On December 26, 1934, a young Welsh man received a vision from the Holy Spirit in the dark of night. At 3:00 a.m. the Lord began to call him into faith for world evangelization and the completion of the Great Commission.
This young man was an intercessor in prayer for many and had powerful testimonies of answered prayer. He took his new “assignment” very seriously. He knew it would naturally require him to take direct responsibility to see it come to pass. His burden of prayer shifted from local concerns to that of national and international focus. This man, Rees Howells, became a man with a world vision. It wasn’t any vision, it was a vision for intercessory prayer to defeat a Nazi madman.
Howells was born in Wales in 1879 and became the founder of The Bible College of Wales. He and his wife were missionaries in Africa. He soon became a strong intercessor during a great revival across Southern Africa from 1915-1920. However, the rise of Hitler’s regime and the outbreak of World War II became a cornerstone of prayer focus and activity in Howells’ ministry of intercession.
In 1936, the college began to focus prayer on the international situation that was rapidly developing as Hitler tightened his grip on Germany, made an alliance with Mussolini in 1937 and in 1938 occupied Austria. The first great war crisis occurred in September 1939, through the Nazi threat to Czechoslovakia.
This small college, created to be a training and sending center, was transformed into a company of faith-filled intercessors on their faces day after day, year after year as they faced the crisis of war. Through it all their vision to advance the Gospel remained as they contended for God’s purposes on the earth and for global obstacles to be removed.
Now, many years later, we know the outcome of Hitler and World War II. Was Hitler defeated due to these intercessors praying day in and day out? I believe prayer is just that powerful and I know prayer changes everything. I’ve had prayers answered before I finish the prayer. Many of you may have had the same experience.
The Lord has a destiny and plan for each of us, and no matter where we are today, we can start to say yes to Him. We may not fully understand our call or life assignments yet, but allowing Him to do what He desires in whatever season we are in will prepare us for what He has ahead. Phillippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you is faithful to see it to the day of completion!”
“I want to know that the Holy Spirit is stronger than the devil in the Nazi system. This is the battle of the ages, and victory here means victory for millions of people.” –Rees Howells
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! available at Amazon.com Learn more about Cary John Efurd Ministries by liking our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CJEMinistries) and downloading our FREE mobile app (get.theapp.co) from App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded, allow notifications to keep you up to date on what’s happening in Cary John Efurd Ministries. Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com. Feel free to comment on her blog, The Second Mile, at www.debbyefurd.com .
Tagged: prayer, world war II
