“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, LORD, and grant us Your salvation” (Psalm 85:6).
Throughout the centuries, when God’s people have sensed that he has been chastening them for their sins, they have cried out to him for “revival.” They beg him for mercy, a new sense of his saving grace, transformed lives, and a heart to praise him regardless of circumstances.
Our parlous condition
Can anyone deny that the Christian church desperately needs revival today?
Though I am most familiar with conditions in the United States, friends elsewhere tell me that we are not alone in our spiritual plight.
On the outside, we see a society that has turned its back against God’s righteous laws and plunged into the depths of depravity and degradation. Governments formally enact policies that violate God’s revealed will for the sanctity of human life, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
Television, movies, and news outlets portray blatant wickedness as normal, even as they pour contempt and scorn upon all that is good, including Christianity. Lies, slander, and mindless vacuity dominate both the general media and social media. In some places, dislike of Christianity has led to social and legal pressure. Christians in the United States may soon experience the same sort of persecution seen in parts of China, India, and some Muslim countries.
On the inside, the visible church suffers from heretical teachings, including not just liberal theology but the so-called “prosperity gospel,” while evangelical pulpits refrain from expounding God’s truth, calling for repentance, and presenting the message of salvation by grace alone through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ alone. No wonder that surveys show that professing Christians do not know even the basics of Christian doctrine.
Even those of us who do know enough often don’t live according to our convictions.
Do our lives really differ that much from those of unbelievers? Or do we worship the same idols, follow the same fashions, believe the same lies, and indulge in the same pleasures, passions, and profligacy? Do we pursue the same goals of self-fulfillment, self-actualization, and self-aggrandizement?
Do we spend our time and our money in ways that glorify God, or gratify our desires? When things get tough, do we “buck up” and seek God’s strength, or do we buckle under? The rate of divorces among professing Christians indicates that we have not learned how to forgive as we have been forgiven or to love our “enemies,” even as God has loved us.
How many of us are known for our calmness, peace, and joy amidst trials? How many of us hunger for the Word of God, seek first his kingdom, and make the proclamation of his gospel the compelling purpose of our life?
Revive us, O Lord!
Is it any wonder that God has allowed us to suffer from hellish fires, devastating storms and floods, and the pandemic of 2020? Should we be surprised to see political chaos, a Second Great Depression, war, and a looming financial crash on the horizon?
Is God trying to get our attention?
Before the recent anti-Christian campaign in China, Christian leaders were lamenting the shallow spirituality and lack of commitment among churchgoers. Some have said that they welcome this new wave of persecution, since it will winnow away the chaff and strengthen true followers of Christ.
In Shandong: The Revival Province, Paul Hathaway vividly depicts the connection between revival and the growth of the church. Sometimes, revival precedes times of intense trial; sometimes, suffering equips Christians for more effective witness to people who are hungry for words of life and hope.
In the West, the Great Awakening in the eighteenth century led to an outpouring of missionary zeal that carried the gospel to the ends of the earth. The same thing happened in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Perhaps our gracious Father, who cares more for our holiness and his glory than for our temporal “happiness,” is calling us to repent of our spiritual lethargy and walk in the footsteps of our Lord, all the way to Calvary.
Remember, the Cross led to his resurrection, ascension, intercessory prayers for us, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May he fill us afresh with that same Spirit, that we may know, love, and glorify him anew.
Please pray that God will revive us and our associates, use us to bring blessing to others, and bring many into the kingdom of his beloved Son.