God is the Author of every revival and He sets the agenda. The purpose of every revival is to glorify God the Son. The Holy Spirit is the executive agent of revival and men are of necessity earthly instruments of revival. The only reason revival tarries, the weak link in this chain, the only fickle variable in this equation is always man.
In Gen 2:5,6 - the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, because there was not a man to till the ground. So, we were told, there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. We will continue to sing ‘mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead’ for sometime yet, unless God finds a man, a woman, men or women ready to till the ground. Otherwise any rainfall will be wasted, leaving erosions and gullies.
Before any Divine visitation a remnant or some remnants of His grace would have experienced a pre-visitation from the Lord. For example Gideon, Zacharias, Elizabeth and Mary received angelic visitors. All these would have carried out their earthly responsibilities in obedience to directives of God before deliverance and revival can be experienced on earth. The above testimonies from Genesis, Judges and the Gospels reveal that God must always find a few in whose lives He could commit His Divine trust.
In Gen 7:11,12 – During the deluge, there was a breaking up of the foundations of the deep, before opening of the windows of heaven, and subsequently the rainfall – that is always the sequence. The ‘foundations of the great deep must be broken up’ on the earth, by men’s lives breaking forth, before the windows of Heaven open and finally the rainfall.
The question each of us must answer is; are we preparing the way of the Lord or hindering it? Are we facilitating or delaying His visitation? Could God move us from saying only sweet prayers to also taking practical steps of obedience in faith?
I pray the Lord to grant us a revelation of Himself; His heart and passion for revival. May we wake up to this divine calling. Thank you and God bless
Why, O why, are we so slow of heart to understand all that the Lord says to us and requires of us? May He have mercy and grant us a fresh encounter with Jesus and new revelation of all that His Word would speak to our hearts!
Bless you Jeni. We shall continue to plead with the Lord to show us mercy that we may rise up to our responsibility for our generation. We must continue to spread the message of the cross wherever He gives us opportunity, digging as many ditches as He will graciously permit us. We shall see His glory in the UK and Europe!