"Restore us, oh God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation" (Psalm 85:4-7).
There are so many things that can be said on the topic of revival. Here, I want to share an encounter I had with God in 2009 where He brought up the topic of revival, but the focus of this post isn't so much revival as it is a prelude to my other post (Distinguishing When God Speaks) and is about how God relates to me. I might write other posts about solely revival some other time. I don't share this encounter lightly.
Between my first encounter with God and my last one, I've had five encounters with God (not to be confused with 'experiences'). The fifth one happened when I visited a friend's church several years ago. Somene handed me the book 'Azusa Street' by Frank Bartleman about the revival that began in 1906 and ended in 1909 at a mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles. I thought, "I don't care about the old revivals. They're not relevant. We need new revivals." I decided not to read the book, but when the deadness of that church started grating on me, I went to the back of the church where there were empty pews, sat down, and opened the book thinking, "This book can't possibly be as bad as this church service."
I didn't have far to read at all. I believe I was on the first page and on the first or second paragraph when it happened. I was reading about the death of Frank Bartleman's six-year-old daughter when I could suddenly feel Bartleman's grief (one hundred years later). I've never had or lost a daughter, but I suddenly felt that loss. I didn't feel this for more than three seconds when the Holy Spirit suddenly reached up from the open pages of the book and caught me almost by the solar plexus (sort of like someone grabbing you by the front of your shirt). When He did this, the pages of the book began to burn in my hands (the book didn't burn because it was a spiritual fire) as He first rebuked me for thinking the old revivals are irrelevant or obsolete and then began speaking to me about the coming revivals. It was not the typical 'friendly' charismatic experience. This was raw and more like Moses on the backside of the desert.
I share in my other post the way the different Members of the Godhead relate to or speak to me more in-depth (which some people, especially if they don't believe there are 3 Members in the Godhead or if they're uncomfortable with the fact that each Member can and does relate to believers). The Holy Spirit is the One who does most or all the speaking about revival to me. (This might be different in another person's life.)
Regarding revival, in Psalm 85, the sons of Korah prayed, "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" God is looking for people who will be even more direct: "Revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You!" But I learned through the years that we are not waiting on God to send revival like many churches think; God is waiting on us to prepare for revival. What usually happens is that people pray and ask for revival, but they don't 'sanctify themselves' or prepare for it. Before God came down on the mountain before Israel, He told Moses to sanctify the people (Exodus 19:10-11). After Moses died, God continued to follow (and still follows) the same tradition: "Joshua said to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you'" (Joshua 3:5). To 'sanctify' yourself before revival means to 'prepare' for it. God is able to lead christians and churches in how to prepare, but only if they will listen and do what He directs them to do. Below is a documentary on the Azusa Street revival.
There are so many things that can be said on the topic of revival. Here, I want to share an encounter I had with God in 2009 where He brought up the topic of revival, but the focus of this post isn't so much revival as it is a prelude to my other post (Distinguishing When God Speaks) and is about how God relates to me. I might write other posts about solely revival some other time. I don't share this encounter lightly.
Between my first encounter with God and my last one, I've had five encounters with God (not to be confused with 'experiences'). The fifth one happened when I visited a friend's church several years ago. Somene handed me the book 'Azusa Street' by Frank Bartleman about the revival that began in 1906 and ended in 1909 at a mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles. I thought, "I don't care about the old revivals. They're not relevant. We need new revivals." I decided not to read the book, but when the deadness of that church started grating on me, I went to the back of the church where there were empty pews, sat down, and opened the book thinking, "This book can't possibly be as bad as this church service."
I didn't have far to read at all. I believe I was on the first page and on the first or second paragraph when it happened. I was reading about the death of Frank Bartleman's six-year-old daughter when I could suddenly feel Bartleman's grief (one hundred years later). I've never had or lost a daughter, but I suddenly felt that loss. I didn't feel this for more than three seconds when the Holy Spirit suddenly reached up from the open pages of the book and caught me almost by the solar plexus (sort of like someone grabbing you by the front of your shirt). When He did this, the pages of the book began to burn in my hands (the book didn't burn because it was a spiritual fire) as He first rebuked me for thinking the old revivals are irrelevant or obsolete and then began speaking to me about the coming revivals. It was not the typical 'friendly' charismatic experience. This was raw and more like Moses on the backside of the desert.
I share in my other post the way the different Members of the Godhead relate to or speak to me more in-depth (which some people, especially if they don't believe there are 3 Members in the Godhead or if they're uncomfortable with the fact that each Member can and does relate to believers). The Holy Spirit is the One who does most or all the speaking about revival to me. (This might be different in another person's life.)
Regarding revival, in Psalm 85, the sons of Korah prayed, "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" God is looking for people who will be even more direct: "Revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You!" But I learned through the years that we are not waiting on God to send revival like many churches think; God is waiting on us to prepare for revival. What usually happens is that people pray and ask for revival, but they don't 'sanctify themselves' or prepare for it. Before God came down on the mountain before Israel, He told Moses to sanctify the people (Exodus 19:10-11). After Moses died, God continued to follow (and still follows) the same tradition: "Joshua said to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you'" (Joshua 3:5). To 'sanctify' yourself before revival means to 'prepare' for it. God is able to lead christians and churches in how to prepare, but only if they will listen and do what He directs them to do. Below is a documentary on the Azusa Street revival.
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