True Revival

“Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.” (Ps 85:5-8 AV)

The saints define revival as many things.  Usually, the definition of a revival is what results are seen by it.  The most common is salvation decisions.  We say that revival is when a larger than normal number of souls come to know Christ.  That is a revival.  That definition cannot be further from the truth.  In order for revival to occur, there must have been life before.  One cannot be revived from a lost state because he is dead in his sins. He can be born again.  But he cannot be revived.  Revival is for the once living.  Those who are living yet not alive.  In our passage, revival is marked by three things.  Three events that are necessary for the saint to be revived.

The first is that God’s anger be removed.  This suggests we need revival because of our sin.  There must be a desire to walk in communion with God in obedience and please Him again.  That is where revival begins.  The second is God’s mercy.  This is God’s forgiveness.  Seeking God’s forgiveness requires repentance.  It requires the people of God to forsake their sin and hate sin more than they love the pleasure of it.  Third, there must be a desire to never return to the foolishness that resulted in God’s anger to begin with.  When the people of God are sick of their spiritual condition and realize God’s hand of correction is heavy upon them, then and only then can revival begin!

Our fellowship, like many other, are praying for a world-wide revival.  Yet much of what people call revival today is not revival at all.  It is an emotion side show with manipulative music design to entice people into making a decision they have little understanding of.  The multitudes come out and the altars are filled.  Yet, the fruit is seen weeks, months, and years in the future.  No lasting fruit.  No real change.  Hence, no real revival.  It certainly was exciting.  But the thing about bringing someone from the brink of death is they usually don’t go back there for a long time. Revival restores what was once there.  And grows it.  We are so far from revival because we do not realize the condition from which we wish to be revived is one of our own makings.  We don’t want to entertain the possibility God is upset with us for our lukewarm faith.  We don’t want to come to the honest truth that God is not happy with our open sin, flaunting it in the church pews.  Not until the people of God get serious with sin will there ever be true revival!