WHAT REVIVAL MEANS!

WHAT REVIVAL MEANS!

Ps 85:4-7

4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord , and grant us thy salvation.

          Our church begins revival meetings this morning! We do this every year and some churches conduct these special meetings twice per year. Why do we do it? What are we looking for? I think our text offers us some clues.

          First, I think there is a growing sense that we have angered God. Things may not be bad but there is a malaise or dissatisfaction in our spirit. We know something is wrong; that we have forgotten something very important. Verse 4 explains that we have angered “the God of our Salvation.” We conclude that revival is for those who are already saved. We have disturbed our relationship with the Savior and verse 5 explains that we do not want this to continue.

          Verse 6 explains that we may have been at this place before. “Wilt thou not revive us again?” The word “again” means that we have been here before. We are constantly trying God’s marvelous patience and the signal is that we have stopped rejoicing. Perhaps some circumstance has stolen all our joy!

          Jacob’s sons played a cruel joke on their father. They sold Joseph, his favorite son, into slavery and splashed lamb’s blood on his coat of many colors. Jacob was convinced that some wild animal had killed Joseph and he continued in mourning. Much later, Joseph of Egypt sent wagons to carry his father’s family to Goshen. We see the revival of his spirit in these following verses.

Gen 45:26-27

26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.

27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

          But it is David who provides for us a clear explanation of our condition and our desire for revival. David had sinned and had covered up that sin so that nobody knew – but he himself and God. This secret between David and his God became painful and burdensome. It was hard to carry on normally. The joy had gone. Listen to David’s plea for revival.

Ps 51:7-12

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Dear Lord, we have greatly offended you. We sense it deep in our soul. We love you – and we know that you love us. We can’t stand this stale air that we breath. Please, Lord, revive us again. Apply the blood with hyssop that we can be clean again. Restore the joy we once knew and now only pretend. AMEN