It's coming! I hear the sounds. The worship leader mentioned it this morning in the church service. Those calling us to prayer and repentance believe it's on the way. Our pastor is emphasizing Christian disciplines. Bloggers and Christian media are calling our attention to it. My vision of nursery preparation was posted here. Do you sense it? Are you ready?
God is up to something BIG! He's been preparing us for such a time as this.
The sad, sad day of insurrection in our nation's capitol this week is pushing us towards this God event. Behavior of government leaders is turning our hearts from trust in our democracy to the superior Kingdom that has and will prevail.
Wouldn't you love to catch a glimpse of what God is doing in secret as he gets ready to unveil his next move of the Spirit?
How then do we prepare? I think it takes developing eyes that look for signs of where he's moving. Will I linger in prayer to hear his voice? He wants intimacy with us that will mess with our affections. Is he really our highest desire? It's time to find a way to renew interest in reading the Bible. (If you need a plan, I've found the Audio Bible App a great way to hear/read the Bible on a daily basis. Become part of a family that uses the app all over the world, some since it started 15 years ago. Even though Brian has done the reading for all those years, each day is a fresh, new recording. Sometimes he'll add commentary at the end to challenge us to allow that day's words to change us. You can even leave prayer requests or pray for others needs).
I thought this overview of some revivals of history was interesting and inspiring.
General Overview of Revivals (revival-library.org)
In considering what precipitated revivals, here is what Pat Morley says in his blog, Man in the Mirror.*
Each revival or awakening leaves its own heat signature; in 1740 youth led the way, in 1857 businessmen and prayer took center stage, and the 1906 Azusa Street revival was decidedly interracial. Yet all share common themes. What are the most frequently mentioned characteristics of revivals and awakenings in literature?
1. TIMING: Revivals emerge during times of spiritual and moral decline, which leads to intense prayer.
2. PRAYER: God puts a longing into the hearts of many to pray for revival.
3. THE WORD: The preaching or reading of God’s Word brings deep conviction and desire for Christ.
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit takes people to a spiritual depth they could not achieve on their own.
5. CONVICTION: Affected sinners are inconsolable except in Christ.
6. GLORY FOR GOD: God receives praise, honor, and glory for bringing revival.
7. REFORMATION AND RENEWAL: Revival produces lasting fruit. New ministries are founded and society experiences a reform of morals as more and more people convert.
8. MANIFESTATIONS: Manifestations like fainting, groaning prayer, and miracles vary by culture and denomination.
9. MESSY: Revivals are messy–controversies swirl about miracles, abuses, excesses, suspicions, and theological disputes (to name but a few).
10. CYCLICAL: Revivals inevitably crest and decline. (Find citing for this list on Pat Morley's blog post)*
A majority of Americans believe our country is going downhill. Yet church attendance as a percent of population has held steady since 1990, and probably since 1940.51 America added 50,000 new churches in the last 20 years of the 20th century to total 350,000.52 The number of born-again Christians has grown steadily to 46% of adults today.53 Given the state of moral and spiritual decay, how is that possible?
The answer is simple. Today, Christianity is prevalent but not powerful. The solution is spiritual revival and awakening.
We’ve not had an awakening in America of historic proportion for a long time. With such a great tradition of revival and awakening, a great base from which to start, and a great need to counteract the increasing moral and spiritual decline, our nation appears ripe for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit.
But history tells us that national revivals and awakenings cannot be manufactured. They are sovereign acts of mercy and grace by God Himself, when He supernaturally achieves in a short span what seems otherwise impossible. However, God loves to respond to the prayers of His people (e.g., 2 Chronicles 7:14).
While the decision belongs to God alone, He gives us the privilege of hastening the day through humble repentant prayer. Let us pray…." (Pat Morley)*
Be encouraged. God will not fail to come to us as we pray and develop a deep longing for his move among us. As we look at the revivals of the past, God redeems the most troubling and difficult places of humanity. He raised up youth, revived business men, crossed racial boundaries and churches increased in size and numbers. It feels like the time is ripe.
Have your way, Almighty One. Prepare our hearts to seek you.
May they fear him as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains, through all generations. May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth. May the righteous flourish in his days and prosperity abound, until the moon is no more.…Ps. 72:5-7
*Retrieved from A Brief History of Spiritual Revival and Awakening in America - Man in the Mirror
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Thanks for sharing your response!