Revival!

“He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end ...” – Matthew 13:37-39

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“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” – Psalm 85:6

“Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!” – Psalm 80:19

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, and shout for joy.” – Psalm 33:1-3

Tonight, I started singing in my shower. A subject has arisen in my college group and has been coming up rather often – revival. What is a revival in the context of our culture? Well, my personal response was that a revival is when people seek out God and the truth again, and when they truly love both. But a friend of mine said that she believed a revival is when God pours out His spirit onto someone. This makes sense. We can’t do anything good without Him. Heck, we can’t even seek Him without Him. So perhaps my answer included the symptoms of God pouring His spirit onto someone. And when we love Him and love truth, amazing things start to happen in our personal lives. That spreads to our communities, states, countries, and even the world. The church has surrendered many responsibilities today. What people used to bring to the church leaders to help solve they now take to courts and leave God out. But leaving God out is literally leaving out the Source of all that is good. So that leaves us like a dry desert in need of His as our oasis.

“The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,

‘Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you.’

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert.

The burning sand will become a pool,

the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay,

grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.” – Isaiah 35:1-7

Still not convinced?

“See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.

The wild animals honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

the people I formed for myself

that they may proclaim my praise.” – Isaiah 43:19-21

The Christians are asleep in the United States. I know this is not a problem isolated to us. But we are largely walking in the flesh instead of the Spirit. I truly believe we need to ask God for another Great Awakening, and a Revival like we have never seen before.

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21

It was not only the Pilgrims, but also the Founding Fathers of the United States of America who sought God in the creation of this great nation. Even those who did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ largely honored Him, and the country has been blessed as a result. But notice that the more God is pushed away in our families and our country, the more our ethics start degrading. These same Founders – from the Pilgrims to the Patriots – would have rolled over in their graves if they could see where we are today as Christians and as a nation.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he chose for his inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all mankind;

from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth—

he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,

even as we put our hope in you.” – Psalm 33:12-22

Revival starts in us personally, because our relationship with God is personal. But when we share this with our family, He changes our family. And all the families combine into a community. The community becomes a county, and then a state, and then a nation, and then the world. So, we ought to be praying for revival. And, as I began doing in my shower tonight, praising God and seeking revival through music. I want to invite every person to sing these on behalf of themselves, their families, their churches, their states, and their nations. Our prayers have power. I have done a devotional on this as well, and may add more. So, sing these by yourself in the shower. Sing them as a family and as a church. Sing them as you read this devotional. But, either way, I invite you to sing along and mean it.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD. “Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

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