Behold: A Vision for 2025

Imagine what a New England overrun with disciples of Jesus would look like. Imagine what your workplace, your school, the streets, the grocery store would look like if it were filled with people saved by grace and undergoing sanctification. Is this something you dream of? If we want to see growth in disciples in New England, we must begin by praying as people who behold the glory of God. As you consider your priorities and focus for the year ahead, consider praying that God would open your eyes to behold His glory, because when we do this, everything else falls into place.

Consider this: every great move of God in Scripture and throughout church history begins with someone beholding the glory of God. Daniel and Nehemiah pray remarkably similar prayers as they consider a broken down Jerusalem and God’s promise to restore: they reflect that God is a great and awesome God who keeps his word (Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4). Peter, who was arguably one of the main catalysts for the early growth of Christianity, was “an eyewitness of [Jesus’] majesty” (2 Peter 1:16) and this vision and passion for Jesus spurred him on to bold preaching. In more recent history, Jonathan Edwards, one of the main preachers in the Great Awakening, has been described as “God-centered, God-focused, God-intoxicated, and God-entranced”.

Focusing on God and knowing His character and nature are vital to seeing Him move. Beholding the glory of God is necessary not only for the boldness to preach the gospel but for shaping our prayers. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes in Revival, “Prayer must always begin with a realisation of God and of his character, otherwise it can be a mere attempt at discovering some kind of psychological relief or ease. Prayer can just be the offering up of pious hopes and aspirations, the mere expression of our fears. If prayer is to be real, surely the first thing we have to do is to realise the One to whom we are speaking.”

If we want to behold the glory of God, there are practical action steps that we can take. First, we must pray that God will open the eyes of our hearts to behold His glory. Second, we can seek to know Him better through the pages of Scripture. Even Peter, who saw Jesus firsthand, affirmed the value of the Word, saying “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). Finally, we can surround ourselves with others seeking to behold the glory of God and join with them to “recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” (Isaiah 63:7)

The First Great Awakening began in the 1730s right here in New England. It was such a powerful event that in Northampton alone, 300 people were converted in six months, doubling the size of the church and engaging most of the town. Benjamin Franklin, as a deist observer, noted in the later part of the Great Awakening that “one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families on every street.”

Imagine walking down the streets of Boston, Providence, Portland, and all the cities and towns throughout New England hearing people singing the glory of God.

If we want to see growth in disciples in New England, we must begin by praying as people who behold the glory of God. Will you join us this year as we pray together to behold the glory of God so we can see His glory displayed in New England?

Save the dates for our 2025 Nights of Prayer and Evangelism Training:

February 28-March 1: Providence RI (Register here!)

April 25-26: TBD, MA

August 8-9: Brattleboro VT

October 10-11: TBD, ME