6 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Isaiah 6:7-8 (CSB): “He touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: ‘Who will I send? Who will go for us?’ I said: ‘Here I am. Send me.'”
Reflecting on God’s Word
The word “revival” is sometimes overused and even more frequently misused. All too often, in older congregations, when they use the word “revival,” they are simply talking about a series of meetings where they invite a guest speaker who has more energy than their wearied pastor. The meetings are labeled ‘revival” before they even start, regardless of whether any Christian is actually going to be revived.
Those “revival” meetings are but a shadow of the reality.
True revival is when God, who is completely everywhere at all times, “shows up” in a particular location to bless people with brokenness over their sin, the ability to repent on a very deep level, the experience of spiritual forgiveness and cleansing, and a renewed energy and desire to do what God has already called them to do.
As we examine Isaiah 6, we see what has typically been the way revival has manifested itself in church history. I encourage you to have an open Bible beside you as you review the outline I will provide below. Read Isaiah 6 in your Bible as you work your way through the outline to see the pattern that emerges. And then pray that God would do this work in your life, in your church, and in our land.
- I must realize my need of Him (Isaiah 6:1)
- King Uzziah was a very good king until the end of his life. Isaiah saw the moral decline of Judah and realized that Uzziah’s death could throw the nation into even deeper troubles (political, moral, etc.).
- God often prepares us for revival by allowing things around us to get dark, giving us a reason and opportunity to cry out to Him.
- I must meditate on who He is (Isaiah 6:1-4)
- Rather than dwell on Uzziah’s death and all of the negative possibilities, God granted Isaiah the ability to have a vision of Him.
- In times of revival, God allows Himself to be known and experienced at a much deeper level in the human heart than we ordinarily experience.
- I must acknowledge my sinfulness (Isaiah 6:5)
- When Isaiah experienced God’s holiness, he couldn’t help but look back at himself and see his own sinfulness.
- Simply stated, there is no revival without brokenness and repentance before God over our sin. I have discovered that the sinfulness of sin is felt in much greater degrees during the early part of revival, as God manifests Himself to us more fully.
- I must receive His forgiveness (Isaiah 6:6-7)
- God never intended for Isaiah to remain in a state of guilt. It was only a temporary, but necessary, step toward the goal of spiritual renewal and renewed vitality. In this step, as Isaiah felt the weight of his sin, God did the painful work of forgiving and purifying Isaiah.
- In seasons of revival, God desires for us to be broken before Him and repent of our sins on a very deep level. But He doesn’t want us to stay there. He wants us to experience His forgiveness and cleansing in the deepest recesses of our souls. That forgiveness may be painful (it may require swallowing our pride to confess a sin against someone else; it may require us to bear the consequences of our sinful choices; it most certainly required the death of God’s Son on the cross to pay our sin debt).
- I must engage in service to Him (Isaiah 6:8)
- After Isaiah’s sins were forgiven, he found himself desperately wanting to serve the Lord and do whatever He desired.
- Revival is never intended to be merely therapeutic. We are forgiven and cleansed so that we can join the Lord in the work He is doing around us. As saints who have been revived (brought back to spiritual vibrancy), we will serve with joy and oftentimes greater degrees of effectiveness.
- I must realize that others may not desire Him (Isaiah 6:9-13)
- God told Isaiah that he would indeed serve Him by speaking on His behalf to the people of Judah. But the people would not listen to him. They wouldn’t respond as he did with brokenness and repentance. But Isaiah must proclaim the truth to them anyway.
- In the most powerful revivals that have swept various corners of our planet, there have always been people whose hearts were unmoved. They are cold and indifferent (or even militant) toward the Lord and content to be so. However, we must not let them extinguish our fire. We serve the Lord, and we do so whether others respond positively or not.
I have written much about revival. In the Spring of 1995, I experienced God more profoundly than I ever had before. I wrote about it here: “When God showed up – a week I’ll never forget!”
That experience of God’s glory has never left my memory. It has caused me to be dissatisfied with a religiosity characterized by “holding to the form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).
If you would like to learn more about revival, please visit the sidebar on the right and select the drop-down menu under “Categories.” Just look for “revival.”
If you’d like to consider reading some books on the topic, take a look at the following brief list and consider purchasing one to devour.
- “Seeking Him: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom
- “Fresh Encounter” by Henry T. Blackaby
- “Firefall 2.0: How God Has Shaped History Through Revivals” by Alvin L. Reid and Malcolm McDow
- “Why Revival Tarries” by Leonard Ravenhill
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to cause you to realize there is so much more of Him to be experienced and enjoyed.
- Ask God to do whatever He must in your life to cause you to seek Him with your whole heart.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into what revival is, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)
Matt’s Musings 