Several years ago, Joice and I were on a road trip and traveling through the South. We saw a sign outside of a church and were amazed and somewhat perplexed to read that the church had a revival scheduled for the forthcoming week. We had thought that revivals were a spontaneous outpouring of the Spirit of God and were somewhat “unusual”. There would be signs of repentance and a renewed sense of God’s presence, coupled with a movement of love and humility among the people affected. We didn’t think you could script that.
I had read about famous revivals, such as the Welsh revival of 1904-1905, which was dramatic and had triggered revivals in other countries, including America. An “awakening” might be a better word for what happened, because a revival seems more like a one-time event. The “Azusa Street” so-called revival (1906-1915) lasted more than 9 years, so it was more like an awakening.
Some church historians claim that both revivals and awakenings are more harmful in the long term than good. People become hardened to faithful preaching and many of the “Christian cults” come from such events.
Joice and I once visited the country of Wales, and we were staying in Cardiff for a few nights. Early one morning, when I was out jogging, I came across an enormous sea of tents in the domain, or central area of the town. I thought, “This must be another Welch revival!” Wrong. It was a large meeting of Jehovah Witnesses. The proprietor of the B&B where we were staying did not even know (or at least claimed he didn’t know) the name of a church next door. (It had been a Presbyterian church.) The Welch revival was long forgotten, and within the country, Christians are now officially a minority. It has a large population of atheists.
Estimates from 2021, suggest that 63% of the American population still claim to be Christian, and only 4% claim to be atheist. However, our Christian population does not impede our large murder rate, which is 19% of all global homicides.
That said, we should ask ourselves, “Does our country need revival?” and “Do I want revival in my own soul?” David certainly did, as reflected in several his Psalms (from the NIV):
Psalm 85.6:
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
Psalm 126.4:
Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Psalm 51:10:
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 23.3:
He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Psalm 30.2:
Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
Psalm 80.18:
Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.
Revival leads to restoration, to a returning to the love we once had for God. It involves the inner healing of our soul, our deepest thoughts and feelings, and results in purity, joy and happiness. Why would we not want to be revived?
The answer, partly, is because it is costly and can be embarrassing. We must confess our wrongs and repent from doing them. Confession implies an openness to admit our sins and a desire to get rid of them. Admitting we are wrong to ourselves, or a few friends, may be difficult, but admitting them openly in a church meeting is largely impossible. Furthermore, most evangelical churches do not seem to encourage or even tolerate open confessions.
But revivals do happen, and God is the agency: “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)
Revivals are more common in Pentecostal churches and the name of the denomination comes from Acts 2.1, the Day of Pentecost. However, the stipulation by Paul was that the manifestation or outpouring of the spirit “must be for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12.7-11) When revivals are taken out of their biblical context, they are unfortunate (and may be untrue) and produce prophesies and cult leaders, who claim to speak the very words of God.
However, I believe in revival, as reflected in the song “There shall be showers of blessing.” Here is the chorus:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
It summarizes what can happen. After all, my church is on Renewal Way.
Karl Franklin
