For thirteen years, Evan Roberts prayed for revival in Wales. He was a coal miner, then a blacksmith, then finally a ministerial student. But through it all, he carried one burning desire: to see God move in his nation.
God Bend Me
In the spring of 1904, while at a conference in New Quay, Roberts had an encounter with God that changed everything. He was in a meeting led by Seth Joshua when the evangelist prayed, "O God, bend us." The words struck Roberts like lightning. He fell to his knees crying, "O God, bend me!"
From that moment, Roberts was consumed with a holy urgency. He later testified: "For thirteen years I had prayed for the Spirit; and this is the way I was led to pray: I would find a quiet place every night... After I had begun to work with my hands, my soul had been full of longing for the revival."
God's Clear Direction
In September 1904, Roberts was in a meeting when the Holy Spirit spoke to him clearly: "Go back to your own people and tell them what God has done for you." He obeyed immediately, returning to his hometown of Loughor.
The Welsh Revival Begins
On October 31, 1904, Roberts began meetings in his home church. Within weeks, revival had broken out across Wales. Mines fell silent as workers gathered to pray. Public houses closed for lack of customers. Police reported almost no crime. An estimated 100,000 people were converted within months.
Roberts himself worked tirelessly for the next year before collapsing from exhaustion. But the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 sent spiritual shockwaves around the world, influencing the Azusa Street Revival and awakening in Korea, India, and beyond.
