REVIVAL

It is an interesting word, revival. It has been used by Christians and the Church for a long time. I hear churches praying for revival. Songs are written about it. We say, "there's a revival coming".  We want revival for our church, we want revival for our own personal lives. My question is, do we know what we are asking for? Do we even know what it takes to have revival? Let's take a look at the definition of revival (one of several, at least):

Revival: The act or an instance of reviving or the state of being revived. (Collins Concise English Dictionary) 

Revive: From the Latin roots re- (again), vivere (to live). (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/revive)

    First of all, the very first thing that I see in this definition is that in order for something to be revived it has to be dead. That's hard. I guess that when I ask for personal revival, I am actually realizing that I am dead, or that at least there is something dead in me. The same with the Church. When we cry out to God for revival, are we confessing that there is something dead in us, either as an individual or as an organization that represents the body of Christ on earth? That's fine. It's all part of what God wants from us. I think we're on the right track. After all, that is what we do with our bodies too, right? We sense something wrong and go to the doctor. If we ignore it or get comfortable in our own pain (or lack thereof), we risk whatever is ailing us to continue growing and eventually kill us. It is definitely the first step. No person and no church can survive if they are not aware of things that need to be corrected.

    But, is revival really that easy? Is it something we just ask for and it's done. Well, not necessarily. From where I'm standing, I see three different things that need to happen before revival can...well...happen. So I say from the get go, be careful what you ask for.

    First of all, for revival to happen, there needs to be tribulation. Oh yes. Now, there's a word nobody likes. We suffer in tribulation. Things don't go our way. Regardless of how noble our motives are, we still don't like tribulation. Well, if you want revival, perhaps you should know that it will not come until after the tribulation (no, not the one in Revelation, that's a capital T). I am talking about crisis, natural disasters, yes--pandemics, diseases, loss...you name it, and sometimes even personal, everyday "thorns in our flesh". But it has to come, it's part of the package. It is in the middle of tribulation that we realize our total and unconditional dependence on God. It is when we realize that we have nowhere to go but God, that our human sufficiency is insufficient. It is only when we have nowhere else to look to, the only way to look to is, up.

    Second, for revival to happen, there needs to be repentance. Whether it be personally, or churchwide, there has to be repentance, and repentance comes with confession. That is another byproduct of tribulation. Not only do we realize our dependance on God, we realize that we have fallen short of his standard. We need His grace. We have been applying the law to ourselves and our fellow brothers and sisters, pointing out the speck in their eyes, and not realizing that there is a beam in our own. God can't work revival on lives that are not transparent. God's grace is inoperative on tainted hearts that refuse to yield, whether by will or by ignorance. We need to repent so our hearts can be cleansed and the spirit of the Lord can then find suitable ground for the seed of revival to grow and flourish.

    The third thing that needs to happen may catch some by surprise, especially if we have been set in our ways for a long time (personal or churchwide); enough to make us just a tad prideful or even arrogant. We need to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit wants to do, in whatever way He wants to do it. Ouch! Does that mean I have to give up certain things? Yes. Does it mean I have to set aside some of the paradigms I've believed for a long time? Yes. We need to be open and not complain, or judge God because of the way He decides to proceed. You may get a firestorm; you may get a still small voice. Only God knows how he wants to bring your revival. So be open to it. The 120 in the upper room had no idea how God would work. They were just told to pray and wait, and they did. What they got was so much different than what they were used to in their synagogues. But they were open, and they accepted it even though it was new to them. 

    So, I say again, be careful what you pray for. But let me tell you, when you do, what is on the other side will totally shock you and amaze you and leave you in awe. You will see things happen in your life and in your church that you never thought possible. You see, God is greater than your tribulation, He is greater than your sin, and He can work so much better with an open heart than one with strings attached. So as for me, I say, bring it on, Lord!