H a rd ie w as co ndu c ting th e ir annu al B ible train ing class th e rev ival b ro k e ou t afresh. F o llow ing th is Dr. H a rd ie w as called to co n d u c t sim ilar classes in m o st o f th e chief m is sion c en ters in K orea. A t every p la c e th e re w e re m a rk e d m an ife sta tion s o f th e H o ly S p irit’s -presence an d pow er. T h e flam e o f revival, fan n ed a n d fed b y p ray er, has sw ept all ov e r th e K o re an peninsula, until it has b ecom e a n atio n a l m ovem en t. How the Movement Began. W h ile visiting K o re a I a sk ed one o f th e m issionaries a t P ing Y ang how th e m igh ty m o v em en t o f J a n u a ry an d F eb ru ary , 1907, in th a t city w as b ro u g h t ab o u t. H e rep lied : “ I fo r one, h a d alm o st com e to th e co n
clusion th a t w e h a d received from G o d a b o u t all th a t w e m igh t re a so n a b ly exp e c t in th e w ay o f revival. 1 saw th a t in C h ina a n d J a p a n th e re was n o th in g ap p ro a ch in g th e K o rean m ov em en t. T h e n w e w en t to our ann u a l m ission m eeting a t Seoul an d h e a rd D r. A gn ew Jo h n sto n o f New Y o rk tell o f how G o d h a d visited India. H e m en tio n ed th a t in th e Kassia H ill s m ission 8 2 0 0 conv erts h a d b e en b ap tise d in two years. W e re tu rn ed hom e to P in g Y ang, an d w ith ou r M ethod ist friend s d e c id ed to p ra y until G o d h a d blessed P ing Y ang m o re a b u n d a n tly th a n w e h a d e v e r y e t know n. Since ou r G o d was no re sp e c te r o f persons, w e b eliev ed H e w as -as w illing to p o u r ou t H is S p irit on P ing Y ang as on th e Kassia Hills. A t first w e a p p o in te d th e noon h o u r fo r p ray e r, b u t soon found a n h o u r to o s h o rt; so w e ch an g ed th e p ra y e r tim e to four o clock in th e a fte rn o o n , a n d o ften p ra y e d till h a lf p a st five o r six o clock. A coup le o f m o n th s of p ray ing passed, w h en one o f th e b re th re n p ro p o se d th a t w e d isb an d th e p ra y e r m eeting a n d p ra y pri- vately , giving a s a reason th a t n o th ing unusual h a d h ap p en ed , though a b o u t tw enty-five m issionaries h ad b e en sp end ing m uch v a lu ab le time. T h e m a jo rity h eld th a t G o d does an sw er p ray e r, an d since th e an sw er h a d n o t y e t com e, th e on ly w ay of faith w as to con tinue in u n ited p rayer. T h e re w as v e ry little ta lk ing a t ou r m eeting s; th e tim e w as g iven to p ray e r, a n d w e fo rg o t all a b o u t o u r b ein g M ethod ists an d P resby terian s. A fte r o u r p ra y e r m eeting h a d con tin u ed daily fo r sev-
"Reprinted from the Life of Faith
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