What Is Revival and How Do We Find It? — Part 1

When I first started preaching, I bought a book on sermon illustrations that I occasionally would use to get the sermon started. I seldom use it anymore; in fact, I’m not even sure where the book is now.

One of the stories in the book has stayed with me over the years, and I use it here.

A pastor at a small country church had a member who, after the service was over, would greet the pastor and tell him, “Great sermon, Preacher. I hope they were listening.” It happened every Sunday, and it began to frustrate the pastor to no end.

One day, the weather was horrendous. Sleeting, icing, snowing, it was a horrible day. But it was a Sunday, and the pastor showed up just in case anybody felt brave enough to battle the elements and attend worship. Only one person did. That man.

The pastor asked if he wanted to have the worship service or just go home, since it was only the two of them. When the member indicated he was willing to continue with worship, the pastor realized it was his chance.

And so the pastor began the worship service. When it was time for the sermon, the pastor rose to new heights in preaching. He poured out his heart and soul into giving one of the best sermons in his life.

Afterwards, the pastor, exhausted as he never been before following worship, looked at the man expectantly.

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then finally, the man said, “That was perhaps the best sermon I have ever heard. It’s a shame the other members weren’t here to hear it.” And he left.

It’s not unusual for someone to be in church and hear a message and find themselves thinking, I hope (fill in a name here) is listening to this. They really need it.” But as we all know, worship is not for everyone else; it is for us, each person individually, listening to and seeking the presence of God. It is the pouring forth of the self in order to be a pleasing sacrifice, an aroma acceptable to God. And as we pour ourselves out, we hear His voice and we are transformed by His Spirit.

The reason I bring all this up is because, when it comes to revival, it is not unusual for us to think that everyone else needs it more than I do. And that’s just not true.

I hear people say all the time that we (America) need a good revival, we need to return to God. All too often, though, I get the sense that what each of us means by “revival” is returning our nation to what each of us thinks is what we should be. And that isn’t revival.

What Is a Revival?

When I was growing up, a revival was a week-long event at the church, beginning on a Sunday and running through the next Sunday. We would come to church each night to hear a guest preacher preach on matters regarding salvation and other things. I admit, when I was growing up, I wasn’t too interested in what was being said. Still, the emphasis seemed to be on bringing new people to the church so they could be evangelized—preached the meaning of salvation and how to obtain it.

There would also be re-dedications—believers who had come under conviction that they were not where they should be in their walk with God and felt the genuine need to repent and return to Him. I have come to believe that this—the recognition of one’s walking away from God, needing to repent and return to Him and to earnestly seek His will and direction—was and is revival. In the Oxford English Dictionary, the second definition of revival is “an instance of something becoming popular, active or important again (emphasis mine).” It also states a revival is “a reawakening of religious fervor, especially by means of evangelistic meetings.” Some of the synonyms for this meaning is “awakening,” “rejuvenation,” “rebirth,” and “resuscitation.” For the sake of this paper, “revival” will refer to a re-awakening of our awareness of and returning to our dependence on God for direction and wisdom and cleansing.

What Does the Bible Say about Revivals?

It should come as no a surprise that the Bible does not refer to a revival as such. There are numerous calls to return to God, to repent and submit. But the word “revival” is nowhere to be found in the Bible. There are only five verses in the New International Version of the Bible that uses the word “revive” or “reviving.”

“Then we will not turn away from You; revive us and we will call on Your name” (Psalm 80:18). This verse comes at the end of a psalm that speaks of the suffering in the nation of Israel. Israel is symbolically referred to as a vine planted by God. Three times, the verse, “Restore us, O God; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved” (vs. 3, 7, 19) calls for a return to fellowship between God and His people. Clearly, in the psalm, there is the recognition that the people are suffering because they wandered away and are suffering God’s discipline. A need for revival.

“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6). This psalm begins with recalling how God had “restored the fortunes of Israel” (v. 1). It speaks of God’s forgiveness and then turns to a plea to do it again. It ends with the psalmist pledging to listen to what God will say, and has the assurance that His salvation is near and that fellowship will be restored.

“For this is what the high and lofty One says—He who lives forever, whose name is holy. ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15). Here, the chapter speaks about a rebellious nation, primarily given over to idolatry. Following God’s warning in the chapter (vs. 1-13), God offers comfort to those He will revive—those who are contrite in spirit, who are lowly.

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in His presence” (Hosea 6:1-2). Reading the rest of the chapter, it is clear the people have wandered away from God. There is the recognition that they need to acknowledge the Lord, and there is admonition for broken covenants and their sins are atrocious.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). Here, the psalmist is declaring that God is revealed through His creation and through the Scripture. The psalm ends with, “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:12-14).

In each of these passages, there is the clear recognition of wrongdoing on the part of the people and the need to return to God, to restore the relationship that we had broken. In Psalm 19, the recognition of God through creation and the written Word leads to an awareness of sin and the need for repentance. All of which leads a person to revival and restoration. The first element of revival, then, is in recognizing that there is a need for revival, and this knowledge comes only from a personal encounter with God as He reveals Himself to us. In the light of His presence, our rebelliousness is exposed and we are made aware of the need to repent and return to Him.

Some Things to be Aware of When Seeking Revival

Can we seek revival? The above referenced verses clearly show that we are to ask God for revival. In each of the verses, there is the request of the writer for God to send revival and restoration. So, yes, we can seek revival once we realize that there is a need for it.

It is important to realize also that the recognition of the need for revival also leads us to the recognition that revival only comes from the Lord. It does not and will not come about as a result of a social movement. Neither will it come through a legislative or political action. Any effort of humanity to bring about revival by human activity is to completely misunderstand the meaning of revival. Such an action is to negate the need for God and is a form of idolatry in itself.

Without God, there is no revival.  Without repentance, there is no revival.

Revival does not mean God restoring the nation/society to what I want. It is recognizing that God must restore us and our nation to His vision and His will. That means that we must set aside anything and everything that may be interpreted as, “God, we need a revival, and here’s what I think You should do.” Revival is submitting to God’s will and His will alone.

Do We Really Need a Revival?

As I write this, I am living in two countries going under the name the United States of America. The two countries in one border do not share a common belief or understanding in just about anything or anyone. Both sides think the other side is ignorant, mean-spirited and so easily fooled by the blatant lies being foisted upon them by the media they listen to. Both sides see the news sources of the other as filled with nothing but fake news, and both sides see the other as a threat to America and to all that we stand for. Polls suggest that we are as divided as never before except for the Civil War.

But not just the United States. Look at Europe, Africa, the Middle East. There is turmoil and uncertainty, a jaded view at best and ideas similar to what we are experiencing in our own nation. Central America is rife with violence created by the drug culture that we, in the U.S., purchase. As in the days of Prohibition, which gave rise to Capone and the Mafia, the war on drugs begun by our nation in the ‘70’s has caused to spring up crime bosses and families in the regions where our drugs originate.

I believe with all my heart that Christ is returning in 50 years or so (I believe less), but that does not negate the need for revival in our land and in our world. We need the presence of God in our lives and in our society and in our world as never before.

And with revival will come the inevitable accompaniment of greater evangelism, further transforming society. As we draw closer to the Father, our transformation will become obvious to those we encounter each day. As we draw closer, we will find the courage to share the truth that inspires us. People, seeing the change, will be more open to hear what is being said. As the Spirit is moving in our midst, so will He be moving in our society, and others will come to Him.

So, yes, I believe our nation needs a revival.

(c) 2018 Glynn Beaty