How should we pray for revival?

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I have heard it (well, technically I guess I saw it on a social media post) again...a call to 'assail heaven' with prayer for revival. 

And I believe the heart of the person who wrote that is right; they truly want to see God move in our land.

But...'assail' is typically a word used for attacking an enemy camp.  Something about that doesn't seem quite...aligned...

See, God told us what to do when we need revival.

It wasn't... 'If my people will bombard me with requests to send revival'.
It wasn't... 'If my people will forward a facebook meme to everyone on social media'.
It wasn't... 'If my people will elect the right political candidates'.
It wasn't... 'If my people will will express righteous indignation at the actions of unbelievers'.
It wasn't... 'If my people will send large amount of money to large ministries'

It was...'If my people, who are called by my name (Um, hello, Christians) will 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 heal their land.' (2 Chron. 7:14).

Prayer...even travailing prayer... is certainly in that description, but it's not begging God for revival.  It's confession and repentance.   I have to confess MY sin and turn from MY wickedness.

I am convinced that revival comes when people are positioned for it.  It makes no sense that God would withhold his Spirit from his people just because they haven't asked him with enough fervor.   Scripture is full of God's willingness to pour his spirit out and call people to repentance (that's what revival is, at it's heart, right? ); why would he NOT move at any opportunity to do just that?

Maybe we have the wrong idea of what revival is.  Maybe we think revival is getting the folks who don't think like me...to think like me.  Maybe we think revival is weird things happening in a service...like feathers falling from the ceiling or some such thing. Maybe we think revival means things will go back to being like it used to be...when biblical morality was the socially accepted norm and not considered close-minded bigotry, just so believers can be comfortable in their communities instead of feeling at odds with those who are not the least bit interested in following God or the standards he gave.

We overlook that some of the deepest movements of the spirit, some of the purest expressions of faith, came in times of extreme persecution, when it was not only not comfortable to be an evangelic believer...it was hazardous.

As it is right now in some parts of the world, I would like to point out.  American Christians pout because someone ...who doesn't believe and doesn't understand...behaves as if Christians were unimportant to their customer base or target audience.  There are folks in other countries who are dying....who are watching their families murdered, their churches burned...because they follow Jesus.

But we, in our comfort-driven Christianity in America, seem to think that revival means that everyone will recognize that we were right and adjust their attitudes (and voting) accordingly.

Can I just hypothesize that if being comfortable in our culture is our motive...even deep down, where it doesn't show...we're not ready for revival.

Here's what I think I need to pray...

I need to confess the inclination I have to be lazy and detached.  I need to give up the idols of 'comfort' and 'security'.  I need to repent my selfish thinking, and my judgmental attitudes towards others.  I need to give up the need to express myself and make my thoughts heard (and I wonder even now if this blog post is part of that...). 

Confess my sins.  Turn away from my wickedness.

And maybe I need to just start off by confessing I don't have the strength to do that and asking for the grace to do those things...and especially for the insight to see the sins I pretend I don't have and the wickedness that I rationalize as something else.

Ouch.  This hurts, y'all, because it's real and I KNOW I am loathe to give up comfortable.  But I kinda have a feeling that if I don't willingly give it up...it's gonna get taken anyway. And that may be what revival looks like in this time...stripping away everything that really isn't important in the light of the kingdom, taking away all our security blankets and pleasurable distractions so that all we have left is God, so we will know that God is enough.



God...make me ready for revival.  Purge, purify, strengthen. Teach me to let go of anything that is not you.  Let me be honest with myself to see my real motives...and turn my heart away from any motive that is selfish in any way.  Keep my heart tuned to you, teach me to see what my reaction should be in everyday circumstances, so that I learn to do what you are doing. Cleanse my heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Make me wholly yours.