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Revival can be defined as a coming back to life or consciousness or as an awakening or increase of interest in religion. We need to
pray for revival, that God will reawaken an interest in spiritual matters. Our hope for revival is that God will bring His people back to a
conscious need of Him and His service.
In the Bible two words are used, revive and reviving. There are fifteen different Scriptures in which these two words are used and
most of them are recorded in the Old Testament. Remember that Paul referred to the Old Testament when he wrote, "For whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope"
(Rom. 15:4). We have a hope for revival that is based upon the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, as the inspired Word
of God (2 Tim. 3:16).
The basic idea conveyed by revivals is that someone is restored again to a position or attitude which he once possessed. It is not so much
the idea of something new as it is of something renewed. Let us notice some Scripture references and look for this idea of renewal.
Notice what happened to Jacob according to Genesis 45:27. "And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them:
and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived..." Jacob had a broken spirit
because of the loss of his son Joseph. When he learned that Joseph was alive and well, his spirit was revived. That which he once
possessed was returned.
Something very similar happened in the presence of Elijah. A boy died and Elijah stretched himself upon the child three times and prayed
to God for the child's life to return to him. "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again,
and he revived (1 Kings 17:22). Life he had once possessed was returned as he was revived. Another person was revived to life as his body
was cast into the tomb of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21).
The word revived was also used in the account of Jesus' resurrection. Paul said,."For to this end Christ both died, and rose,
and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living" (Rom. 14:9). As Jesus took again the life He previously possessed, He was
said to have revived.
Furthermore, there are sometimes certain characteristics or actions which need reviving in a person's life. His zeal may die and need to
be revived; his love for the church and the preached word may die and need to be revived. Whatever we have lost that once enabled
us to serve God we need to find again through revival. The revival which we need was described by Isaiah, who said, "For thus saith
the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Is. 57: 15). Those who are low (humble)
and bruised (contrite) need to be revived and restored in their spirit and heart.
As we suffer the frailties of our humanity and the bondage of our depraved nature, we need reviving from time to time. As Ezra prayed,
he said; "And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us
a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage" (Ezra 9:8). It is because God is
gracious that we can hope for revival. We have been saved by grace from sin but not yet from self. We still live in our flesh and are often
beset by its weaknesses. If God will be pleased to "open" our eyes and show us our failures through the gospel, then a little reviving
will do great things for us.
So often the sins which we have put aside are revived in a moment of weakness. What we need is strength to overcome sins completely
and to cast them one by one from our lives. Revival gives us strength to dig the stones of good character from the rubbish of ruined life.
Though our walls may have been broken, we can collect again the stones of good works and godly deeds, using them to rebuild a life
of noble character which pleases God. (Read Nehemiah 4:2). Rebuilding our lives with old stones is a vivid description of what
takes place when revival touches the hearts and lives of God's children.
It is not enough to recognize the need for revival; we must also recognize its source - God. Revival does not come from programs,
from meetings, or even from ministers. Revival is a blessing which comes from God: therefore, church people should pray that God will
bless every meeting to be a revival. David recognized this need and prayed for revival by asking, "Wilt thou [God] not revive us again:
that thy people may rejoice in thee?" (Ps. 85:6). He had experienced the benefits of revival before and now sought them once more at the
hand of a merciful and gracious God. Like David, we need God to revive us often and should pray for Him to do so.
Sometimes God's children are rebellious and disobedient. Though He is longsuffering, He will chasten us because He loves us so much
(Heb. 12:6).He who tears us, will also heal us (Hosea 6:1) and "After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and
we shall live in his sight" (Hosea 6:2). The objective of His judgments is to revive us. He shows us the errors of sin and then leads us to
the blessed pathway of righteousness (Ps. 23:3), so that we may live upright in His sight; but how much better it is to be revived and turn
again to the Lord before we have strayed so far that we must be chastened. It is better by far to pray that God will revive us and thereby
allow us to rejoice than to weep beneath the chastening rod.
Hosea descried a beautiful scene which, if painted, might be called "revival." The corn is twisted and the vine is withered but God showers
His rich blessings and they are revived. Notice his words: "They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn,
and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebannon" (Hosea 14:7).
Every Lord's day as we assemble to hear the preaching of the gospel, let us do so with a prayer for revival in our hearts. Pray for those
who preach the Word of God that it may be preached in the power of God's Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:4); then ask for the blessings of revival
for yourself and for all that hear the gospel. If you know someone who has gone astray or simply grown cold, pray for him in a special
way that he may be revived. Revival will lift him again to those heights of service which he once enjoyed. Pray not only for a reviving of God's
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people, but also for a reviving of all good works that are so needful in this sin-darkened world. May the prayers of Habakkuk become
our daily prayer: "0 Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: o Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of
the years make known; in wrath remember mercy" (Hab. 3:2). May God truly send such revivals that our souls may be refreshed and
His worthy name may be glorified.
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