Shepherd's Corner (November 5th, 2025)

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Building Up a Praying Community # 3: When God Rebuilds, He Begins with Prayer

“Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.” (Ezra 5:1, ESV)

When the exiles returned to Jerusalem, they came with high hopes and the promise of divine intervention. Yet soon, discouragement set in. Opposition, apathy, and fear stopped the rebuilding of the temple. To make matters worse, the work was paused for sixteen long years. Imagine that.

Then something remarkable happened. God raised up prophets—Haggai and Zechariah. God worked through them to stir the hearts of the people to pray and work again. The rebuilding of God's temple (i.e., the Covenant community) that had been dormant for years was completed in just four years. What happened? It wasn’t some influential leadership or even the people's zeal that turned the tide. It started with the Word of God that led to prayer.

Throughout Church history, we are reminded that revival always begins, not with smart strategy, but with contrite prayer. Prayer "works" every time it is tried.

For example, in the late 1940s, the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland were spiritually dry. Church attendance had collapsed, and the people showed little interest in faith. But in a small cottage in the village of Barvas, two elderly sisters began to pray. They were Peggy and Christine Smith, aged 84 and 82. Peggy was visually impaired, and Christine was crippled with arthritis. However, they were burdened for the region and their church. Their situation did not allow them to do much. The "only thing" they could do was to pray. Yes, the "only thing." They prayed earnestly that God would “pour water on the thirsty land.”

They were the catalyst God used in what is known as the Hebrides Revival (also called the Lewis Awakening). Their prayer ignited others. Soon, local pastors gathered to pray through the nights, and conviction fell upon the islanders. People walking along the roads fell to their knees, crying out for mercy. People gathered at churches to pray. The revival swept across the Hebrides, transforming whole communities. This happened not because of any innovative programs or personalities, but because a few Christians started to pray.

We find the same pattern in the Bible. In the Chronicles and Ezra that we are reading and meditating on, God calls His people not just to rebuild the infrastructure but to rebuild faith. Every true renewal begins when ordinary people humble themselves and seek His face together.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV)

Today, the Spirit is calling us to be like those sisters in Barvas or like the remnant in Ezra’s day. Our Heavenly Father is calling us to pray earnestly for our church and our neighborhood. I believe that, even in our spiritual dryness, God can breathe life back into us.

May we be found faithful in the hidden place, where revival always begins. An awakening of the church does not come in numbers, but in the faithful prayers of the saints.

Lord, awaken us. Rebuild what our hands cannot restore. Teach us to pray until joy returns to Your house. Let us truly be a house of prayer for all nations at Riverside.

In His Grace Alone,

Pastor Brian Lee