Truly, God can work all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes -- even during a worldwide pandemic. It was hard on many Christians when the churches shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that horrible time also apparently worked to stir up a hunger in the hearts of many people who had not yet come to Christ. Many areas of Europe were spiritually dry even before COVID-19, but revival is starting to break out across the United Kingdom in areas such as Ireland and Scotland.
"Something has shifted in the last six months, and it feels almost like it's a rising river," Pastor Craig Cooney of Hope Church in Northern Ireland told CBN.
"Between 2020 and 2023, I found myself often saying that I've never seen the church at such a low ebb that it just felt like we were going through the motions post-COVID, that churches were struggling, their numbers were down. But not only were their numbers down, there was just a lack of zeal, lack of passion, a lack of enthusiasm, a lack of growth. And something shifted around the start of this year, I would say, and it's difficult to describe or define," said Cooney.
Cooney also has a following of well over 100,000 people on Instagram at daily.prophetic.
He's seeing an increase in the number of people joining the church for its weekly prayer meetings (about a 20 percent increase), and it's not like they meet at a particularly convenient time. Wednesday at 6 pm is just when they've always held the prayer meetings, and they never changed that.
People are crying out in intercession for their families and getting healed, and Cooney says there's just a sense that "God is in the room."
Some people who have received healing are "people who might not [have] even six months ago believed in divine healing. I mean, really, it's not the people you might expect, quite honestly. It's the people who, when they say they're healed, they're healed because they wouldn't be making this stuff up," said Cooney.
Another area where God seems to be on the move is Scotland. During the month of June, Rev. Franklin Graham visited Glasgow. His "God Loves You Tour" drew over 7500, according to BillyGraham.org.
For those in the UK who are seeking a fresh touch from God, there is a free event happening in Bedfordshire, UK, from August 8th through August 11th, called 2024 Tent Revival.
WATCH: 'Something Has Shifted': Pastors Report Revival Fires Spreading in the UK
As for the United States, Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California recently saw a massive turnout at his Harvest Crusade event, with the Angel Stadium in Anaheim filled to capacity. The event drew 50,000 people, some of whom stood outside the stadium to participate. About 3,500 people gave their lives to the Lord at that event, and 2000 people were baptized at Pirates Cove in Orange County.
"I see that God is working. As you know, the last great spiritual awakening, the Jesus Movement, happened in California, and we're praying, 'Lord, do it again,'" Laurie told CBN.
For those in the US seeking a fresh touch from God, there is a Christian conference in Dallas, Texas, from November 7th through November 10th. The event is hosted by an international organization called Aglow, and the theme is "A New Day."
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Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.