written by Travis Otwell
I pray that through this testimony that God will reveal something to you through this. My name is Travis Otwell and Jesus has been showing me some things lately. He has been speaking this one word to me lately. A word with much power behind it. A word that's power I was not taking advantage of. God promises great and wonderful things in the Bible if His people would but do this.
Pray.
I think it probably started with Tuesday Night prayer during The Austin Stone vision series. These prayer services were definitely a highlight of my week and the times I didn't get to go I was pretty bummed. Just being around God's people while all were seeking God to move was just so powerful. His presence was definitely thick during those times of prayer and worship. This, I believe, was the beginning of a beautiful new relationship with my Jesus.
So I'm praying more during this time, but pretty much just because the Bible said to, and God is getting me ready to make this prayer something more. I met a young lady named Jill from a ministry on campus called CRM (Campus Renewal Ministry) and she talked with me about getting a time to pray at the Campus House Of Prayer. At this point in time I am involved with the freshman ministry at the Stone, so I talked with some guys from the freshman ministry and set up a time at the CHOP on Sunday nights after the 7pm service at The Austin Stone. This is when my heart for prayer was growing more and more, and prayer became something that I wanted to start to do more often, something worth actually making time for.
Before the winter break I got an email from the head guy at CRM asking the people who had prayer times if they wanted to go to a revival. Through some convincing from Jill I decided to go.
Going to this retreat involved reading a few books. The books helped me realize some things about prayer. Prayer that is so powerful it somehow supernaturally causes God to move in ways only possible through the medium of prayer. ( I am not attempting to limit God to anything. He created everything, and everything is in His power. But there are things that He says in His Word about prayer which I will get to later.) These books taught me what true revival was, and what it can look like in different situations. But, the cause of all these instances when God was among His people, was first, people repenting of sin, and then, earnestly praying that God would be among them. There was a verse that popped up a lot in these books.
2 Chronicles 7:14
"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."
This is a promise from God. But it requires action. It requires God's people falling on their knees and seeking His face asking that He would move in this generation. That His presence would be manifested on UT's campus, in Austin, in the United States of America, in this world. God wants to show up and do big things, but it requires His people to jump on board and do something more than just going to church, serving here and there, and living your life for Jesus. It requires prayer.
I have cried more in the past week and a half over the lost souls of my loved ones, the students of UT, and the lost nations of this world than I have ever cried about anything in my whole life. God's presence is so thick during my prayer times today, now that I am seeking the face of Jesus Christ. I truly believe that God will come down among His people and start a revival on the UT campus, in this city, because He promises it in His Word, and God is not a liar. We just all have to come together as one unified body of Jesus Christ and seek His face in prayer.
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If you would like more information on the CHOP, click here. To contact Travis, email him at longhorntravis at gmail dot com
