Desiring Revival, God‘s way

Do you think revival is predicated on our asking? Is it because we ask God to send? Does God prepare those whom He has kept hidden, like John the Baptist, until the time of their showing forth? What was one of the key areas that God works on when He prepares a vessel to bring about an Awakening?

This matter of God coming down and manifesting Himself in our midst comes at a great price of seeking after God. But this is not without opposition. Just as the early church was persecuted and nearly extinguished, the matter of seeking God for revival must be in the realization of the spiritual nature of what it is. It is a spiritual warfare that one must be prepared to face.

Do we need revival? Are we in a state where we can handle the power of God coming upon us while we live in disobedience to what God expects of us? The apostle Paul said that to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) is our reasonable service; is that the reality of our congregation? Why are we unable to stop the tide of sin? What is the deeper issue that we need to deal with?

When talking about Revival, it is easy to show that our lives are not corrupted by the obvious. One may consider their faithfulness to God's house, prayer for Revival, abstaining from known sins such as pornography, coveteousness, etc, and allow one to be blinded, not realizing the need for absolute surrender.

There is a grave danger when we equate the breadth of what we have accomplished or what is seen on the surface, and don't desire or see the depth that one should be concerned about. The tallest trees that stand must have deep roots, or they will topple, and the destruction will be great. 

In times of great darkness, God, in His mercy, has seen fit to send an awakening to revive His Church. But during these moments, one of the areas people become aware of is this matter of who God is, and deep grief over all the shallow representations of God that we have built over the years. The need we have today is to return to the basics and relearn who God is, not as the culture dictates, but as He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. We approach the Scriptures as students and not as teachers. 

The essence of the Gospel is the man, woman, boy, or girl who is truly born of God. How do we answer life's fundamental questions of why we are here? Where are you going? What is the purpose of life? and such. As we look into the restless nature of man, we must realize that only God can satisfy us. God alone.

Is revival about saving our face before men, or is it about desiring Him, even if it means our shame before men? The great need of our day is honesty, not sincerity. Our need for God, and the acute sense to know it, will drive us to the place where we can seek God in the way He is pleased to send His gracious work of refreshing into our midst.