Yet when there seems to be a delay in the materialization of answered prayer, we’re often left scratching our heads wondering: What went wrong? The pain of disappointment can quickly lead to sudden changes of personal direction, abandonment of our assignment-or the far worse outcome of disillusionment and apathy. Our prayers are meant to inject the possibilities of heaven into every sphere of darkness and decay that surrounds us-whether that’s an illness in our family, or a refugee migration disrupting the borders of nations. There is no qualification placed on the size or nature of the crisis. His prescribed method is to lay hold of the reality of God’s perfect will in heaven and invoke it into the suffocating atmosphere of our world in conflict. Jesus taught us to pray dangerous prayers. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’” (Matthew 6:9-10 ESV) “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. What we call “the Lord’s prayer” is better understood as “the disciple’s prayer” for it is the way Jesus teaches us to pray. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 ESV)Īs faith grows through the experiences of testing and obedience, the believer is led into a life of prayer for God’s purposes to be made manifest in the earth. So often many fail to realize that abiding in the vine is the only way to enter into a life of fullness, power, direction and fruit. Tests of obedience were met with simple willingness to empty himself-his own opinions, attitudes, and pre-conceived ideas-and abide in Christ. Rees Howells grew in a life of faith through small things and then bigger things. Imagine the impact on the world if every believer aspired to a life of prayer like that of Rees Howells! ABIDING IN THE VINE The impact of his hidden life of prayer, along with the community of believers under his leadership in Wales, Great Britain, is immeasurable throughout the 20th century. Wicked leaders and regimes were overturned. The book tells of a man whose prayers and intercessions shaped the world around him and extended around the globe. Its words came alive and provoked me like never before. There are so many new books on the market today, presenting exciting theories for the modern church few people read the old books. No doubt, many readers could probably find this old classic collecting dust on a lonely bookshelf. In decades past, the biography Rees Howells: Intercessor, published in 1952, had inspired a generation of praying people to elevate their faith-filled prayers for global impact. When I arrived at my missionary assignment in Washington, DC, I was introduced to the life of Rees Howells-a man somewhat hidden in the past century.
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