THE FACE OF REVIVAL
For this is what the high and exalted One says: he who lives forever, whose name is holy; “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15
Someone once stood, drew a chalk circle around his feet, then prayed, “Lord, please send revival, and start inside this circle.” Revival of a home, a church, and even a nation happens with the God-encounter of one individual at a time.
You’ve heard the term ‘the fires of revival,’ right? To have a fire, I must be revived. I can’t generate heaven’s fire on my own. The energy of the Spirit is just that: it’s of the Spirit. I can be excited temporarily by a sermon, inspired by a movement, influenced by friends, but the only fuel that stands the test of time and transcends the ups and downs of life is the real thing. Fire comes from a relationship. I must be connected to a Person, not a scripture verse, not a charismatic leader, not a church. Jesus. One and only Jesus.
When one thinks about revival, it’s common to picture something that happens in great numbers. In days past, it involved a tent, a a week long crusade perhaps, and a fiery evangelist. But more often, there’s an individual revival where I don’t need a group, a preacher, a tent, or special music. In private, Jesus and I meet and I am never the same after that.
There are conditions for revival though. Isaiah quotes God as saying that He dwells in two places, in the heavens and with the lowly and the contrite. The wealthy don’t have an advantage, neither does a seasoned bible scholar or even a long time believer. Money can’t buy an appointment. Knowledge doesn’t impress. God comes running to the lowly and the contrite. Period. ‘Whosoever will may come’ and the entrance to the presence of God is humility and repentance.
“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8 Amen
Copyright Christine Inc.
Find more info at: www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Friday, 28 June 2019.
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