The Hebrides Awakening

Revival Through Humility, Prayer, and Repentance

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

The 1949 Hebrides Revival stands as a powerful testimony to 2 Chronicles 7:14, demonstrating how God responds to humility, prayer, and repentance. This extraordinary movement was not orchestrated by human effort but was birthed through desperate intercession and a hunger for God’s presence.

Two elderly, housebound sisters, Peggy and Christine Smith, were deeply burdened by the spiritual apathy in their village on the Isle of Lewis. Clinging to Isaiah 44:3 (“I will pour water on the thirsty land”), they prayed relentlessly for revival. Meanwhile, a group of young men gathered in a barn, repenting and seeking God. One night, a young man stood and prayed Psalm 24:3-4,

“Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

As soon as he asked, “Lord, are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?”, the power of God fell, and revival broke out.

In response to these prayers, God called Duncan Campbell, a preacher who had a passion for revival. Initially reluctant, Campbell eventually obeyed and arrived on the Isle of Lewis. The moment he stepped off the boat, a supernatural awareness of God’s presence swept the island. Revival meetings lasted into the early hours of the morning as people were convicted of sin, falling to their knees in fields, homes, and streets, crying out for God’s mercy.

This movement transformed entire communities—bars emptied, crime rates dropped, and churches overflowed. As Campbell later reflected,

“Revival is not churches filled with people, but people filled with God.”

John Stott reminds us, “Great movements of God begin when His people take Him at His word and humbly acknowledge their need.” The Hebrides Revival proves that when we humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and turn from sin, He will hear, forgive, and heal our land.

Prayer 

Lord, give us clean hands and pure hearts. Stir in us the same hunger You placed in the hearts of the Hebrides people. Revive our land as we seek Your face. Amen.