So many people want their spiritual fires lit up. They know there is more than what they have and they want more. They say revival starts with you. I heard someone say, “Draw a circle around yourself and then pray for everyone in the circle to be revived.” Then there’s always that person who says, “Why don’t we have tent revivals anymore?” That’s like saying why don’t we have wall phones anymore (if you have a wall phone no offense).
Rev ival is a “God-Thing” not a man scheduled thing. I read, “Revival comes when the remnant remains faithful in darkness and decay.” Stephen Olford whom Billy Graham said influenced his ministry more than anyone, told us, “Revival is absolutely essential to restrain the righteous anger of God, to restore the conscious awareness of God, and to reveal the gracious activity of God.”
We see the recipe for revival, if we can call it that, in Psalm 85. God’s people are in a bind in this passage, so the light bulb goes off and they are like, “Oh snap! God has been our go to guy in the past so, hey, let’s cry out to Him and see what happens.” That’s the first ingredient for revival, people come to the conclusion they have messed up and that God is the answer.
In Psalm 85:4 the people say, “Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation towards us!” And then in verse 6 they say, “Will you not revive us again, that your people might rejoice in you?”
When we confess and repent, when we are serious about the Lord the Lord gets serious with us. We see this in verse 9, “You are ready to rescue everyone who worships you…” Those who have a reverence for the Lord and worship with sincerity can have an anticipation of a proper response from Abba Father (verse 8). But what can these people expect from God? In verses 10-13 it says we will receive: His love, His righteousness, His faithfulness and His peace.
James 4 captures this idea of renewal. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
Here’s the deal. A lot of people that claim to be Christians, and most people enjoy a good nap, so coming out of that rest (complacency) is hard. What I’m saying we need reviving. First Thessalonians 5:6 tells us, “…let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake.” And then in Revelation 3:2 Jesus tells us to, “Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete.”
I wonder if we will be obedient to the red letters of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior? I wonder how many will read this and repent of their sleepiness or will they keep napping? Revival can be just around the corner, the only thing stopping revival is the one in the circle.
He told me to tell you that.
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