Psalm 85:6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
The evidence of revival is when the people of God find their joy in God. How tempting it is to love the gifts of God more than the God of the gifts! And how prevalent are the failings of God’s people? We fall into sin again and again and again and part of the reason is that we do not enjoy God more than the sin that entices us. We will know that God is doing a great work among us when we come to the point that we love Him more than the good things He gives us and more than the evil things He commands us to stay away from.
This may not happen overnight and it may not be marked by large groups of people being converted or becoming more committed. This revival may be restricted to one solitary follower of Christ. You do not need other people to get serious with God in order for you to do it. Would you be glad if you came to the point that you wanted God as much as you want the sins that so easily beset? Would that not be a revival? Have you shown God that such is what you truly desire?
Have you used the resources that God gives you to help get you there? The way to get to the place where God wants you to be is to listen to Him in His Word. Saturate yourself in the Word of God. Talk to others about your sins. Find other Christian people with whom you can be held accountable and for whom you can be a help. Meet with them on a regular basis and read the Bible, pray and discuss the things of Christ and what you read. Be committed to your local church. Do good for others. Overcome the evil in your own heart with good deeds done for others. And never neglect the Lord’s Supper. This is more than a mere memorial service. This is what God uses to help us stay close to Jesus. This is a spiritual fellowship in the body and blood of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 10:16-17).
Do you feel the heart cry of the Psalmist in Psalm 85:6 when he prays that God would revive him so that he rejoices in God? Are you willing to use the good things that God has given you in order to get there? God will answer the honest prayer for a personal revival. But He will not just zap you with spirituality and victory. Victory comes to those who fight. Spirituality comes to those who start on a journey with a single step. The prayer for revival is not a prayer to avoid the hard work that God has ordained His children do in order to grow closer to Him.
Study, pray, fellowship and worship. This is what God has given us and this is what we must use. And God will do great and mighty things which up until now we have not seen.
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