It is appropriate that we began our revival tour in Wales. Although the region is now spiritually desolate, Wales was known as the “land of revival.” The Welsh experienced revival no less than 16 times between the mid 16th and early 20th centuries, once every 20 – 25 years. Our time thus far has focused upon two of those great works of God.

On Monday, Melissa & I drove to Loughor to join a prayer meeting at Moriah Chapel. It was in this place that the great revival of 1904 began under the ministry of a young Evan Roberts. We met with a group of about 12 in the same room in which the revival began. It must be noted that although Evan Roberts is the person most indentified with these events, it is clear that the author of this, and every true revival, was none other than the Holy Spirit of God. Roberts had prayed for 13 years for a mighty visitation of the Holy Spirit, and what began in Moriah Chapel was the beginning of that for which he and many others prayed. Although Roberts confined his ministry to a relatively small area, this awakening spread throughout the land with reports of up to 100,000 people converted in a matter of months. It was also in this chapel that the song which would become the theme of the revival was sung in a prayer meeting that began at 7 pm and did not end until after 3 the next morning:

Here is love vast as the ocean, loving kindness as a flood When the prince of Life our ransom shed for us his precious blood, Who His love could not remember, who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten through out heaven’s ceaseless days.

We joined with this group of the faithful in singing praise to God (some songs in English and some hymns in Welsh.) We also prayed that God would once again visit both Wales and our own nation with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit drawing many who now walk in darkness to the light and life of Jesus Christ. Even though we were both tired from being awake the whole night on the plane, this was a blessed beginning to our trip.

Today (Tuesday) we focused on two figures of the evangelical awakenings of the mid- 18th century, coinciding with the Great Awakening in America. We first visited Treffeca (pronounced Trevecka), birthplace of Howell Harris. Harris was a contemporary of George Whitfield and the Wesleys and was key in advancing the Methodist movement in Wales. Harris converted in 1735 and spent the next 17 years preaching & exhorting day and night. By his own estimate, Harris travelled over 80,000 miles in that time. Though identified with Methodism, Harris, along with Whitfield remained aligned with their Reformed convictions resulting in what became known as the Calvinistic Methodist Church (I believe unique to Wales) which later became part of the Presbyterian Church.

In 1768, Harris established College Treffeca as a training school for ministers. It later became a school for men who sensed a call to preach, but lacked the necessary academic background. It continued in this role until the early 1960’s when it closed due to a lack of candidates. It now serves as a lay training & conference center for the Presbyterian Church of Wales. The college retains most of the original buildings and has a museum about Harris’ life and ministry. While in the chapel we prayed that God would once again raise up mighty men and women of God to advance the gospel in Wales.

The second focus of the day was on William Williams. Williams was converted through the ministry of Howell Harris and himself became a powerful preacher. Also a poet and writer, Williams is best known for his hymns (he wrote over 1,000) including “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.” The Welsh sing the first line “guide me O Thou Great Redeemer” which I like better. We visited a church dedicated to Williams’ memory and his grave. We also drove off the beaten track to Pant-y-celyn, the farm on the which Williams lived and which is still in the family. It was a beautiful spot.

In spite of its glorious past, the state of the gospel in Wales is bleak. In nearly every town one sees churches and chapels either abandoned or converted to other uses. Many of those still open appear to suffer from serious disrepair. The state of the buildings is merely a reflection of the spiritual state of the region. It is estimated that less than 1% of the population is a part of any kind of evangelical church. It is clear that this is a generation who “knows not God.” Yet, I cannot help believing that God holds this people in his heart and the One who has moved powerfully in the past will again visit this place with showers of grace.

This may be more than you want to know, but it has been an incredibly rich couple of days. Tomorrow we will do some more sight seeing, take in a castle or two and then move on to Bath and Oxford. Will try to write more later in the week.