Dr. Gordon Anderson is now president of North Central University in Minneapolis, where I teach part time. When I was in school there (and it was North Central Bible College) he was my professor. As a professor he would often do pulpit fill-ins on the weekends.

A couple of years after I graduated from North Central, I heard a teaching he did with Assemblies of God evangelists and told the story of one of those weekends he went to preach at a church. It was a small church and the worship was slow and the people were sleepy and he was sitting on the platform thinking, “Dear God, these people are dead.”

To which the Spirit spoke to him and said, “Why do you think I brought you hear?”

It shook him. He thought he came to preach a nice sermon, collect a small check, have a nice lunch, and then go home. He didn’t know the assignment that day was “raise the dead.”

That story came home to me today as I reflected on a prayer assignment I have from God. It is to pray for revival at North Central University. I caught myself thinking almost the same exact thought this morning and then the Lord reminded me, “What have I asked you to pray? What have I asked you do?”

Will I pray? Will I give up? Will I throw my hands up in frustration?

I have an assignment.