Revival Fire: The First Step - Pray

Psalm 85:4-6

Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your indignation toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will you prolong Your anger to all generations? Will you not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

Over the last several weeks, I've heard the news from Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. As I understand it, a few weeks ago a group of students at Asbury University remained in the building following a chapel service. From there, other students gathered, prayed, confessed sin, read scripture and waited for God to move. While I have no details other than what I have read, many have called this a deep work of God, a revival. For days and days, students remained. Others joined in from the campus at Asbury, and there are reports of revival spreading to as many as 20 - 30 other college campuses with people coming from all over the nation and the world to see. 

Many pastors have gone to Asbury to see for themselves and written about what they observed and experienced. I’ve heard some be critical of these pastors, but may I ask you for a bit of grace? You see, we preachers and pastors pray regularly for a deep moving of the Holy Spirit and we desperately want God to do something that we all know we are incapable of doing. We have studied revival, longed for revival, and when news of one comes, we become hopeful and excited. So give us a little grace here.

Today, my intention is not to write about the revival at Asbury University. I haven’t been there, I haven’t seen it, but I will hope and pray that it is a deep moving of God. After all it was Martyn Lloyd-Jones that wrote,

“I do not understand Christian people who are not thrilled by the whole idea of revival.”

So, I am thrilled at the prospect of a deep, reviving work of God.

Instead of writing about the revival at Asbury, I am going to take the first step toward revival: to pray for revival. In fact, in the last few weeks I began praying for revival, and I am still praying. That is exactly what Psalm 85:4 - 6 is - a prayer for revival. And I am praying these exact words for revival. Consider Psalm 85:4-6 again,

“Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your indignation toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will you prolong Your anger to all generations? Will you not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”

Revival Comes From God

In Psalm 85:4 - 6 you will find clearly that the source of revival is God Himself. Verse 6 jumps off the page at me. “Will You not Yourself revive us again?” I am praying for revival because revival only comes from God. And I am asking God to move in and among us. I am praying for God to do what only God can do.

Our World Needs Revival

Another reason I am praying for revival is because the world needs a deep move of God. Just read the news headlines, listen to the next press conference, or observe the anger, venom and the manipulation around us. Our world is depraved, and it is becoming more open about its depravity, more proud of its sin, and more opposed to God and His people. Have you ever heard the saying, “This world is going to hell in a handbasket”? Well, it is true. This world desperately needs revival. 

Our Nation Needs Revival

We need a deep move of God in this country, the United States of America. I heard a pastor recently say that America is headed the way of Europe. And I suspect that for many places in our country, it is already there. Here in the United States we are enacting laws to protect lawlessness. Let that sink in for a few minutes. In the United States we have embraced lawlessness and sinfulness, and are attempting to normalize it. I am praying for revival because our nation needs revival.

The Church Needs Revival

I am also praying for the Church to experience revival. And along with that I am praying for pastors to experience revival. I am praying for churches and pastors to get back to the Word of God, to call the people of God to walk, and to dwell in the holiness and righteousness of God. I am praying that we Christians, Pastors, and Churches will not be satisfied with an emotional gathering that is absent of truth. I am praying that we will not be content with a devotional talk or “church light” as some call it. I am praying we will lay down the “traditions” of church that keep us from encountering God. Churches are dying, closing, and in some cases, compromising. So I am praying for revival because the Church needs revival.

I Need Revival

I am praying for revival because I need revival. I face the same temptations you do. I face apathy, indifference, untruthfulness, greed, lust, pride and all the same sin you do. And although I try to keep my heart clean and confessed up, I can tell you without any hesitation, I want and need a deep work of God in my life. And I suspect you do as well. 

So what should we do? 

Gypsy Smith was a British evangelist who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He preached all over the United States and Britain calling for revival. One day he was asked how to start a revival and this is what he said,

“Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of your floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival will be on.” 

I will be writing on revival for the next few weeks, and I hope you will tune in each week. I also hope you pass this along to a few others. But mostly, I hope you will join me in drawing that chalk mark around ourselves and praying for revival. I am praying for revival in me.  Will you join me?  

I’d love to hear your thoughts and prayers about revival.  Reach out to me at david@davidsmithministry.com.