“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” - Psalm 85:6
Being a product of the 60s and born into the Church as a 3rd generation Nazarene, I learned early a hymn that we would sing often:
Revive us again,
fill each heart with Thy love.
May each soul be rekindled
with fire from above.
I would watch as the generation before me would sing with great passion, asking God to do it again, to come in power and glory and pour Himself out on our church and our world. I can remember prayer meetings leading up to revival services where those who were heroes of the faith to me would kneel at the altars and cry out to God to come and move among them in a mighty way.
And God did it! He would show up in such powerful ways that people would often stand and testify to the power and transformation of God in their lives. People would be so overcome by the presence of God in the services that the only expression of what they were feeling was shouts of “Glory to God!” People would walk the aisles in tears hugging one another or simply raising a hand of thankfulness for the outpouring of God’s power and presence upon them and the services; couples would come together, praying for restoration of a marriage; people would go to one another and confess a bad spirit and ask for forgiveness; restitutions would be made; people who had not been in church for a long time would be drawn to what God was doing; people would confess their sins and receive Christ into their lives. There was lasting fruit from these divine moments!
Can we see revival again in our day?
In a day when we have made our services about glitz and professionalism, time conscious, or imitating mega-churches and pastors, most churches are seeing a decline and an element often missing in their services: the anointing and outpouring of God’s Spirit among them.
Can God do it again in a day when it seems America is becoming less passionate about God and more critical of His Church?
It’s our ONLY HOPE!
All of us are familiar with what has taken place on the campus of Asbury University, a small campus in the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky. On Wednesday morning, February 8, 2023, students simply stayed after a normal chapel service and prayed. There was nothing emotional about the moment, just young people humbling themselves before God, confessing and asking God to fill them.
Within days, thousands of people from all over the world descended upon that place, some estimating now over 100,000 people. No one knew exactly what to call it. A movement of God? A revival? An awakening? The leaders of Asbury simply chose to call it “an outpouring of God’s Spirit!”
Within days of hearing about what was happening on the campus of Asbury, I felt the Spirit nudging me to go and experience it. So, I took a staff person and a friend, and we drove several hours to the campus. There was a holy silence as we walked across the campus. As we approached Hughes Auditorium, we could see people outside praying, and you could hear the sounds of voices singing. There was a sense of the presence of the Lord in a powerful way.
There is always the presence of four groups in any movement like this: the Holy Spirit, true worshippers, spectators, and the critics.
As we walked into the chapel, we entered as spectators, watching all that was going on. But we quickly moved to become true worshippers!
Everyone was engaged in worshipping the Lord, and I noticed a variety of ages. Across the aisle to my right was a man in his 80s with his hands lifted high and tears pouring down his cheeks trying to sing a song he did not know (nor did I), just repeating the words, “I want more of you Jesus, just more of you!” A true worshipper!
As the song changed, I noticed in the front section students with hands lifted upward singing passionately, “What can wash away my sin? NOTHING but the blood of Jesus!” True worshippers!
Testimonies broke out of confession, restoration of friendships, young people testifying to the transformation of their lives by the power of God’s Spirit, others crying out for God to move in revival across our country and world, some testifying to God’s healing.
Can we see revival again in our day? I believe we can! I believe we are!
We sing a song at our church, “DO IT AGAIN!” The words are so powerful:
I’ve seen You move
You move the mountains
And I believe I’ll see You do it again
You made a way where there was no way
And I believe I’ll see You do it again
Can we see a revival again in our day?
Can God do again what He has done for thousands of years, responding to the cries and confessions of His people?
IT APPEARS HE IS! I don’t care what we call it! I JUST WANT IT! I WANT IT FOR MY CHURCH!
We have been praying for an outpouring of God’s Spirit among us over the past 2-3 years at our church, but especially in the last 12 months. And nearly every week for the past year our altars have been full, people crying out to God for forgiveness, parents praying for their children and grandchildren, people coming for anointing for a physical need, couples weeping before God for their marriages.
Can we see a revival again in our day? I think we can! I believe we are!
The president of Asbury University, when asked about what was happening on the campus, said: “I believe it is an awakening among us. An awakening is where God begins to stir and awaken people up from their spiritual slumber. This is definitely happening not only in Wilmore, but as this move of God spreads to other schools and communities across the nation and even the world. There are many reports that this is what is happening. But we must keep our hearts and eyes fixed on Jesus and ask for Him to complete the work He has begun so that, over time, there is a lasting transformation in the lives of those who are being touched by God.”
I love his statement:
“But we must keep our hearts and eyes fixed on Jesus and ask for Him to complete the work He has begun.”
This has been my daily prayer, that God Himself would complete across our land and world what he began in Wilmore, Kentucky. DO IT AGAIN, LORD! “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6)