What Brought Revival to My Family

I heard a story about my Grandmother Wehrman that occurred many years ago. My cousin, Lydia Knipmeyer, told in her final testimony in church how she had been converted as a young girl.

One night about 2 o'clock in the morning, my grandmother walked the six miles from our farm to Lydia's parents' farm in the cold Missouri winter and announced, "I have come to pray for Lydia to be saved." Lydia's father, my grandmother's brother, awakened the entire household, and they all gathered around Lydia and prayed.

Lydia did not get saved that night, but the next day, she went to the hayloft where she intended to pray quietly so no one would hear her. She became so earnest that her intentions were forgotten and she prayed so loudly everyone heard her. She left the loft that day knowing her sins were forgiven.

Grandmother's nighttime visit seemed to have brought a spirit of revival. After that more of my cousins came to the Lord. One of those was August Luelf who is also now in heaven, but was loved and known by thousands as "the stuttering preacher." Another was Wesley Duewel. His books on prayer have been printed in 57 languages and have sold over two million copies.

The secret of that revival was not simply Grandmother's nighttime visit. It was those prayers she had prayed in secret. She had interceded in private until the Spirit so burdened her heart that she could not bear to think of Lydia's being lost.

Dear Jesus, help me to pray until my concern for the lost is so deep I am willing to be radically obedient to Your Spirit.

"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" (Matthew 6:6).