For those interested in the history of God’s church in China and the vital matter of what many call ‘Revival’ this book is a good though short account. Marie Monsen was a young Norwegian Christian missionary who set herself to pray for the Chinese churches having heard of the way the revival of God’s work in a number of countries had occurred, especially the Korean revival of 1907. She labored in prayer for twenty years and then blessing broke forth in many parts of China from about 1927 through 1937. Other books detailing some of these moves of God written by other missionaries of those days confirm her record but here is her own account and a stirring one it is two. She writes of her own experience as she sought and found the power of the Lord coming upon her towards the end of the book, it shows a dedication to God and to China that needs to be matched in our day. Most of what she shares details God’s activity on many people in many places, both missionaries, pastors and the churches as she was led of God into various provinces of China during those years. The emphasis found in these pages is the God given burden of prayer intrinsic to what took place in each place and the repentance, confession that occurred and thus unleashed the Spirit of God as He then transformed many both in their lives and ministry. Often this took place so that the effects were dramatic though frequently only after persevering ministry and prayer over weeks and sometimes months. This work of God was not characterized by a lot of noise, frequently it took place in quietness with tears as hearts were broken by the convicting power of the Spirit through the Word and led to radiance of joy that proved to abide through the years. There were those who said that the abiding strength God had given during this period of revival proved to be one of the main reasons that they were able to bear a clear testimony in the time ten to fifteen years later when the communist revolution took place. Thus the churches were prepared by God and enabled to continue through a tide of difficulties.
