Why I Pray for Revival

In a genuine revival, masses of people experience the glory of God in extraordinary ways. Christians are captured by the magnetic field of God’s greatness, and their whole lives are oriented toward Him. Like the molecules in a magnetized bar of iron, they point unerringly toward the great magnetic north of God’s glory with every breath, every thought, every minute of their lives.

In revival, Christians worship in spirit and in truth. The Bible becomes a precious revelation of God to them, opening up new vistas of His excellencies. Worship services spontaneously lengthen because people don’t want to leave the presence of God. During the Welsh Revival of 1904, one minister remarked that he could not leave the church until 12:00 or 1:00 a.m. He would try to end the service repeatedly, but worship would simply break out again.1

In revival, singing is neither coldly formal nor thoughtlessly repetitious. Prayer becomes a high and holy privilege, giving voice to the overflow of praise and thanksgiving that wells up in Christians’ hearts. It also becomes a powerful weapon in the battle for people’s lives, rather than a means to the end of their selfish requests. And in the process of delighting themselves in the Lord, believers find that God has given them the true desires of their hearts.

In revival, preachers and teachers are filled with a burden to proclaim the glories of God. Passion and power accompany their messages, and Christ’s glory is elevated in the minds of their listeners. Sin is exposed and washed with grace. These ministers point to God rather than themselves, and they are literally afraid to tolerate any contradiction between their lives and their teaching. The Spirit of God is released through them as it was through men like David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, Duncan Campbell—and the apostle Peter on Pentecost.

In revival, Christians are consumed with the desire to be like Jesus in every area of life. They recoil at the prospect of doing or saying or thinking anything that is not compatible with the glory of God. They are so drawn to the beauty and holiness of God that they want to be like Him in every way. Believers weep over the sins that they now ignore and even indulge. No sin is too ugly to confess, no restitution too high to pay.

In revival, God’s glory motivates Christians to give until the work of Christ in the world is adequately funded. They empty their pocketbooks and forego that cabin or boat or recreational vehicle or expensive vacation in order to have more to give to the cause of Christ. There is a return to the pattern of the revival in Korea in 1906-1910 when believers commonly gave half of all they earned to send missionaries to neighboring countries.2

In revival, husbands and wives take their eyes off the failures and faults of their spouse, and focus on a common mission. With their eyes fixed on the glory of God, they work together for the kingdom, which also forces them to rely on each other’s strengths, and bonds them more closely together. During the revival of 1859, a minister in Ulster reported that in one congregation, only 2 out of 209 families were not regularly having family worship!3

In revival, Christians are so busy working together that they do not have time to argue and find fault and complain over petty slights. Forgiveness is offered quickly, because to harbor hurts grieves God and diminishes effectiveness in the common cause of spreading His fame. Believers of different races and cultures affirm and bless one another and work together for the kingdom of God. As Festo Kivengere wrote of the ongoing revival in Uganda in this century, it was commonplace for the Christians to meet daily in order to care for and help each other.4

In revival, Christians demonstrate great courage to face the hardships and obstacles and persecution of taking a stand for righteousness. They sign on as career missionaries, not asking about the retirement package or the health care benefits. They compete for the most difficult assignments in other cultures and in the great cities of the world because they want to go where the need to know God’s glory is greatest. Nothing that might happen to them matters at all, so long as God is glorified.

In revival, many of even the most resistant people in the community confess their sin and repent, putting their faith in Jesus and surrendering their whole lives to the task of glorifying Him. Friends and neighbors are curious to know what can be that important, that wonderful, that powerful in believers’ lives. Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of new believers pour into the churches, as in the Welsh Revivals in 1859 and 1904 when over 100,000 were converted, or in The Great Awakening in New England when as many as 7% of the total population was saved.5

In revival, everything is different. Even mundane or tiresome tasks take on new meaning because they are done for the glory of God. Everything is done with joy because it is done for Someone who is worthy of their service. Everything about Christians’ lives becomes integrated toward one goal: to glorify the Lord.

In revival, God smiles. He is pleased with His people. He is honored as He deserves, and all heaven rejoices. The saints and angels applaud God that His glory is sufficient to motivate and inspire all that they see going on below.

That is why I pray for revival.