Elaine Pettit Ministries Prayer Strategy for Revival

(Note: This prayer guide is specific to churches where Elaine Pettit will be preaching revival services, but it is flexible enough to be adapted for your local church.)

“But when you pray; go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matt. 6:6 NIV)

In the above verse, Jesus gives us the formula for power praying. It is important that every Prayer Warrior become familiar with this formula, faithfully putting it into practice in their lives.

I believe that the key to being a victorious Christian in our day is to become involved in an hour a day of Matthew 6:6 prayer. We live in a very busy time – however – it does take time to be Holy. There is really no getting around this fact.

In Matthew 26:40, Jesus, during one of His most difficult moments, looks at His disciples and said, “Won’t you watch and pray with Me one hour?” The hymn writer of old wrote the familiar song “Sweet Hour of Prayer.”

In Timothy 4:8, we are told that physical training is of some value – while spiritual training is for all times. Many athletes and others interested in physical activities have certain goals in mind, and are continuously working toward these goals. If we were simply to institute the tithe principle, we would be required to pray 2.4 hours out of every 24.

For these reasons, as well as several others, it is my belief that every Christian should be faithfully working towards the goal of establishing and maintaining a regular Matthew 6:6 hour of prayer.

Many times I am asked by those attempting to begin this endeavor, “What can I pray about for an hour?” Listing several suggestions, such as your spouse’s needs, your family’s concerns, church leaders, missionaries and other ministries, our political leaders, our Nazarene Colleges and Universities, and other learning institutions, the teens in our congregation, those who are ill, co-workers, friends, neighbors for a start. The most important aspect of learning how to pray is devoting quality time in His presence (“Be still and know that I am God. . .” Psalm 46:20), humbly asking our Lord, “Teach me how to pray.”

A REVIVAL PRAYER STRATEGY
Each local church needs to take their responsibility list, and divide it into groups of ten names. Hand out to every person who commits themselves to being a Prayer Warrior a list of ten names, and ask them to daily intercede on behalf of those individuals. These people need to be given an intercessory prayer card to help them in their praying.

Every individual in attendance in your church needs to be given a revival intercessory prayer booklet. These are separate from the lists mentioned above. Every individual is to be encouraged to write in the booklet the names of ten people who they know need revival. Challenge them to pray daily that God will prepare these people to attend the services and receive the help they need.

COTTAGE PRAYER MEETINGS
One month prior to revival, church friends should organize a weekly cottage prayer meeting – at least one per week. At a recent revival the church had not experienced a revival for about 30 years, although they had held regular revival services twice a year. The pastor shared that they had 26 cottage prayer meetings prior to my revival. The church experienced a mighty Holy Ghost revival with full altars every service!

PRE-REVIVAL FAST
One week prior to revival, church friends are to be challenged to fast and pray at least one meal – preferably daily.

PRE-REVIVAL PRAYER
Twenty-four hours before the revival, a pre-organized prayer wheel needs to be put into action. This will also be used later in the series of meetings.

Also 24 hours before the revival begins, the services need to be put on the church’s prayer chain.

PRAYER MEETINGS
Every weekday morning at 6:00 AM a prayer meeting is to be held at the church. If the revival is over the weekend, the prayer meeting will be held at 8:00 AM on Saturday and 9:00 AM on Sunday.

CONGREGATION LIST
ASAP Please send to me a list (names only) of all people associated with the church (teens and children included). Include your prospects as well. Our 1600 prayer warriors will intercede name by name for each person on the list prior to my arrival, and I ask that you also diligently join me in this effort.

PRAYER ROOM
Every evening, half an hour before service, a special room needs to be designated for Prayer Warriors to intercede for the services.

HEALING SERVICE
I would like for the Tuesday night service to close with an opportunity to invite any who are ill (physically, emotionally, etc.), to come to the altar for a healing service. This will follow the regular preaching service and altar call. I will ask the church to join in a 24 hour fast prior to this service.

COMMUNION
If possible, I would like for the last service to close with a time of communion. This would be led by you, and will come after the regular altar service and testimonies, etc.

The following is an excerpt from one of my favorite books on prayer by R.A. Torrey – How to Pray (1900):

“We live in a day characterized by the multiplication of man’s machinery and diminution of God’s power. The great cry of our day is work, work, work new organizations, new methods, new machinery; the great need of our day is prayer. It was a master stroke of the devil when he got the church so generally to lay aside this mighty weapon of prayer. The devil is perfectly willing that the church multiply its organizations, and deftly contrive machinery for the conquest of the world for Christ if it will only give up praying. He laughs as he looks at the church today and says to himself: ‘You can have your Sunday Schools and your Young People’s Societies, your Young Men’s Christian Associations and your Women’s Christian Temperance Unions, your Institutional Churches and your Industrial Schools, and your Boy’s Brigades, and your grand choirs and your fine organs, your brilliant preachers and your revival efforts too, if you don’t bring the power of Almighty God into them by earnest, persistent, believing, mighty prayer.’ Prayer could work as marvelous result today as it ever could, if the church would only betake itself to it.”

Considering he wrote this 100 years ago. . .it is true insight!

“Where there is no fervency on our part, no wonder if there is no answer on God’s.” (Robert South, 1633-1716)

Thank you for your help with this very important part of the upcoming revival services.

In Christ,
Rev. Elaine Pettit

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Revised: April 16, 2003.