The Secret Place of Rees Howells

Rees Howells was born in 1879 in a small Welsh village near Swansea, the son of a humble coal miner. His family was poor but deeply God-fearing. The Welsh Revival of 1904–1905 left an indelible mark on his life, stirring a hunger for God that would never leave him. As a young man, he worked both in the tinplate industry and later in America, but wherever he went, the Spirit of God pursued him with increasing conviction.

In 1906 Howells experienced a profound spiritual breakthrough. While reading testimonies of George Müller and other men of faith, he was struck with the call to absolute surrender. He recorded that God demanded his whole life, his money, possessions, ambitions, and even his very self. After wrestling in prayer, he laid all at Christ's feet, entering into what he called "the exchanged life." From then on, his life was characterized by radical obedience.

With his wife Elizabeth, Howells sailed to Africa in 1910 to serve as missionaries in Gazaland (present-day Mozambique). They endured hardship, disease, and opposition, yet they pressed on, driven by a burning vision of souls. After six years they returned to Wales due to Elizabeth's health, but the fire of intercession that had been kindled there only grew stronger.

In 1924 he founded the Bible College of Wales in Swansea. This was no ordinary school. Howells insisted that students be trained not only in Scripture but also in intercessory prayer. Daily schedules were built around prayer meetings, seasons of fasting, and waiting on God. Students learned to carry national and international burdens before the throne, believing their petitions could shape world events.

This conviction was tested in the 1930s and 1940s, when the clouds of World War II darkened Europe. Howells and the college intercessors gave themselves to continual prayer for Britain and the nations. They prayed through the Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain, and the fall of Hitler's regime. Records show they sometimes prayed day and night, believing their prayers directly influenced the outcome of the war. Howells taught that true intercession required identification with the need, often at the cost of personal sacrifice.

Rees Howells died in 1950, but his story has continued to call generations to the secret place of intercession.