Revival has come to Leicester. Saturday afternoon, 8th
January 2022.
The details are on my last blog. In this one, I want to
record some of the reasons as to ‘why Leicester’. There will be many more
revivals in many more cities, but Leicester has been on God’s agenda for a long
time.
Here are some of the key happenings in history and some of
the main prophecies over the city of Leicester:
- John Wesley preached from the castle grounds in
1770 and there is a plaque on the wall to this day. The local businesses were
upset so they sent a man to sell fish and cry at the top of his voice. But as
Wesley records in his journal, ‘he might as well have spared the pains for none
took the least notice of him.’ - A hundred or so years later, F B Meyer arrived
in the city. Aside from building the magnificent Melbourne Hall, he is
remembered for rescuing the poor. He stood outside the prison as prisoners were
released, determined to stop them leaving with the gang members and the
prostitutes. Meyer would buy them breakfast, offer them a bed for the night and
find them a job. This was so successful that Leicester became known as a city
of Christian businesses where former inmates worked for a decent wage and
offered better products than other businesses. - Evan Roberts is best known for the Welsh Revival
of 1904, with over 100,000 saved through his ministry. What is less known is
his move to Leicester after the revival years where he walked the streets
praying for God to move in the city. - A 1978 Fountain
Trust conference in Aberystwyth was interrupted by an American prophet. He explained
that many in the States had been praying for a city called Leicester and that
they felt God was saying revival was on the way. They had seen a city on fire
in a vision. When they checked the geography, it was Leicester. - Phil Bennett lived in Concord, North Carolina.
In 1997 it was a surprise to hear God call him to pray for Leicester, England.
But he was obedient and as a result the Watchman Prayer Wall was established. This
was a simple concept – that Christians would each take one hour slots in
prayer, thus ensuring the city was prayed for 24/7. The concept later took off
around the world, but it started with Phil seeing Leicester in a vision and
responding. Many in that first prayer wall for Leicester were from the United
States and other countries around the world- all praying for a city they found
hard to even pronounce! - In the mid-2000s, the prophet Martin Scott spoke
at a Leicester meeting. He saw a picture of a twisted spine over the city and
felt it needed to be straightened. He had no idea of the history of Leicester.
In August 2012, the remains of King Richard III were found in a Leicester car
park- the king with the crooked spine. He was given a formal burial and his
remains are now enclosed in a tomb in Leicester Cathedral. The dishonour of his
death was rectified – the spine was straightened. - On Saturday 22nd November 2014, the
prayer warrior Suzette Hattingh finished her National Prayer School conference in Leicester. The fact
that it was in Leicester was a direct intervention from God as Suzette had prayed
about it. She had planned – and booked – Birmingham for the conference but felt
God wanted it moved to Leicester. At the end of that final day Suzette, who had
worked as the chief prayer intercessor for evangelist Reinhard Bonkke, called
the pastors forward. My wife Roh and I stepped forward that evening and received
a commission alongside other pastors in the city to pray in unity. The result
was the Gatekeepers Pastors Prayer Group. Since that day pastors from across
the city have prayed regularly for Leicester every Friday, building a unity
that had not previously existed. - Steve and Juliet Barber arrived in the city in
2007 to start what has become Chroma Church. The church grew so rapidly, just
one year later they approached Leicester City Football Club to meet in one of
their function rooms. The club said it would be too expensive. Steve continued
to push and promised the football club success were they to bless the church. They
did, offering a much reduced rate. In May 2016, Leicester City won the English
premiership at odds of 5000 to 1. It has been called a football miracle. - In the summer of 2019, the American Bishop, Tony
Miller was coming to the end of his talk at the national Bible Week, the One
Event, held at Lincoln. As he finished, he halted for a moment. “Is there anybody
in the room from the city of Leicester? I don’t even know where Leicester is. I
just keep hearing it in my spirit. I hear the Lord saying ‘Leicester is about
to have a major visitation…. There’s an awakening coming to the city of
Leicester.’” - In 2020, Caryn Tadeusz, a student with
Mission24, had a picture: “Last night I
saw a picture I felt was from the Lord - fish, many fish, followed by a map of
the UK with no name places but a red dot in the middle of England. I asked the
Lord for a place name but nothing. I guessed Birmingham or Manchester- my
geography is terrible, sorry. But no confirmation. So I looked on a map this
morning and Leicester looks like the place. When I saw it my spirit stirred and
excitement rose up. “
These
are just some of the prophetic words over Leicester. Revival has come. Prophecy
is being fulfilled.