Feb 5, 2023
Christians: Stop Asking God To Send Revival!
2-6-23
There are many names of God in Scripture; and many names of Jesus. Similarly, names of the Holy Ghost.
Casual students of the Bible know these. Some of names are titles; some are descriptive; some are prophetic; some are virtual codes that communicate the attributes of members of the Trinity; some are poetic. Among scores are, for instance, God as “the great ‘I Am’”; Jesus as the “Bright and Morning Star”; the Holy Spirit as the “Comforter.”
One of my names for the Father is God of the If-Thens. It’s an odd phrase, so I will explain. It is based on my recognition that God loves us unconditionally, but many of His promises are conditional. We, His children, do not always recognize this, because we don’t want to.
Many Christians in these days of national turmoil and societal distress quote a passage from II Chronicles, Chapter 7. We hear it in sermons, speeches, and prayers:
If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now, maybe God has many names for His people – us – too. Perhaps, if we think about the number of times Christians invoke this verse, one of those names could be: Lazy.
Lazy? When we hear those prayers often, even in anguish? But start thinking about all the times in the Bible that revival was needed among His people, in their lands, in His promised places. Many times! In fact, the need for spiritual revival is a repeated theme. People who are “called by God,” the blessed chosen who nevertheless exercise human nature, not God’s nature; and who inevitably (as per human nature) stray, rebel, grow apostate, reject God – the Bible record is populated by such people. And they, generally, are like you and me.
Whether God sends prophets who warn; or floods, famines, conquerors, or even a Savior, He provides ways out. He has ways to remind us of His love. He invites us to return. He issues promises. He offers forgiveness. Yet (to cite an aphorism from the Book of Proverbs) “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”
“Revival!” preachers yell. “Revival!” Christians call down from Heaven. “Revival!” believers pray for.
But in their yelling, calling down, and praying, very few Christians cite the whole passage from II Chronicles, Chapter 7, verses 12-15, when the Lord appeared to Solomon after a Temple had been built to honor God:
I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up Heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people; if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place.
There’s the God of the If-Then. In language, “if” should always, and logically, be followed by “then.” That is the function of the “if.” And the prerequisite of the “then.” Cause and effect.
God can, but never has, brought revival to a person, a people, or a land – a country – without the prerequisite of repentance. Nor should He, in my view. The plea would be lazy; and the holy answer would be cheap.
America, in so many ways, places, and times, was dedicated to Christ. It has been the land of “Great Awakenings,” evangelistic outreach, learned theology, but has turned into a culture of death, apostasy, secularism, hedonism, and materialism. There was wisdom in a bumper strip I recently saw: “If God does not destroy America, maybe Sodom and Gomorrah deserve an apology.”
Why would God “send” revival if His people do not bother to desire it more earnestly? Why do we merely preach it to each other? How arrogant to think that, amid our manifold sins, we can order God to fix things?
Christians, all moral patriots, need to work for revival ourselves!
Just as we surely deserve God’s holy judgment, so does God deserve our heartfelt repentance. To “humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways.”
THEN will He will hear the reports ringing through Heaven… and heal our land. But not, I’m afraid, before.
A Friend came around, Tried to clean up this town; His ideas made some people mad. He trusted His crowd, So He spoke right out loud; And they lost the best Friend they had.
+ + +
This popular song from the late 1960s has strong spiritual implications. It was written by the influential Gram Parsons, whose work inspired a generation of singers and groups. It is performed here in the room where he died at age 26, Room 8 of the very humble Joshua Tree Inn motel. I have been there, now a very accessible, informal shrine to Gram Parsons.
Click: Sin City
Catchy title followed by profound truth.
Repentance comes first. That’s our responsibility. Then and only then is God free to send revival. He instructs us with active verbs: humble, pray, seek, turn. I think those of us who have experienced true revival at some point in our lives recognize that it takes more than simply a plea of revival, regardless of sincerity. The answer is in the Word, right before our eyes, if we take time to read and study.
God will do three things.
1) God will hear our prayer—only after we repent. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
2) God will forgive our sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
3) God will heal our land. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I’m going to try to remember those four verbs each time I go to God in prayer: humble, pray, seek, and turn.
Greetings, Rick!
I, for one, and I’m sure among so many Christians, understand the “if” and the “then” of 2 Chronicles 7:14. It was, in my remembrance, the centerpiece verse in the late 60’s, early 70’s as the Jesus “revolution” was in process, which was when I understood myself to have become a “true” Christian.
I was raised in a nominal Christian home, and we went to church more regularly than Christmas and Easter, but it was in spurts really. Jesus was always important to me, but I really didn’t have the pieces fitted together properly until the revival, if you will, of that time. That’s when I began to attend a neighborhood Bible study by a couple who had been praying for several years for their eldest son’s high school, which I attended. That Bible study grew into a church (small “c,” as we became a part of the Church (big “C”), but now we were a fellowship of believers with a building to meet in. We were predominantly, but not exclusively, teenagers and very young adults. So, before that time, I would have “identified” (yes, let’s spin that concept for God’s purposes!), as a Christian, and yet been very aware of the need to love the Lord more completely, and obey Him faithfully. But, how would I go about that? What did it mean to really be a genuine Christian? Romans 12:1-2 was the overarching Scripture theme of our little congregation. So, the journey, in earnest, began.
We’ve been told of the millions and millions of people in the United States who also identify as being “Christian,” but we look at the state of our Union and wonder where they all are? We know there are vast pockets of believers, but not millions upon millions. Why on earth would anyone who understands themselves to be a Christian participate in drinking to the point of drunkenness, or become hooked on pornography, or are gossips/liars, adulterers, fornicators, greedy etc., or feel they don’t need to go to church (church with a little “c”), or make a fuss about not being able to take communion when they are unashamedly promoting the killing of unborn children???? How can we call ourselves Christians and participate in those things (and many other things that also grieve the heart of God) ?
So, 2 Chronicles 7:14 speaks to us very clearly today as it has since it was written. We, who identify as Christians, all need to examine ourselves to see if there is anything in our lives that God calls “wicked.” Are we truly born again? That is really the key, isn’t it? If we truly love the Lord and identify as His child, then we will love Him with everything we have, everything we are. We will obey Him. And we will love each other too. We need both a revival AND an awakening – believers and unbelievers alike, bowing before the Lord in humility and repentance. How we marvel at the Lord’s patience throughout the history of humankind. How I marvel at His patience with me! But, there’s an end to that patience at some point, and then it’s over.
Jesus, help us to continually grow in our knowledge and love for You. Help us not become weary and complacent, or lazy, as we live and await your promised and longed-for return for Your Church. Help us to be ready for You, Lord. Help us to be faithful. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and pour out Your Spirit on this nation (indeed this world), that we might honor You in all that we say and do and think. Anoint us for Your service Lord. Help us boldly speak of You and live for You. Use us, as it pleases You, Lord, to participate with You in the building of Your Kingdom. May You find us faithful. Amen.
Barb Haley: Wisdom, and, as often the case, you state it better put than I do!
Preach it, Susan! Wonderful words!
Thank you, Rick.
I’m beginning to think the hope for America is being in him [co-crucified and co-resurrected]. New creations have new values, morals, perspectives, interests, etc.
I gave a speech once, and afterwards a lady said, “I loved your way of stating it, ‘Our problems are spiritual, and the only way they can be addressed is through spiritual solutions.'” I honestly did not remember saying that! But I have claimed it ever since.
Of course, it is the nub of our situation. I HAVE many times said that we are not going to wake up some Monday morning in America, and everything will “be like it was.” It will take a complete turnaround, possibly a revolution, I fear with some disruption… but necessary.
I agree with what you say, absolutely, about “new creations”… but I would tweak it a bit and say, instead of “new morals,” etc., what we need is OLD morals, perspectives, etc. You and i are saying the same thing, I am sure.
But there is no alternative; no new experiments that might succeed. Christ and His people will “win” in the end — Heaven is our destination — but the United States might well be doomed…