God has been laying on my heart prayers for revival, for renewal, and for restoration. These have all been themes in my prayer life over the past few years, but this time the word “revival” has been particularly strong.

Jose and Esperanza Prada, MBMSI church planters in Peru, are calling for prayers for revival in their church body. Their desire is that people would open themselves to a real encounter with Jesus and that a passion would begin to stir in their hearts. They are praying for a softening of the hearts of this neighbourhood, which is particularly closed off and hostile towards the church. As well, I have been praying revival over the city of Lima as a whole – that God’s Spirit would sweep through the streets like a mighty wind, stirring up hearts and igniting a fire for Him.

During our time in Lima, we spent an afternoon touring around the center of the city. We visited the president’s palace, traveled to the top of a hill that overlooks the entire city, walked through cathedrals, and went through a museum of an old cathedral with catacombs underneath. Walking through the cathedrals and the museum hit me hard, and I was overwhelmed with the feeling of heaviness and death that seems to permeate the spirit of these places. From the piles of human bones in the basement of one cathedral, to the endless images and sculptures of Jesus on the cross, to the sculls of the saints that are kept in the sanctuary, my heart felt heavy with death.

My journey with God has been all about life. I believe that Jesus came to bring real and abundant life to all people. The death of Jesus on the cross is central to our faith, but it didn’t end in death. The cross didn’t stay occupied. The real miracle is the fact that life overcame that death, and I believe that we need to celebrate that life and receive with open arms the precious gift of life that God wants to offer us.

As we walked through the catacombs and stared at row after row of bones, the prayer that kept running through my heart was from Ezekiel. I prayed that God would breathe new life into the religion of this country, and that there would be a renewal and a revival so strong in the hearts of these people that an army would rise up to follow after God’s call!