Evan Roberts

Evan Roberts (1878-1951) went to work in the coal mines at eleven years of age. Really, eleven? Coal mining in Wales in the late 1800’s was physically demanding, treacherous work. He didn’t aspire to work the mines his entire life, so he studied for the ministry in his spare time. The evangelist, Seth Joshua, came to town years later and led an early morning prayer meeting with Evan in attendance. Seth prayed for revival and concluded with the words, “Bend us, Lord.” The words resonated with Evan and became his fervent prayer. “Bend me, Lord, bend me,” he prayed. God did as Evan had prayed. He sensed fresh enthusiasm for God’s renewal, quit his job and returned home to share the gospel with young people. He adopted a simple four-fold theme: confess any known sin, address any character flaws, surrender to the Holy Spirit and make a public profession of Christ. The message caught fire. Revival broke out in his town and spread across Wales. It became known as the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905. Thousands of people came to Christ and were renewed in faith.
This story also offers a cautionary tale. Evan worked himself ragged and failed to rest. The physical toll and mental strain left him depleted, causing him to take an extended leave of absence in 1906. It took him years to recover. A bow must be bent to shoot an arrow but is rendered useless if it breaks. God bends but does not break us. We do the breaking on our own. We join with Evan in asking God to bend our will to serve God’s redemptive purposes and close with Psalm 85, praying for God’s renewal: