David Hathaway

I know many of you listening face difficulties and sicknesses, yet those problems will soon come to an end. I want to show how in your trials there is an answer, but sometimes that answer comes through hardship. In Mark 5 a ruler of the synagogue came to Jesus because his daughter was dying. He pleaded with Jesus to come to his house, saying, "Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." What a tremendous statement! Today, in your tragedy, in your battle to survive, reach out and find Jesus. He will answer. He has all power!
Make this declaration of faith as Vinesong sing: 'All will be well, the Son of God is on my side, all will be well!'
'It is well with my soul' and 'All will be well' used by kind permission of Vinesong.

Acts 22 contains a very powerful challenge to every one of us as Christians. Paul’s commission was clear: he was to be a witness of Jesus to all people, telling them what he had seen and heard.
And that raises a question for us: Do we have a testimony of what Jesus has done in our lives? We should have something to tell. We should be able to speak about what we have seen and heard and how God has changed us.
Then Ananias says, “The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth.” And then, in verse 15: “You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.”
Notice that Ananias speaks of “the God of our fathers.” The God of the Bible is the God of Israel – the God who created heaven and earth. There is only one true God.
And I find what Jesus told Paul particularly interesting. He said, in effect, “Go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.”
Paul didn't receive the whole assignment at once. He simply had to take the next step in obedience. And I believe that is often how God works with us: He may not show us the whole journey, but He tells us what to do next.

Acts 21:12–14 gives us a remarkable picture of Paul’s determination. He says, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
This is a phenomenal statement. Paul had already been warned by prophets in Tyre, and now again in Caesarea, that if he went to Jerusalem, he would be attacked, bound, and imprisoned. Yet his response was not to turn back. He was ready to go – even if it meant suffering and death – for the name of the Lord Jesus.
There is something here that reminds us of Jesus Himself. Jesus knew that going to Jerusalem meant suffering and death, yet He set His face toward Jerusalem and went. Now Paul is facing the same reality. He knows what may await him, but he is determined to obey God.
Verse 14 says that Paul could not be dissuaded, so the people finally stopped trying to persuade him and simply said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
What a statement of surrender: whatever the cost, whatever the consequences, the Lord’s will be done.

We can receive clear answers from God, but whenever I pray over difficult issues, I ask the Lord for written confirmation in Scripture.
This truth became real to me during my imprisonment. After being sentenced to up to ten years, I had a vision of being released, returning home to London, and preaching to 10,000 people at the Royal Albert Hall on Easter Monday. Nine months later, after smuggling a Bible into my cell, I asked God to confirm the vision in writing through the Psalms. He led me straight to Psalm 35:18: "I will give You thanks in the great assembly."
Deeply encouraged, I asked for a second specific confirmation: a verse promising that a prisoner would be set free, so that I could be released in time for my birthday just days before Easter. In Psalm 68:6, I found it: "He bringeth out those which are bound with chains." God was completely faithful to His written Word – I was released on my birthday and preached at the Royal Albert Hall that Easter Monday.
Our salvation carries that exact same certainty. It is not based on fleeting emotions or human opinion; it is documented in writing across Scripture. As even Balaam acknowledged, God is not a man that He should lie.
While in prison, I read Marco Polo’s account of a group of Christians sentenced to death unless their faith could move a mountain. For two days, they prayed desperate prayers of fear, and nothing happened. But on the third day, they stood on the authority of Christ's words and commanded the mountain to move in Jesus' name. The mountain moved, their lives were spared, and the ruler demanded that missionaries be brought to teach his people. When we anchor our faith in what God has explicitly written, His promises never fail.
Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/DfplEdtoRWo 
For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

Acts 20.24 says: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; if only I can finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
What a powerful statement. Paul considered his own life nothing compared with finishing the race and completing the task God had given him. All the suffering, all the hardship, and all his personal desires were secondary to that one purpose.
You remember the final words Paul wrote before his death: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Here, in Acts 20, he is speaking in anticipation of what he would ultimately declare at the end of his life.
Then, in verse 32, he says: “I commit you to God and to the word of His grace.” He had not coveted anyone’s silver or gold. He had supported himself, saying, “These hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.” What a challenge to us – to live not for what we can gain, but to give ourselves completely to the task God has entrusted to us.
And then, as Paul prepares to leave, we come to verse 36: “He knelt down with all of them and prayed.” They wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.
This was the heart of Paul: he had given his life completely to God, and nothing – not even the prospect of suffering or death – could stop him from finishing the race and completing the task the Lord Jesus had given him.

Prayer is a conversation with God. And a conversation needs to be two-way. So often in families, you can get a situation where the wife does the talking and the husband just has to listen! But in the right relationship, it should be a two-way conversation: you should speak, and you should get answers.
What I'm saying is this: in our spiritual relationship with the Lord, we should be able to speak and expect answers. Sometimes I think the way people treat getting answers is as being unexpected, as if to say, "Oh, I got an answer!" No. Sometimes there are delays, but I do believe that we can expect and receive clear answers. I certainly have in my life, because I face so many crises, and in every case, I expect the Lord to answer me – and He does.
So really, I want to suggest to those of you who really know the Lord: prayer is a means of communication.
To watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/VdK3EBO-GCQ 
For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

In Acts 20, Paul says, “I have declared both to Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”
There is no difference in the message he preached to Jews and Gentiles. It is the same Gospel. And the Gospel we have today is exactly the same: whether Jew or Gentile, we all need to hear the message of repentance and put our faith in Jesus as Messiah.
Then, in verse 22, Paul says something very powerful: “And now, compelled by the Holy Spirit…”
Notice how strong that wording is. Sometimes we talk about being led by the Spirit, or even driven by the Spirit. But Paul says he was compelled by the Holy Spirit.
And I sometimes feel that same compulsion in my own ministry. People have questioned why I do certain things or why I go to certain places. But I don't always describe it simply as being led – I feel driven, even compelled, by the Holy Spirit.
And where was the Spirit compelling Paul to go? To Jerusalem.
But Paul was full of concern because he says, “I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.”
He didn't know what awaited him. He didn't know what the consequences would be. But he knew he had to go.
That is what it means to be compelled by the Holy Spirit. You may not know everything that lies ahead, but you know that God is telling you to go – and when He compels you, you obey.

Acts 19:11 gives us something we haven't seen recorded in quite this way before: “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.” Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and people were healed and evil spirits left them.
Here we see another dimension of the healing ministry. God was working so powerfully through Paul that even cloths that had touched him were being used as a point of contact, and the sick were healed.
But then we come to a very different situation. Some men were attempting to drive out an evil spirit, and the spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
The man who had the evil spirit then jumped on them and overpowered them. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
Look at what happened! They weren't acting in the name of Jesus – they were trying to do it in their own power. And without the authority of Jesus, they had no power over that evil spirit.
This is so important. The power is not in us; the power is in the name of Jesus. We cannot manufacture spiritual authority. We must know Jesus, trust in His authority and operate in His name.
And when this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, Acts 19:17 says they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honour.
That is the result we should desire – not that people glorify us, but that the name of Jesus is lifted up and honoured.

God will do so much more than you ask, His power is without limit. I want you to call upon Him today, not just for your healing from sickness, but to heal your heart. When God heals you, you get a new life, it's like being born again; He will fill you with a new energy and vitality. 
Put your hand on your sickness and say this prayer with me: I believe Jesus is alive and that God is my Father. You gave me a promise that when I call upon the Name of Jesus, and by the power of His Name, I shall be healed. In the Name of Jesus, I command every curse to be broken, I command every disease to come out of my body. In the Name of Jesus I receive my healing. Thank You Jesus, Amen.
For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 
'Holy You are Lord' used by kind permission of www.vinesong.com 

Now, we know there was already a church in Ephesus, but Paul found some new disciples there. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They were clearly converts; they were Christians.
But they answered, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
It seems quite obvious to me that much of what they had heard had come through Apollos. And because Apollos had come from Alexandria, he apparently didn't know what had happened on the Day of Pentecost.
So Paul explains in verse 4 that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. John told the people to believe in the One who was coming after him – that is, in Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They spoke in tongues and prophesied – and there were about twelve men.
What an incredible picture of the power of the Holy Spirit! And Paul was so prolific in his preaching and reached so many people that Acts 19:10 tells us that, during those two years, all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
That is the kind of impact I believe the Church should be having today. When we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and faithfully proclaim Jesus, the Gospel can reach an entire region.

I believe that we are living in the days of a second outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And I can't see any reason why we shouldn't be living as the early disciples and apostles did. Yes, I must admit, I'm trying to live like Paul in many ways.
One night, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and said, “Don’t be afraid. Keep on speaking. Don’t be silent, for I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
I was extremely conscious of that in my own ministry. I spent 30 years working in communist countries, and another 30 years afterwards – 60 years in all working throughout the former Soviet Union. And during those years, there were four attempts to assassinate me. Yet I was always conscious that God was protecting me.
Acts 18:10 says very clearly, “I am with you, and no one is going to attack you, because I have many people in this city.”
And what happened? Paul stayed there for another year and a half, teaching the Gentiles. He wasn't silenced by opposition or fear. He knew that God was with him, and he continued to preach.

Joel uses the picture of Israel’s harvest. The first rain came after the seed was sown, and the latter rain came before the harvest, swelling the grain and preparing it for harvest.
I believe this is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The first outpouring came at the beginning of the Church – not during Jesus’ earthly ministry, but on the Day of Pentecost.
There were 120 disciples gathered in the Upper Room, fearful and hiding behind locked doors. Then the Holy Spirit came with power. Peter stood up and preached, and 3,000 people were converted. This was the beginning of the Church.
But I have always believed the Church must also experience the latter rain – and that the latter rain will be greater than the first.
That belief challenged me from the beginning of my ministry. Although I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at fourteen, I was still searching for greater power. That is why, in 1961, I travelled to Jerusalem for a Pentecost conference. I had very little money, but I was determined to get there. I travelled by road because I believed I had to be there.
That journey changed my life. I believe God gave me what I had been seeking. From that time, I began to see miracles, healings and the power of God in a way I had never known before.
But I don't believe that was the end. I believe the prophecy of Joel points forward to the return of Christ. The outpouring that began at Pentecost will reach its fulfilment in the latter rain before the harvest.
So, Church, wake up! Jesus promised that we would receive power and that we would do the works He did – and even greater works.
Where are those greater miracles? We need to see them now.
I believe I am entering into this prophecy, and that before I enter the Kingdom, I will see greater miracles than anything I have witnessed in my life.
Don't look only at Pentecost. That was the beginning. Read Joel for yourself. Believe the promise, seek God, and ask Him for the power of the Holy Spirit.
I want to see the latter rain – and I want you to enter into it with me.
To watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/cSUNfciLqvo 
For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

This is the record of the early Church – not just the ministry of Jesus. It gives us a pattern for how we should live and minister today. I believe we should be living according to this biblical pattern.
The people in Berea were more receptive than those in Thessalonica because they received the Word eagerly and then searched the Scriptures for themselves to test the authenticity of what Paul was preaching.
Wow. I wish people would do that today – to search the Scriptures and examine the evidence for themselves to see who Jesus really is.
But by verse 18, some of the philosophers encountered Paul and began to challenge him. They asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” They accused him of proclaiming strange gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
There it is again – Paul comes back to the simplicity of the Gospel: Jesus and the resurrection.
He challenged them to seek the Lord, saying that perhaps they might reach out for Him and find Him. And the wonderful truth of Scripture is this: God can be found. If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him.

What we are achieving together with your support is powerful in changing nations, specifically Ukraine. The decision to go ahead with our 11th National Prayer for Ukraine in the very heart of Kyiv in this, the most critical summer of the war, was a very heavy one. But the heads of ALL Ukrainian Churches agreed, they had a responsibility before God and before the people to continue with the Prayer.
To read David Hathaway's August newsletter: https://www.eurovision.org.uk/newsletters/2026/8/11/august-2026-newsletter
To make a donation: https://www.eurovision.org.uk/donation 
For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk
'Come Up Higher' used by kind permission of Vinesong. 

I believe Joel’s prophecy is both a call to return to the Lord with all our hearts and a promise that God will restore what has been lost, pour out His Spirit, and do great things among His people.
In this teaching, I explore the meaning of the “former rain” and “latter rain” in Joel 2. The first great outpouring of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, when the Church was born and thousands were saved. But I believe Joel points to an even greater outpouring before the return of Christ.
As Joel speaks of prophecy, signs, wonders and “multitudes in the valley of decision,” I share my lifelong conviction that we are approaching a great spiritual awakening and harvest – a powerful move of the Holy Spirit that will prepare the way for Jesus’ return.
Watch the YouTube version https://youtu.be/5Ew_a_iviEI 
For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk

In Acts 16 we read that about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Then, in verse 26, “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose.”
What an extraordinary answer to prayer!
Verse 27 tells us that the jailer woke up, saw the prison doors standing open, and, believing the prisoners had escaped, drew his sword to take his own life. But Paul shouted, “Don't harm yourself! We are all here!”
As Paul and Silas prayed, God intervened with supernatural power. The earthquake shook the very foundations of the prison, the doors were thrown open, and every chain was broken.
What a picture of the power of prayer!
This is the only occasion in Scripture where prayer is answered by a literal earthquake. I wish more of us would pray with that kind of faith and expectancy today. This was no routine prayer meeting – it was prayer that shook the earth, broke chains, and opened doors.
That is the kind of praying the Church needs once again.