A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

The Blaenannerch Church.

It’s the 21st century now and it’s been awhile since we heard of nation wide outpourings of a sense of conviction over sin and a turning to the Lord in revival. It almost feels like no body prays for revival any more.

Speaking of which I recently went to Wales. Yes … the land of the Welsh revival of 1904! Oh yes again… I also had an opportunity to visit a church with an interesting historical root – the church at Blaenannerch. It’s pronounced differently by the Welsh and markedly differently by the English – Pahaha. Please just don’t ask me to explain.

Well, it is quite sobering what happened in that year in Wales. Listen to this account…

Thousands of people were saved. Public houses became almost empty. Men and women who used to waste their money getting drunk were now saving it and giving it to the church. They were using their money to buy clothes and food for their families.

Stealing and other offences became less and less. Often a magistrate came to court and found that there were no cases for him to try.

Men who blasphemed learned to talk purely. The miners put in a better day’s work but the pit ponies could not understand what had happened to the miners as they spoke to them more kindly. They were so used to being sworn at that they became disobedient!

People who had been careless about paying their bills or paying back money they had borrowed gave back all they owed.

People who had quarrelled forgave each other and were reconciled.

Society was changed and Wales became a God-fearing nation.

The Revival Abroad

Though Wales was a little known country on the Celtic fringe of Europe when the 1904 Revival began, within a short time people were flocking to see and hear for themselves what God was doing, and to share in the blessing.

Newspaper reports of the Revival spread the news of the awakening and visitors touched by the Spirit of God took the flame to their home countries. The Revival spread, as ripples of water on a pond, to Europe first, then America, and eventually to all five continents.

Missionaries from Wales inspired by the Revival, went to Madagasgar, India, China and Patagonia and promoted and confirmed the work the Revival. Colleges made a great contribution the spread of the Revival by providing the personnel for overseas mission and by creating a spirit of prayer for an awakening. The Revival importantly produced a world-wide movement in the [Church].

Excerpt from: 1904 Revival.

When the public excitement of the revival had died down and the newspapers gone to cover politics and other things, for many the honeymoon of those two years developed into a lasting and loving relationship with the risen Christ that continued throughout their lives.

Some years ago an elderly revival convert was asked whether the revival stopped in 1906. She answered, ‘No, it’s still burning in my heart; it’s never been extinguished’.

It had burned for over 70 years!

Oh, Lord will you not revive your people again that we may rejoice in thee?

Related articles:

• The 1904 -Welsh Revival (Evangelical Times)
• The welsh revival 1904-1905 (Truth in History)
• The Welsh Revival (BBC)